February
Opening Reception
Saturday, February 8, 6:00–9:00 p.m.
Spring 2025 Exhibition Cycle
Five brand-new exhibitions will be debuted February 8th along with the re-opening of A Sight to Behold: The Corcoran Legacy Collection of 19th and Early 20th Century American Landscape Paintings. Join us and meet some of the artists from this visual feast of artwork! Cash bar and complementary light refreshments (while they last) will be available.
Gallery Talk – #SerbiaInRealLife
Sunday, February 9, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Exhibit: #SerbiaInRealLife
Direct from Serbia! Organizer Marija Milosevic and several artists from the show (Vladislav Scepanovic; Nikola Kolya Bozovic; Jovanka Mladenovic; and Nemanja Ladjic) discuss #SerbiaInRealLife, an exhibition showcasing contemporary Serbian art shaped by its history and the global dialogue it invites. Through paintings, installations, and digital media, the artists challenge stereotypes, explore cultural resilience, and present a dynamic vision of Serbia’s evolving creative identity.
March
Gallery Talk – Women Smoking and Last Call
Saturday, March 8, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Exhibit: Fred Folsom – Women Smoking and Last Call
Meet local artist Fred Folsom as he shares the fascinating personal and professional details behind his highly narrative paintings in an interview with author and art personality Sean Harris. From the intimate, solitary nudes in Women Smoking to the raucous and real (and plentiful!) characters in his Shepard Park Go-Go bar paintings, learn how his outwardly exuberant work peels back to convey a sense of reverence and mystery.
Reserve Your Spot 3/8
Gallery Talk – Otho Branson
Event rescheduled for Friday, March 21, 2-3 p.m.
Exhibit: Otho Branson: Paintings
Join DC artist Otho Branson and curator Phyllis Rosenzweig for a conversation on Branson’s mathematically driven yet deeply personal paintings. Explore how dynamic symmetry, equilibrium, and the Munsell Color System shape his work, blending precision and creativity. See how Branson has been able to create a variety of beautiful works while working within self-imposed limitations.
Reserve your spot 3/21
Two Exhibitions Close
Sunday, March 30, 4:00 p.m.
April
Gallery Talk – LOOKING FOR MUSHROOMS
Friday, April 4, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Exhibit: LOOKING FOR MUSHROOMS: Bruce & Jean Conner in Mexico, 1961-62
Join us for an in-depth conversation exploring the transformative year Bruce and Jean Conner spent in Mexico City—a time of artistic exploration, cultural immersion, and psychedelic discovery. Best known for his pioneering contributions to the Beat, Psychedelic, and Punk movements, Bruce Conner sought both inspiration and escape, while Jean Conner quietly documented their surroundings, capturing a different side of their experience.
Reserve Your Spot 4/4
Film Screening — Go-Go Girls Don't Cry
Saturday, April 5, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Exhibit: Fred Folsom – Women Smoking and Last Call
AU Museum will be open late for a special screening of Go-Go Girls Don't Cry, a documentary film on the making of Fred Folsom's Shepard Park Go-Go bar paintings depicting the ambiance, culture and people in this iconic strip club which operated in Washington, DC’s northernmost corner in the 1970s and 1980s.
This event is suitable for ages 18+. Limited space available.
Reserve Your Spot 4/5
Student Exhibitions Open
Saturday, April 19, 11:00–4:00 (ongoing)
Exhibits — see more at Upcoming Exhibitions:
- Transit – AU MFA Thesis Exhibition
- AloneTogether – Viewpoints from
the Corcoran Legacy Collection
The annual AU Master of Fine Arts candidates’ thesis exhibition is always a stand-out and this year is no different. Six artists, whose practices encompass painting, photography, ceramics, installation, and performance, draw on their unique personal histories as they find common ground in the concept of Transit— a word that defined as “an act, process, or instance of passing through or over.”
Alone, Together is the fourth exhibition since 2019 in which the museum has invited students to look to its Corcoran Legacy Collection not only as a source of exhibition content, but as source of provocations about this content. In today’s world, people often feel disconnected from themselves and each other — how can we change that? Alone, Togetherexplores art as a form of social connection by inviting viewers into domestic, natural, and abstract spaces for reflection, conversation, and shared experience.
Mid-Season Opening Reception
Saturday, April 26, 6–8:00 p.m.
Exhibits: Transit – AU MFA Thesis Exhibition
Alone, Together – Viewpoints from the Corcoran Legacy Collection
Come celebrate the work of our talented students! Meet MFA student artists (Transit) and members of the Curatorial Practice class (Alone, Together) and learn more about their work and projects. Cash bar and complementary light refreshments served while they last. See exhibition details at Upcoming Exhibitions.
May
Gallery Talk: Monumental Washington
Saturday, May 3, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Exhibit: Monumental Washington
Spend a spring afternoon outdoors with curator Laura Roulet and some of the exhibiting artists for a discussion on Monumental Washington, an exhibition in our sculpture garden showcasing contemporary sculptures by members of the Washington Sculptors Group. Learn how these artists engage with scale, materials, and public space to create dynamic works that evolve with light, weather, and time.
Reserve Your Spot 5/3
All exhibitions close
Sunday, May 18, 4:00 pm
Event Contacts
Patricia Edwine-Poku, Gallery Talks
ppoku@american.edu
Brittany Lester, Museum Events
blester@american.edu