Fridays, April 3 & 17 – DROP-IN FIGURE DRAWING – The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) hosts a drop-in “Working from the Figure” session on Friday, April 3 and 17, 2015 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at CHAW, 545 7th Street, SE. Work on drawings or paintings in front of a live model in a session without formal instruction, facilitated by artist Will Fleishell. Please bring your own drawing materials. Easels are available. The session is $20 for drop-in students and $76 for a four-class pass. For more information, visit www.chaw.org or call (202) 547-6839.
Saturday, April 4 – ART & INNOVATION DAY WORKSHOP – Writing Games: National Poetry Writing Month Edition is part of an ongoing series of collaborative workshops led by the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop in partnership with the DC Public Library—SE Branch. Art & Innovation Days present joint programming that taps into both the trend in libraries to provide “maker spaces” for their patrons and CHAW’s desire to support activities that demonstrate arts as a way of life for a lifetime. All workshops take place at the DC Public Library—SE Branch, located at 403 7th St. SE at the Eastern Market metro (orange/blue/silver lines) from 1:30-3:00pm. FREE and open to adults of all experience levels. For more information and to register, visit www.chaw.org, or call (202) 547-6839.
Tuesday, April 7 & Saturday, April 11 – GILBERT & SULLIVAN SUMMER SHOW AUDITIONS – Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) seeks participants for a new (and always slightly twisted) production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Trial by Jury,” complemented by songs from “The Yeoman of the Guard.” Auditions will take place Tuesday, April 7 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm and Saturday, April 11 from noon to 2:00pm. Audition times are first-come, first served. If you cannot make any of the audition times listed, please set up an alternate time by calling CHAW at 202-547-6893. Auditionees should be prepared to sing 16 bars or a musical excerpt of one minute and to read from the script, and should bring a copy of the music for the accompanist. Rehearsals will occur over two-three intensive periods (April/early May and July) for the production, which takes place July 30-August 1 & August 6-8, 2015. All are most welcome and encouraged to try out. For more information, call 202-547-6839 or email Brian Washington at bwashington@chaw.org.
Friday, April 10 –PAINT & SIP – Join the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) for Paint and Sip, part of CHAW’s new Friday ARTnights program, for an evening of painting and wine on Friday, April 10, 2015 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at CHAW, 545 7th Street, SE. Receive step-by-step instruction from CHAW teaching artists Ellen Cornett and Sheppard Bear as you create your own masterpiece, all while enjoying snacks and wine. $30 includes all materials and refreshments. Please call CHAW at (202) 547-6839 to register. For more information, visit www.chaw.org.
Friday, April 10 & Saturday, April 11 – CHAWbaret 11: Oceans 11 – Join the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) for CHAWbaret 11: Oceans 11, the eleventh-annual local talent showcase, featuring great soloists from across DC and special guest a cappella group, Not What You Think. Celebrate music focusing on water at this cabaret-style evening of song. Performances take place at CHAW, 545 7thStreet, SE on Friday, April 10 at 8:00pm and Saturday, April 11 at 5:00pm and 8:00pm. General admission, $20. Please call CHAW at(202) 547-6839 or visit www.chaw.org for more information and to purchase tickets.
Sunday, April 12 – ANACOSTIA RIVER FESTIVAL – Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) is proud to bring a recycled eco-art activity to the first Anacostia River Festival on Sunday, April 12, taking place 12pm to 4pm in Anacostia Park (corner of Good Hope Road SE and Anacostia Drive SE). The National Park Service and the 11th Street Bridge Park present the first-ever Anacostia River Festival, in partnership with the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The Anacostia River Festival is a premier event and official closing of the 2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival. This year’s Anacostia River Festival celebrates the natural world by focusing on the Anacostia River, its history, ecology, and the communities along its riverbanks. Activities include: hands-on art projects, musical performances, boating, fishing workshops, tours of historic Anacostia, bike parades, and other unique programs to engage families with the environment. Held in the Anacostia Park, this free event will encourage District residents and tourists alike to explore communities and parks east of the river. For more information, visit www.chaw.org.
Friday, April 17 – PAINTING CLAY & SIPPING CABERNET – Join the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) for Painting Clay & Sipping Cabernet, part of CHAW’s new Friday ARTnights program, for an evening of clay tile painting and wine sipping on Friday, April 17, 2015 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at CHAW, 545 7th St., SE. In this workshop, teaching artist Clay Hollenkamp will introduce attendees to the frisket technique–using stencils and paint on clay tiles–in a relaxed and fun happy hour atmosphere. $40 includes all materials and refreshments. Tickets available through our event page on www.chaw.org, or by calling CHAW at 202-547-5839.
Saturday, April 18 – A DAY OF WRITING– The writing faculty at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) present Writing from Start to “Finish,”an opportunity to take courses on three different aspects of writing in a single day and to meet other aspiring writers, on Saturday, April 18 from 10am to 5:30pm. Offered on a Saturday, this program provides a convenient way for working adults to get a taste of creative writing at CHAW. Three 1.5-hour sessions, including a Generative Workshop, Revision Workshop, and Publication Information Session, will be followed by an optional social hour at a local cafe or bar. The program will take place at CHAW, 545 7th St. SE, with the potential to travel to other neighborhood locations. The cost is $95 for the full day; adults of all experience levels welcome. For more information, call CHAW at 202-547-6839 or visit www.chaw.org.
Saturday, April 18 – GALLERY OPENING – The Capitol Hill Art League presents “What’s Poppin’” a juried multimedia exhibit celebrating spring and creatively representing CHAL members’ spin on pop art—or what’s popping up in their gardens—and opening on Saturday, April 18, 2015 from 5:00-7:00 p.m at CHAW, 545 7th Street, SE, with juror comments from Mary Ellen Vehlow, co-owner of Gallery O on H Street and principal in Pensare Design Company, at 5:30pm. Gallery hours are: 9:30 am–9:00 pm (M-Th), 9:30 am–6:00 pm (F), and 9:00 am–2:00 pm (Sat). Gallery is free and open to the public. “What’s Poppin’” will run April 18-May 30 in the Gallery. For more information, visit http://www.caphillartleague.org/ or www.chaw.org, or call (202) 547-6839.
Since 1972, the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) has provided arts education to thousands of children and adults in the Washington region, especially from the greater Capitol Hill area. Through classes, performances, and exhibitions in visual and performing arts, CHAW brings together diverse segments of the population to connect through the transformative power of creativity. CHAW offers a tuition assistance program and flexible payment plans. CHAW is funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. CHAW is a featured charity in the 2014-2015 Catalogue for Philanthropy,mentioned as Best Venue to See on the Cheap in DCist’s 2014 Best Theater Venues in DC, the 2014 Hilly Award winner for Best Arts Organization/Venue, and the winner of 2012 Best in the City awards for “arts classes for kids” and “arts classes” in The Washington Post Express.