Students at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, kids and adults alike, will present their work from the past semester at the workshop’s annual Winter Arts Festival Saturday.
The free, all day festival will take place at CHAW at 545 7th St. SE and will include performances by students as well as galleries of student art for sale.
The annual festival is a chance for the over 400 students at the workshop to show off what they’ve created, but it’s also part of the curriculum.
“Most of the classes have presentation built in, because a really important part of creating art is being able to present it,” Hannah Jacobson, director of marketing development and strategy at CHAW, said. “All the classes are gearing up for this at the end of the semester.”
In addition to the performances and gallery exhibitions, the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. will also be on hand in the afternoon to collect D.C. historic and pop culture items in their digital database. Residents can bring their favorite piece of D.C. memorabilia which the Humanities Council will digitize and add to their archive.
The festival will run from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., though visitors can come and go throughout the day. Here’s the schedule for the day, from CHAW’s website:
- 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. – Shop & Drop art sale
- 10-11:30 a.m. – Suzuki & Ballet dance performances
- 12-1:30 p.m. – Youth arts program art show and performances
- 1-4 p.m. – D.C. Digital Museum, Humanities Council of Washington, D.C.
- 2-3 p.m. – Adult solo and class performances with A Second Wind Chorus
- 2-3 p.m. – Pinocchio! presented by Faction of Fools Theatre Co.
- 5-6:30 p.m. – Adult student art show
All of the performances and shows are kid-friendly, but Jacobson says that the evening reception for the adult student art can also be a great time to relax away from the kids.
“Really fun opening reception for the adult gallery in the evening,”she said. “There are kid-friendly events throughout the day but this is always a great opportunity for adults to come have some wine and snacks and enjoy the galleries.”
Photo via Facebook/ Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
Capitol Hill Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in the Capitol Hill area. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out our event submission form.
For more events, be sure to check out our event calendar.
Wednesday
Bridgepoint Hospital (700 Constitution Ave. NE)
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Bridgepoint Hospital on Capitol Hill will offer a free, 20-minute class taught by D.C. Fire and EMS officials on hands-only CPR.
Thursday
Victory and Vision: DC’s Artistic Black Broadway
Westminster Presbyterian Church (400 I St. SE)
Time: 6:30 p.m.
The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the National Association of Black Storytellers have teamed up for a free night of storytelling through dance, voice and sound.
Friday
Friday ARTnights: The Art & History of Burlesque
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (545 7th St. SE)
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop will lead a two-hour burlesque dance class where attendees can learn basic burlesque moves and the history of the dance form. You can register for the class by calling CHAW at 202-547-6839.
Saturday
Living, Laughing & Loving: Celebrating the Circle of Life Through Song, Poetry and Dance
Church of the Epiphany (1317 G St. NW)
Time: 7:30-9:30 p.m.
The 85-voice Congressional Chorus (CC) opens its 29th season in Washington, DC by joining forces with Joy of Motion Dance Center, Afromoda Dance Theater, Capitol Movement, spoken word artists from American Youth Chorus (AYC) and the NorthEast Senior Singers alongside a LIVE 10-piece instrumental ensemble in a unique, multi-sensory performance that celebrates the emotions and the seasons of our lives. Tickets are available online for $33.
Friday-Sunday
Arena Stage – Kreeger Theater (1101 6th St. SW)
Time: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday
This play based on the film of the same name tells the story of an 11-year-old girl from the Chicago projects who tries to make it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The play will run until Dec. 27 and tickets are available online.
Photo via Arena Stage;/
There are only three more days until Halloween, so it’s time to start planning how you want to celebrate. Since the holiday falls on a spooky Saturday this year, you have plenty of time to join the festivities and plenty of options for where to go.
Whether you’re looking for some costumed clubbing or family-friendly fun, here’s a list of events to make the most of this Halloweekend:
Friday
Dinner and a Movie
The Argonaut (1433 H St. NE)
5 p.m.
The Argonaut is hosting a event for parents and their children. Upstairs, the newly-formed Argonaut Kids Club will be showing movies, doing activities and eating while parents can dine downstairs. Event prices start at $30 and vary based on the number of children who attend.
