23 Apr 2010

Arts & Entertainment:

H Street Gallery Hopping

Photo by Tom Pullin

For those of you with a penchant for the arts and an interest in staying abreast of the cultural offerings of Capitol Hill, you may want to head over to H Street, NE this weekend.

Last Saturday I spent my afternoon visiting two local galleries on H Street that are fairly new additions to the Hill: Studio H and City Gallery. Both galleries are somewhat hard to find, due mostly to the roadwork going on in the neighborhood. However, it is definitely worth doing the extra legwork to get to them.

My first stop was at City Gallery where I met photographer and co-owner Geoff Ault, who walked me through the Gallery space. The Gallery, which is co-owned by fellow artist Ellen Cornett, opened March 6th to an amazing crowd of over 700 people.

Magical Realism, the Gallery’s current exhibition is a solo show of works by Gina Clapp; an artist who plays with the concept of “reality” through her use of color and juxtaposition of objects within her work. The exhibition, which opened April 3rd, will only be on view in the gallery until this Sunday. So, if you would like to check it out head over there this weekend.

The Gallery’s next exhibition, Light and Allusion, will be a cooperative show by glass artist Nancy Donnelly and painter Jill Finsen. The opening reception will be held Saturday, May 1st from 6:00 to 9:00 pm

A few blocks from City Gallery is Studio H. The Gallery, under the helm of owner Philip Hutinet, opened its doors in October. The gallery is currently showcasing an exhibition of works by Rod Glover entitled “Ungrounded.” Glover, whose background is in Fiber Arts, paints pieces that incorporate shapes and patterns reminiscent of geometric fabrics. This exhibition will be on display through May 12th.

Since City Gallery and Studio H are just a few blocks apart, it is easy to take a few hours out of your weekend to visit. If you are a fledgling art collector, you might also be interested to know that the current works on display at both galleries are very reasonably priced, running anywhere between $200 to a few thousand dollars for some of the bigger pieces.

Studio H is located at 408 H Street NE and City Gallery at 804 H Street NE. Both spaces are on the second floor above storefronts. Don’t be discouraged if you find the door locked. You have to be buzzed in by the gallery attendants.

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3 responses to “H Street Gallery Hopping”

  1. Teri says:

    Ironically, when I moved to the Hill, H ST NE was not included!! 😉

  2. Margaret says:

    When I moved to the Hill 35 years ago, H Street immediately drew me in. It was the last really authentic vibrant commercial strip in town and it’s finally coming into its own.
    We shopped north. The Florida Avenue Market, with Litteri’s and wholesale dealers willing to sell at retail. The city’s flower market. There was a tortilla factory off Bladensburg Road.
    It was a large part of what made living on Capitol Hill the best part of life in Washington.

    Hard to believe that we’re now planning a serious gallery tour in June with CHAMPS, to include Conner, internationally recognized as a force in the art world. The Rubin family contributed to last year’s H Street Festival. H Street is seriously on the map without losing its character.
    H Street is exactly what we knew it was 35 years ago. Cool then. Cool now.

  3. Tracey says:

    Dissident Display has been there for years but I’m not sure of their current status. Does anyoen know if they still have shows?

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