First Friday Dupont: Art Walk

On March 7, Alex Gallery opens its March-April 2025 exhibit titled “European Painting: ’80s, ’90s, and the ’00s” featuring work by four European painters: Vytautas Valius (Lithuania); Hannu Palusuo (Finland); Jan Beekman (Belgium); and Yoichi Tamaki (France).

Vytautis Valius is a treasured Lithuanian artist (1930-2004) given the nation’s National Prize for Art in 1996. Classically trained, the paintings on display at the Alex Gallery show his fascination with wood carving, a popular folk art. Viewers will be startled as faces emerge from what seem to be abstract canvases.

Born in Finland, now painting in Rome, Hannu Palusuo created dramatic abstract backgrounds using metal oxidation on his canvas, then painting realistic chairs, signifying people. His series “Childhood Playgrounds,” was created 20 years ago.

Jan Beekman studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. When he moved to the US in the 1980s, his inspiration became nature, especially forest coloring, dynamism, and topography. On display are works inspired by trees and forest floors.

Paris-based painter Yoichi Tamaki is dedicated to pure abstraction as a channel for enlightenment. These paintings from the oughts convey his verve and dedication to a style that increasingly reads as retro. The Alex Gallery is located at 2016 R Street, NW.

The Church of Scientology, National Affairs Office is hosting a special exhibition for Black History Month by the Youth for Human Rights DC Chapter and Art Impact® International. The show features five artists with a variety of styles who will be at the exhibition in person to discuss their art. Come and meet the artists! The Church of Scientology, National Affairs Office is located at 1701 20th St., NW.

Brenda Chandler: Digital media artist seizes the beauty in simple elements, texture, color, movement and form.

Houston Hancock: Award winning architectural, historical communication artist of 47 years exhibits original oil, and watercolor paintings.

Bill Jones:  Veteran medical illustrator for the U. S. Air Force shows African American art and gives voice to the Black experience.

Sahr Songu Mbriwa: Internationally acclaimed Sierra Leone artist shares hyper realistic oil paintings featured on CNN.

Prelli Williams: Prominent multidisciplinary visual artist, arts educator, and community advocate features artwork rich with color and meaning.

Dupont Underground presents a groundbreaking exhibition “Common Ground, Common Future: Reimagining the Heart of the District”, as part of the “Dupont Underground Architecture and the Question of Democracy Series”. The exhibition focuses on the DC Office of Planning Public Realm Plan initiatives aimed at reshaping public spaces as catalysts for social transformation while fostering a more inclusive, vibrant, and accessible downtown area. The Dupont Underground is located at 19 Dupont Circle NW.

IA&A at Hillyer presents 3 New Solo Exhibitions. Benjamin Duke, “Chance Factor,” Artemis Herber, “Danger Zones: Beyond the Past,” and Paloma Vianey, “Don’t Zip Me Up.” Hillyer is free to the public with a suggested donation of $10. Located at 9 Hillyer Ct NW (behind The Phillips Collection.) To learn more, visit www.athillyer.org

The MEI Art Gallery presents Maximal Miniatures, which showcases 13 leading contemporary Iranian artists who draw from the classical genre of Persian miniature painting to create new interpretations of this rich visual tradition in color, scale, and form. Curated by Donna Honarpisheh, associate curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, the exhibition references Persian history, poetry, and stories from the Book of Kings (Shahnameh) to explore questions of identity, gender, diaspora, and the mythologies that form past and present lives. The MEI Art Gallery is located at 1763 N St. NW.

Join us at the Museum of the Palestinian People for Art as Resistance: Testimonies of Sumud (Steadfastness), an evocative exhibition featuring the powerful works of Mohammad Sabaaneh. This exhibition includes pieces from his 2017 series White and Black, alongside new works created using the linocut technique, which respond to the ongoing crisis in occupied Palestine. Sabaaneh’s art does more than depict daily life—it is a testament to the resilience and humanity of the Palestinian people, challenging viewers to confront the realities of injustice while celebrating the unwavering spirit of resistance.

A highlight of the exhibition is History of Palestine, a striking three-panel piece in which Sabaaneh provides his unique take on key moments in the occupation, colonization, and resistance of Palestine. Don’t miss the chance to experience this powerful work in its entirety.

Through sumud—the concept of steadfastness—Sabaaneh’s work embodies the Palestinian struggle for justice, dignity, and freedom. This exhibition invites you to witness art that resists, endures, and amplifies voices of hope amidst adversity. The Museum of the Palestinian People is located at 1900 18th St NW, Washington, DC.

Studio Gallery presents Entwined by Sabiha Iqbal. Sabiha’s work in Entwined is based on the underlying idea that human beings are connected to each other and to the environment around them. Our actions affect our planet and nature responds in ways that have consequences for our wellbeing.

On the canvas, imaginary figures expressing joy and sorrow, hope and fear move in a surreal space. Floral abstractions suggesting movement in water or in the air are another facet of the imagined environment. The emphasis is on gestures, movement and energy. Works on paper and board shift the focus to our real world. The collages made from newspaper clippings and headlines tell the human stories of migration, wars and natural disasters in all parts of the world. Humans suffer and struggle but always look for light. Sabiha’s compositions and choice of palette reflect a mood of hopefulness for a brighter future, a feeling all humans share. Titles for my works mostly come from her mother’s poems. Studio Gallery is located at 2108 R Street NW; we hope to see you there!

The Washington Center of ADA Art Gallery, an extension of ADA University’s Art Program, welcomes its Winter 2025 exhibition, MEDITATIONS by Steven Kleinrock. “Meditations” delves into the memory and poetry of place through abstract color field paintings and printmaking. Inspired by plein air observation, the work uses landscapes to explore color, light, and texture. Beeswax enhances the tactile experience, while processes like collage and traditional printmaking invite spontaneity and layered expression, capturing the essence of natural spaces like the Shenandoah Mountains and the Southwest. You can find the Washington Center of the ADA Art Gallery at 1627 21st Street, NW on Gallery Row.

Join us at Washington Studio School’s gallery this upcoming First Friday ArtWalk from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the opening of Attitudes, featuring the works of artist and longtime WSS faculty member, Jo Weiss and in celebration of WSS’s 40th anniversary! Also, check out our newest installation in our Inglenook Gallery: Less Is More by artist and WSS instructor L.A. Crawford. Washington Studio School is located at 2129 S Street NW.

The Women’s National Democratic Club Arts and Museum Affairs Committee is delighted to present “After the Garden Is Gone,” an exhibition of Jack Rasmussen’s exquisite collages of birds and fish. These intricate and painstakingly designed works of art are visually appealing while bringing home our collective destruction of these and other beautiful animals.

Many artists have used their art to raise awareness of political and environmental subjects, but it is rare to see them captured in the form of a collage. Rasmussen writes that he uses “scientific illustration and science classroom posters, taking them apart and remaking them in ways that better correspond to what I understand is happening to the world.”

Rasmussen has been an artist and part of the Washington area art world for many decades. He was the assistant director of the groundbreaking Washington Project for the Arts and executive director at di Rosa Preserve: Art & Nature, Maryland Art Place, and Rockville Arts Place. He currently serves as director and curator of the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, one of the region’s most vibrant contemporary art museums, where he has brought exhibitions from around the world as well as those of local artists. He has a doctorate in anthropological linguistics and master’s degrees in arts management and painting from the American University. A cash bar will be available. The Woman’s National Democratic Club is located at 1526 New Hampshire Avenue NW.