Best Galleries 1. Chris Martin: Painting Big: Martin’s monumental-scale abstractions pulse with life and color. Occupying three spaces in the gallery, including massive new paintings commissioned for the Corcoran’s beautiful atrium, the show also includes smaller (not lesser) works culled from 25 years of Martin’s prolific career.
Where: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St. NW
When: Through Oct. 23
Info: $10, $8 students/seniors (62-plus), free for age 12 and under; corcoran.org
2. Stella Sounds: The Scarlatti K Series: Eight recent pieces from the American abstract artist Frank Stella that reference the Italian Renaissance composer Domenico Scarlatti as well as the musicologist Ralph Kirkpatrick, who popularized Scarlatti’s sonatas in the 20th century.
Where: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW
When: Through Sept. 4
Info: $12, $10 students/seniors (62-plus), free for museum members and visitors age 18 and under, 202-387-2151; phillipscollection.org
3. PODS: Drawings by Lauren Sleat: Using organic matter collected from the beaches of Provincetown, Mass., Sleat creates small charcoal drawings that subtly explore issues of class, race, gender and sexuality.
Where: Gallery plan b, 1530 14th St. NW
When: Through July 24
Info: Free; galleryplanb.com
4. Directions: Grazia Toderi: These two video projections from Italian artist Toderi emerge indirectly from her memory of watching the first moonwalk on television as a child.
Where: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW
When: Through Sept. 5
Info: Free, 202-633-4674; hmsg.si.edu
5. History in the Making: Renwick Craft Invitation 2011: Silversmith Ubaldo Vitali, ceramic artist Cliff Lee, and glass artist Judith Schaechter each represent the pinnacle of their craft.
Where: Renwick Gallery, 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW
When: Through July 31
Info: Free
Best Music
1. Earth, Wind & Fire: Groove on with the Grammy-winning inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, recipients of four American Music Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during their 40th Anniversary World Tour.
Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna
When: 8 p.m. Sunday
Info: $45 in-house, $30 lawn; 877-965-8727; wolftrap.org.
2. Credence Clearwater Revisited: The irresistible beat of the Bayou rockers Stu Cook and Doug Clifford signals the sound of swamp romp.
Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Info: $40 in-house, $25 lawn; 877-965-8727; wolftrap.org.
3. The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show: The Fleetwoods beckon, “Come Softly to Me” with their distinctive “Dum, dum, dooby doo” refrain; Jimmy Beaumont and the Skyliners croon “Since I Don’t Have You,” and a host of doo-wop headliners lead the audience in favorite oldies.
Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Info: $40 in-house, $22 lawn; 877-965-8727; wolftrap.org
4. Jon Faddis: The trumpeter supreme stops by for two evenings.
Where: Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW
When: 8 and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Info: $37.75; 202-327-4141; bluesalley.com
5. Best of Serenade! Washington DC Choral Festival: Six international choral groups in two back-to-back performances Sunday: the Konevets Quartet from Russia, the Cordana Youth Choir from Indonesia, the Pacific Boychoir Academy of California, the Wits Choir of South Africa, the Los Angeles Children’s Choir, and Cadence from Canada,
Where: Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda
When: 4 and 8 p.m. Sunday
Info: $10 to $21; 301-581-5100; strathmore.org
Best Outdoors
1. A Jane Austen Tea Party: Step back into Regency England and be entertained with a treasury of tea-drinking quotations, anecdotes and recipes from Austen’s novels. Discover that tea was not merely a beverage but a sign of social standing and fine hospitality. A traditional English tea is included in this program.
Where: Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria
When: 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday and July 17
Info: $27; registration necessary: 703-941-7987
2. Elizabethan Garden Tour: Explore the garden at the Folger Shakespeare Library, inspired by herbal references in Shakespeare’s plays and also incorporating plants popular in his time, including lavender, creeping thyme and English ivy. See Shakespearean statues by American sculptor Greg Wyatt.
Where: The Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol St. SE
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and before performances; docent tours available first and third Saturdays of each month at 10 and 11 a.m.
Info: Free, no reservations necessary; 202-544-7077; folger.edu
3. Claude Moore Colonial Farm: See an 18th century working farm, complete with fields of tobacco and farm animals exactly like those used in Virginia three centuries ago: Devon cattle, hogs, turkeys, geese. Buy flowers, vegetables and herbs grown on the farm.
