Catching International Vibes This Summer

Author

Nathaniel Burola
June 05, 2023

❝

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.”

Anais Nin - Novelist and Diarist

The Week in Review (May 29th - June 4th)

It is officially summer season with warmer temperatures, scorching sun, humid air, and swarms of mosquitos! This week was crazy full of events from the ArtWalk Dupont to the Sound Scene Festival at the Hirshhorn Museum. As we leave May behind (with Passport DC as well), the summer brings along some interesting events for the embassies along with their cultural centers. Make sure you wear plenty of sunblock and bug spray out there, this summer is going to be a hot one in Washington D.C. Although to be fair, when is it not?

The Social Medias: Twitter Edition!

We are now all over the place including Twitter! Fun fact, a lot of the embassies and cultural centers are on Twitter which we did not know about. Follow us on all the social medias along with some other relevant links down below:

Event Highlight: ArtWalk Dupont (June 2nd, 2023)

It was one of those compressed weeks when work was exhausting and a break was needed along with several drinks. The ArtWalk Dupont event featured the Dupont Circle arts community as well as associated businesses. On a toasty Friday night, I met with a colleague of mine at the Dupont metro stop eager to explore these various locations on said map.

The first stop of the night was the Dupont Circle Hotel or more specifically the Dupont Underground which had a series of projections and art down below the street level. It was our first time walking into the events space and we were quickly met with a cascade of colors and wall-sized art. There was a comedy show also going on at the same time with a lot of foot traffic coming back and forth. My favorite art piece was the one below (Photo 1) which was a pink leopard with black spots.

Photo 1: A pink leopard wall mural in the Dupont Underground.

Our second stop was the gorgeous Heurich House Museum and the biergarten in the back. A garden full of tangled plants and flowers, cheery folks, and lots of drinks was the standard for the atmosphere (Photo 2). At the same time, we went inside the gallery that explained the history of the location including the Heurich brewery. We were pretty sure we saw some heavy vintage beer boxes and cans that one could purchase albeit drinkable ones.

Photo 2: Pretty flowers and plants in the garden of the Heurich House.

The third and final stop of the night was a studio that everyone was going into. Three independent artists were showing off their talents through various pieces. One artist utilized a fusion of traditional and modern styles mimicking Japanese wall scrolls, but with newspaper clippings put in the background (Photo 3). Another artist had personally went to Morocco on sabbatical for 3 months choosing to use Moroccan sand, transform it into paint, and make abstract pieces of the desert landscape.

Photo 3: A Japanese landscape portrait but with newspaper clippings in the background.

International Events List (June 5th - June 11th)

Check out the following international embassy and cultural events happening from June 5th - June 11th below! As a reminder, here is the color scheme for this week’s issue:

  • International Club of DC = Orange Highlight

  • Things To Do DC = Green Highlight

  • Eventbrite = Red Highlight

  • Other Sources = Blue Highlight 

Monday, June 5th, 2023

  1. Israel's 75th Anniversary on Capitol Hill | US-Israel Leaders Summit ($35)

Tuesday, June 6th, 2023

  1. Creative Minds in the Caribbean: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities (FREE!)

  2. UNESCO Italy Photographic Exhibit (FREE!)

  3. Art Exhibition | Jane Kell: Color and Light (FREE!)

  4. Dialogues on American Foreign Policy and World Affairs: A Conversation (FREE!)

  5. Ambassador Insider Series: Thailand ($0 - $65)

    • Time: 6:00PM - 9:00PM

Wednesday, June 7th, 2023

  1. Capital Arts Collective (FREE!)

  2. Upscaling U.S.-Mongolia Bilateral Relations (FREE!)

  3.  Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa Conference (FREE!)

  4. International IDEA: Constitution Building and Democracy Tracking (FREE!)

  5. Hatching and Puppet Master Film (Finland Film Festival) ($13)

    • Time: 7:45PM - 9:45PM

Thursday, June 8th, 2023

  1. UNESCO Italy Photographic Exhibit (FREE!)

  2. VISIONARY NOT REACTIONARY - An Art Exhibition on Democracy (FREE!)

  3. In-Person at JICC | The Artistry of Kōgei with Smithsonian Curator Sol Jung (FREE!) 

  4. Spanish Young Music Talent: Monserrat Egea (FREE!)

  5. Evening at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia ($64)

Friday, June 9th, 2023

  1. Café, Croissant and Connecting ($0 - $20)

  2. Art Exhibition | Jane Kell: Color and Light (FREE!)

  3. Opening Reception: Immundus et Tenebrous (FREE!)

  4. EuroAsia Shorts 2023: Germany & Indonesia (SOLD OUT!) (Waitlist!) 

  5. Queer Tango During the Pride Month (FREE!)

    • Time: 6:30PM - 8:00PM

  6. Peter Klimo - Solo Piano Performance ($135.23)

Saturday, June 10th, 2023

  1. So' Fatoo & Imaara - Washington Pop Up Event (FREE!)

  2. In Person Do Re Mi, Les Amis Event (FREE!)

  3.  Art Exhibition | Jane Kell: Color and Light (FREE!)

  4. Children and Young Teens Dance Event (Appropriate for children ages 6 to 12) ($16.25)

  5. Tove (Finland Film Festival) (FREE!)

    • Time: 1:30PM - 3:30PM

Sunday, June 11th, 2023

  1. So' Fatoo & Imaara - Washington Pop Up Event (FREE!)

  2. Taste of Peru 2023 | The Top Peruvian Taste ($18.92)

  3. International Chocolate Tour of Embassy Row ($40)

  4. Jazz@Goethe with Alex Hamburger and José Luiz ($15) 

  5. Caribbean-American Heritage | Food, Music & Arts Festival (FREE!)

    • Time: 1:00PM - 9:00PM

  6. Female Gazes: Short Films (Finland Film Festival) (FREE!)

  7. Friendship Place Music of Friends Concert ($15 - $50)

  8. Poetry Reading with Peter J. Harris (FREE!)

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