Hilloween at Eastern Market
7th Street SE (between Pennsylvania and North Carolina avenues SE)
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
The community tradition returns with free family-friendly activities and ways to celebrate Halloween. Attendees are encouraged to wear their best costumes and visit professional face painters, a haunted house, and a photo booth. Food, drinks and other treats will also be available for purchase. Councilman Charles Allen and Mayor Bowser will also be in attendance to give opening remarks.
Sweets to the Sweet!
Folger Shakespeare Library (201 E Capitol St. SE)
5:30 – 8 p.m.
The Folger is hosting a family-friendly Halloween celebration, Shakespeare style. Guests can expect holiday treats, candy, lines from Shakespeare and activities. The event is free and open to the public.
Boo to You Halloween Party
King Greenleaf Recreation Center (201 N St. SW)
6 – 8 p.m.
The recreation center is throwing a traditional Halloween party, with a costume contest and dance. The event is free and open to the public.
Derek Brown & Thriller on H Street
Joy of Motion Dance Center Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St. NE)
7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
This dance workshop will teach the entire routine from the Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video. The workshop is open to dancers of all abilities levels ages 19 and up. Costumes–especially those inspired by the King of Pop–are encouraged. After the workshop, winners of the dance-off and costume contest will receive dance class packages. Participants can register online in advance for $25.
Saturday
Halloween at Rosedale
Rosedale Community Center (1701 Gales St. NE)
12 – 4 p.m.
Center staff are throwing a Halloween Safe Haven celebration for community members with games, food, music, candy and a community parade. The event is free and open to the public.
Happy Howl-O-Ween!
13th Street Community Park & Garden (13th and C streets SE)
1 – 3 p.m.
Nonprofit pet adoption organization Homeward Trails and the 13th Street Community Park & Garden invite families-and their pets-to the park for a Halloween celebration. All guests are encouraged to wear costumes, and gift card prizes will be awarded to the best dressed child and pup. Some adoptable dogs are also expected to attend. This outdoor event is free and open to the public.
Halloween SPOOKtacular Concert & Reception
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (545 7th St. SE)
2 – 4:30 p.m.
This free event will preview the CHAW community through festive songs played by private music students and artwork samples from various classes. The art gallery will open at 2 p.m., and tours of the building will also begin at that time. The concert starts at 2:30, followed by a reception with donuts and cider. Costumes are recommended, as CHAW staff and the performers will be wearing them.
Photo via Flickr/Teo
Calling the Geese Police — Don’t be surprised if you spot border collies dressed in bright yellow vests adorned with “Working Dog” and “Geese Police of D.C.” on the National Mall. The dogs are part of an effort led by National Park Service to scatter geese that are leaving excessive droppings near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and elsewhere. [NBC Washington]
Honoring the Capitol Police ‘Gentle Giant’ — Thousands of people gathered at the National Law Enforcement Memorial this week to honor 273 police officers who died in the line of duty last year. Among them was U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Clinton Holtz, who died after he collapsed on the job in January 2014. [Washington Post]
Four Decades of Art on Capitol Hill — WTOP has a profile of the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, which has run community art sessions for kids and adults for 43 years. [WTOP]
Bike to Work Day — Did you participate in Bike to Work Day on Capitol Hill, NoMa, Navy Yard or elsewhere in Ward 6? You can share your photos with us via Facebook and Twitter.
You can tour a local brewery soon and support the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop.
The 545 7th St. SE arts organization will host a fundraiser at DC Brau Brewing Company on Saturday afternoon. The event from 12 to 5 p.m. will include tours, tastings, a Valentine’s Day photo booth, music and a raffle, the group announced.
For every pint sold, $1 will go to CHAW’s fund to help needy families pay for class tuition. Every $30 donation will be rewarded with a free, refillable growler.
CHAW and DC Brau share a community-first outlook, CHAW marketing director Hannah Jacobson said on the television show “Comcast Newsmakers.”
“We like to think of [DC Brau] as another community company that’s thinking about innovation [and] creation,” she said. “They’re creating craft beer, we create crafts, but it’s all part of the same.”
Founded in 1972, CHAW runs art, dance and music classes for children and adults.
The event open to people of all ages will be held at 3178 Bladensburg Road NE.
Photo via Facebook/DC Brau Brewing Company