Where: 6310 Georgetown Pike, McLean
When: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday, plant sale 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday
Info: 703-442-7557; 1771.org
4. Great Marsh Trail: A short, paved trail with benches for rest stops along the way, this 1-mile round trip meanders through a thinly wooded forest with little underbrush. Groves of holly and mountain laurel can be found along the way. It ends at a viewing dock overlooking the Great Marsh. Signs of beaver and deer can be seen, and bald eagles have been known to be spotted here. Good for hikers, dogs.
Where: Woodbridge
When: Year-round
Info: Free; refuge manager: 703-690-1297; localhikes.com
5. Visit the National Garden at the United States Botanic Garden: The National Garden features the Rose Garden, the Butterfly Garden, the First Ladies Water Garden and much more.
Where: United States Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave., SW; National Garden is adjacent to Conservatory Terrace and can be entered from the Terrace or Independence Avenue
When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; through Sept. 5
Info: Free; 202-225-8333; usbg.gov
Best Gatherings
1. Adjusting the Volume: Artists from different disciplines work together to create an artistic blind date. Part of the Source Festival.
Where: The Source, 1835 14th St. NW
When: Through July 2
Info: $10; 202-204-7800; sourcedc.org
2. The Megaphone Project: Created and directed by Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey, thesound work/installation made up of 25 striking red megaphones of different shapes and sizes creates an interactive performance field.
Where: Millennium Stage: Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Info:Free; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
3. Phenomenal Phylogeny: Join John Kress, director of the Consortium for Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet at the Smithsonian, as he describes the amazing advances in our understanding of the evolution and classification of plants as the result of studies by botanists using DNA sequence data. These studies have allowed us to unravel many of the complicated and confusing problems in classification that could not be resolved using just features of the shoots, leaves, flowers and fruits.
Where: The National Botanic Garden, Conservatory Classroom, 100 Maryland Ave. SW
When: 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday
Info: Free; preregistration required; code: LH062611; usbg.gov
4. “I Mix What I Like! A Mixtape Manifesto”: In a moment of increasing corporate control in the music industry, Jared A. Ball analyzes the colonization and control of popular music and posits the homemade hip-hop mixtape as an emancipatory tool for community resistance.
Where: Busboys and Poets, 14th and V streets NW
When: 6:30 p.m. June 29
Info: Free; 202-387-7638; busboysandpoets.com
5. “Ten Thousand Saints”: New York City’s youth culture of the 1980s meant CBGB, ‘zines, Hare Krishnas, AIDS. All this and more awaits the protagonists of Eleanor Henderson’s sweeping and vivid debut novel, as the children of the activist/hippie generation leave Vermont for the City.
Where: Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
When: 7 p.m. June 27
Info: Free; 202-364-1919; politics-prose.org
Best Family
1.Bob Brown: Puppets perform as part of the Tiny Tots series. The plays are shorter and geared for children age 4 and younger.
Where: The Puppet Co., 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo
When: see website for dates and times
Info: $5; 301-634-5380; thepuppetco.org
2. “The Wind in the Willows”: Go on a wild ride with Mr. Toad! It’s early in the 20th century, and Mr. Toad embraces the motorcar with reckless abandon. When it is clear that he is on a road to disaster, Toad’s friends Mole, Ratty and Mr. Badger decide to intervene. Can they save Toad from himself? This musical event is faithful to the classic novel. Enjoyed by ages 4 and older.
Where: Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Ave., Bethesda
When: Through Aug. 14
Info: $10 to $22; 301-280-1660; imaginationstage.org
3. “Charlotte’s Web”: E.B. White’s popular tale of love and devotion takes theatergoers to Zuckerman’s Farm, where the delightful runt pig Wilbur appears headed for the dinner table, as main course, not as guest. Yet he is saved by the remarkably crafty spider, Charlotte, and the whole town begins talking about it. Some pig!
Where: Adventure Theatre, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo
When: Through Sept. 5
Info: 301-634-2270; [email protected]
4. Whooo’s Awake? campfire program: The whole family will enjoy this campfire full of stories, songs, games and s’mores.
Where: Meet at Gulf Branch Nature Center Campfire, 3608 Military Road, Arlington
When: 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. Friday
Info: $5; registration necessary: 703-228-4747; program No. 642851-F
5. A Tale of Tails: Long Branch Library Programs: Families with children ages 4 and older. This year’s theme is “One World, Many Stories.” You’ll concentrate on the many tales around the world about animals’ tails.
