Free Summer Saturdays

May 26-September 1, 2012

Jean Charles Cazin. Equihen on the Cliff: Low Tide. c. 1876-1890. Oil on canvas. 22 x 28 inches. Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
William A. Clark Collection, 26.17

Join the Corcoran on Saturdays this summer for Gallery tours, workshops, demonstrations, and performances! Enjoy our summer exhibitions and programming free of admission on Saturdays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

Programs

May

Veteran Made: Tour and Talk
Saturday, May 26
10:30 a.m. Guided tour of Veteran Made: Selections from the Combat Paper Project
11:30 a.m. In Service to the Nation: Arts and Crafts in the Military (illustrated talk in the Auditorium)
Free

In honor of Memorial Day, historian Tara Tappert offers a guided tour of Veteran Made: Selections from the Combat Paper Project (on view through June 3), which presents works on paper made from military uniforms. Following the tour, Tappert gives a talk documenting the history of the American military’s use of crafts from World War I through the present day and how such projects have helped veterans following separation from service.

Papermaking Workshop
Saturday, May 26
12:30–2:30 p.m.
$8 members, $10 public; pre-registration required

Join us for a hands-on papermaking workshop inspired by Veteran Made: Selections from the Combat Paper Project, on view at the Corcoran through June 3. Following a tour of the exhibition, participants learn the process of papermaking and then try their hand at “pulling” paper. Everyone takes home an example of traditional handmade paper.

June

Fly a Kite!
Community Workshop
Saturday, June 9
10 a.m.–noon
$16 members, $20 public
All ages; pre-registration required

Get ready to fly a kite that you build and decorate yourself! We will have a kite-making expert in the Corcoran’s Atrium with all the necessary materials for your unique kite-building experience. Fee includes materials for one kite.

Drop-in Sketching in the Atrium
Saturdays, June 9, June 23, July 21, August 11, September 1
12–3 p.m.
Free, no registration required

Join us for sketching from a live model. All materials are provided.

Seeing the Sea
Family Workshop
Saturday, June 16
10:30 a.m.–noon; and 1–2:30 p.m.
Ages 5–7

Throughout history, artists have strived to capture the beauty, mystery, and danger of the ocean. In the galleries, discover what goes into an ocean scene and then sketch the elements you like best. In the studio, families create their own seascapes.

Wear. Strut. Occupy.
Performance
Saturday, June 16
Time and other details to be announced

Corcoran College of Art + Design students who participated in a spring 2012 course inspired by the work of artist Nick Cave give a performance exploring the human form as art object. Participating artists: Jason Tucker, Katie Macyshyn, Armando Lopez Bircann, Brooke Bock, Jeremiah Holland, Kristina Haden, Lorenzo Cardim, and René Medrano.

Sidewalk Chalk Drawing
Saturdays, June 16, June 30, July 14, July 28, August 4, August 18
1–3 p.m.
Free, no registration required

Join us as we celebrate Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series by filling the Corcoran’s surrounding sidewalks with colorful images inspired by the exhibition. Corcoran art students will be on hand to offer helpful drawing tips. Materials are provided.

Pop-up Bike Clinic
Saturday, June 23
11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Free, no registration required

Get your bike ready for summer! The local biking experts leading this free clinic can diagnose problems, give advice, and make small repairs. Look for them on the sculpture pad at the corner of Seventeenth Street and New York Avenue.

“The Poetics of Place”
Poetry Reading
Saturday, June 30
2–4 p.m.
Free, no registration required

This poetry reading is presented in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series. Featuring contributors to the anthology Full Moon on K Street: Poems about Washington, DC, the program is introduced by editor Kim Roberts and publisher Steven Allen May. Poets include Derrick Weston Brown, Christina Daub, Barbara Goldberg, Brandon D. Johnson, E. Ethelbert Miller, Yvette Neisser Moreno, Elizabeth Poliner, Myra Sklarew, and Alan Spears.

Photo Safari: Abstract Images Inspired by Diebenkorn
Saturday, June 30
2:30–5 p.m.
$40 members, $50 public; pre-registration required

Our photo safari, led by architectural photographer E. David Luria, begins with a tour of the exhibition Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series. Mr. Luria then gives participants tips on how to create similar abstract images with their cameras and takes them to the Adams Morgan neighborhood, which offers a treasure trove of abstract art opportunities:  graffiti on walls; lines, shadows, and patterns on the sidewalks; and the colorful, diverse architecture. Participants meet inside the front entrance of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. The safari ends at 5 p.m. at 18th Street and Kalorama Road NW.

July

The Beach Bumz
Performance
Saturday, July 7
Noon and 1 p.m.
Free, no registration required

Join the Beach Bumz, a Beach Boys tribute band, as they fill the Corcoran’s Atrium with some of your favorite tunes from the 1960s. Leave your surfboards—and your worries—behind and dance to some good vibrations from California.

Namaste at the Corcoran
Saturdays, July 14, 21, and 28
9 a.m.
$20 members, $25 public; pre-registration required

Get into a California state of mind while practicing yoga at the Corcoran. Enjoy the tranquility of the Gallery space before we open to visitors. After class, socialize with other yogis while sipping energizing smoothies and sampling healthy breakfast treats prepared by Todd Gray’s Muse at the Corcoran. Classes taught by Christine Saladino of Tranquil Space. Price per session includes yoga instruction and breakfast. Please bring your own yoga mat. Participants are invited to view the galleries following breakfast.

Words Beats & Life: The Poetics of Place
Saturday, July 14, 1 p.m.
Free

Words Beats & Life is a D.C.-based organization dedicated to transforming individual lives and communities through hip-hop. During the first half of this event, spoken-word artists paint verbal pictures of the uncommon beauty of the places they find themselves. Afterwards, visitors are invited to participate in an open mic session. Sign up to guarantee your place in the lineup.

Painting inside, outside, and All around the Box
Saturday, July 14; the workshop is repeated on August 11
10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
$8 members, $10 public; pre-registration required

In conjunction with the exhibition Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series, learn about the artist’s techniques and materials. Following a tour of the exhibition, participants create their own works of art using cigar boxes and mixed media. Instruction, images, and materials are provided.

Sidewalk Chalk Drawing
Saturdays, July 14, July 28, August 4, August 18
1–3 p.m.
Free, no registration required

Join us as we celebrate Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series by filling the Corcoran’s surrounding sidewalks with colorful images inspired by the exhibition. Corcoran art students will be on hand to offer helpful drawing tips. Materials are provided.

Presidential Neighbors: Walking Tour
Saturday, July 21
10 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Free, pre-registration is required

Please join the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Neighbors to the President Consortium for a walking tour of the neighborhood around the White House. Included is a rare opportunity to visit the interior of the Treasury Building for special insights into the architecture and design of this historic landmark.

Drop-in Sketching in the Atrium
Saturdays, July 21, August 11, September 1
12–3 p.m.
Free, no registration required

Join us for sketching from a live model. All materials are provided.

Awesome Architecture
Family Workshop
Saturday, July 21
10:30 a.m.–noon
Ages 8–12

This is your chance to be an architect. Together, families embark on an architectural scavenger hunt and draw what they find. In the studio, participants create their own 3D architectural marvels.

Webelos Cub Scout Day
Saturday, July 28
9 a.m.–12 p.m.
Free, pre-registration is required

Calling all Webelos Cub Scouts! This is a free day just for you to earn your Webelos Art Activity Pin during a morning of engaging art workshops and tours. You will explore the galleries with an interactive scavenger hunt and sketching, design several art creations with mixed media, and go behind the scenes with working artists. Bring your pack or come with parents to meet local Cub Scouts.

August

Silk Painting Workshop
Saturday, August 4
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
$20 members, $25 public; pre-registration required
Ages 12 and up; pre-registration required

Formed of panes of luminous color, Richard Diebenkorn’s geometric abstractions in the Ocean Park series inspire this silk painting workshop. Transport yourself to warm summer beachfronts through the exploration of silk painting techniques to create wearable art.

Sharing Stories
Saturday, August 4
10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
All ages
Free, pre-registration encouraged

Be inspired as storytellers weave tales from D.C. neighborhoods that have the elements of every good story: truth, imagination, and legend. In this workshop, we will explore the connections between visual art with the written and spoken word to develop engaging storytelling techniques. This program is a collaboration with the Double Nickels Theatre Company.

Sidewalk Chalk Drawing
Saturdays, August 4, August 18
1–3 p.m.
Free, no registration required

Join us as we celebrate Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series by filling the Corcoran’s surrounding sidewalks with colorful images inspired by the exhibition. Corcoran art students will be on hand to offer helpful drawing tips. Materials are provided.

Painting inside, outside, and All around the Box
Saturday, August 11
10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
$8 members, $10 public; pre-registration required

In conjunction with the exhibition Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series, learn about the artist’s techniques and materials. Following a tour of the exhibition, participants create their own works of art using cigar boxes and mixed media. Instruction, images, and materials are provided.

Drop-in Sketching in the Atrium
Saturdays, August 11, September 1
12–3 p.m.
Free, no registration required

Join us for sketching from a live model. All materials are provided.

Family Crest
Family Workshop
Saturday, August 18
10:30 a.m.–noon
Ages 5–7

Investigate the trophies and symbols in the 18th-century Salon Doré, our very own room of gold. Then uphold your family’s honor by creating your own family symbol and shield in the studio. 

One of a Kind: Monotype Workshop
Saturday, August 25
10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
$8 members, $10 public; pre-registration required

Be inspired by Richard Diebenkorn’s work and explore one of his printmaking techniques. Following a tour of Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series, participants draw on Plexiglas with colored inks and print their own monotype. Instruction and materials are provided.

Winston Yu and Amy Domingues
Saturday, August 25
2:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
Free, no registration required

Violinist Winston Yu and cellist Amy Domingues present a concert of compositions inspired by the work of Richard Diebenkorn. Attendees are encouraged to tour the exhibition before the performance.

Series of Programs (Throughout the Summer)

Free Summer Saturdays Tours
Saturdays, May 26–September 1
Registration is not required for these free tours.

11 a.m.  Spotlight on the Collection (15-minute talk about one work; topics vary)
12 p.m.  Highlights of the Collection
1:30 p.m.  Spotlight on the Collection (15-minute talk about one work; topics vary)
3 p.m.  Richard Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series

Take It to the Bridge
Select Saturdays between July 7 and September 1

A new series of temporary exhibitions, performances, installations, and interventions on the Performance Bridge inside the Corcoran's glass entryway.

Habitat for Artists
July 16–August 24

This project, which originated in New York City, uses the idea of the artist’s studio as a catalyst for mutual engagement between artists and communities. The Corcoran is collaborating with THEARC to bring it to Washington, D.C. The “habitats” are small, temporary, 6’-by-6’ studios made from predominantly recycled or reclaimed material, which will go up on the sculpture pad at the corner of Seventeenth Street and New York Avenue.  While exploring their own creative process, participating artists engage in active dialogues with the public. On Free Summer Saturdays, there will be special opportunities to meet the artists. For more information, visit www.habitatforartists.org.

Free Summer Saturdays is made possible by Carolyn S. Alper and the Bollerer Family. Major support is provided by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.