Where: Meet at Westover Library, 1644 N. McKinley Road, Arlington
When: 4 to 4:45 p.m. June 29
Info: Free; registration required: call sponsoring library to register: 703-228-5260
Best Brainfood
1. “Birds of a Feather”: The play recounts the story of Roy and Silo, the two Central Park Zoo chinstrap penguins who partnered, adopted an egg, hatched and raised a chick together. Roy and Silo are no strangers to the spotlight. In 2005, they were the subject of a widely contested children’s book,”And Tango Makes Three,”by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson. The book, temporarily pulled from school bookshelves in Loudoun County, became one of the most banned books in the U.S.
Where: The Hub Theatre, 931 Silver King Court
When: July 14 to Aug. 7
Info: $15 to $25; 703-674-3177; thehubtheatre.org
2. “The Disappearing Spoon”: There’s more to the periodic table than meets the eye — the elements have some great stories behind them, and Sam Kean, a writer forScience,recounts some of them here, from the parlor trick involving gallium (or Ga 31) alluded to in the book’s title, to why Silicon Valley isn’t Germanium Valley.
Where: Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Info: Free; 202-364-1919; politics-prose.org
3. “Guastavino Vaulting: The Art of Structural Tile”: John Ochsendorf, engineering professor at MIT and MacArthur Fellowship recipient, discusses the history of Guastavino vaults, which employ terra cotta tile and mortar to form self-supporting arches and domes. Presented in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution’s Architectural History and Historic Preservation Division, the lecture will take place in the National Museum of Natural History’s Baird Auditorium, a spectacular example of Guastavino vaulting.
Where: National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
When: 11 a.m. to noon Saturday
Info: Free; registration not required; nbm.org
4. Shanghai Kunju Troupe: The famed Shanghai Kunju Troupe performs musical theater selections from “The Palace of Eternity,” a tale of an emperor whose love life distracts him from his important post. Joining the troupe for the performance is American-based star Qian Yi.
Where: Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Jefferson Drive and 12th Street SW
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Info: Free but tickets required; 202-633-4880; asia.si.edu
5. “Inside/Out”: VSA Arts commissioned director Ping Chong to create this oral history production that explores the disability community through personal narratives.
Where: Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda
When: Friday to Sunday
Info: $15 to $20; 240-644-1100; roundhousetheatre.org
Best Theater
1. “The Merchant of Venice”: Shakespeare’s play challenges audiences to look beyond misleading appearances to find the true measure of things. This intriguing story of power and revenge, justice and mercy, true love and duplicity, features some of the Bard’s most complex and memorable characters.
Where: Shakespeare Theatre, 601 F St. NW
When: To July 24
Info: $20 to $98; 202-547-1122; shakespearetheatre.org
2. “Next to Normal”: Three-time Tony winner”Next to Normal,” starring Alice Ripley, isa story of family members torn between caring for themselves and each other. This musical with a thrilling rock score has won critical raves everywhere.
Where: The Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW
When: June 28 to July 10
Info: $35 to $120;202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
3. “Completely Hollywood”: The Reduced Shakespeare Company presents a high-speed version of all things Hollywood.
Where: Terrace Theatre, Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW
When: Through July 3
Info: Tickets begin at $39; 202-467-4600; kennedy-center.org
4. Zeitgeist: Staged readings of new plays in translation: “hamlet is dead. no gravity”: In Ewald Palmetshofer’s play, Dani and Mani come home for their grandma’s birthday and meet old friends Bine and Oli. Relationships shift and are never what they seem.
Where: Embassy of Austria (call 202-895-6776 for address and to make registration)
When: 7 p.m. June 27
Info: Free; 202-895-6776; acfdc.org/events-registration.org
5. “The Glass Menagerie” and “The Glass Menagerie Project”: The Georgetown University Theater and Performance Studies Program and Arena Stage remount Tennessee Williams’ most autobiographical work and a diverse array of performances and interactive installations that use the play to explore how Williams arrived at the masterpiece.
Where: Arena Stage 1101 Sixth St. SW
When: Through July 3; see website for details
Info: 202-488-3300; arenastage.org
