New Year’s Eve With Sammy Rae & the Friends and Hip-Hop Holiday Honors: City Lights for Dec. 26–Jan. 1
Maureen Minehan, “Bus Terminal” on view in MEG’s exhibit, Capital Perspectives
Capital Perspectives, the latest juried photography exhibition at Alexandria’s Multiple Exposures Gallery, aims to train a lens on D.C. Mostly, though, the participating photographers seek out monumental Washington: Tom Sliter’s soaring rotunda, Sandy LeBrun-Evans’ nighttime Iwo Jima memorial, Van Pulley’s Kennedy Center, Alan Sislen’s Tidal Basin. In fact, in a couple cases, official Washington needlessly intrudes on otherwise compelling action. Sarah Salomon’s charming, briefcase-toting woman races to work through an array of sprinklers, but she’s overshadowed by the looming Capitol dome, while LeBrun-Evans’ intriguing parallel arches of water are overwhelmed by the surrounding edifices of the Mall. The further the exhibit moves from official D.C., the more satisfying it becomes. Pulley captures an aerial tableau in which a figure holding coffee walks through a space in which the floor is made of mesmerizing retro-Deco tiles; Tim Hyde photographs a group of snow-covered figures crossing the street who could have stepped right out of the Korean War Memorial statuary; and Maureen Minehan offers a surprisingly crisp nocturne that features an otherwise ordinary-looking bus terminal. Perhaps the finest images in the exhibit are a trio of black-and-white works by Eric Johnson. One is a moody, fog-shrouded take on the Anacostia River; another is an eerie image of a derelict RFK Stadium; while a third features the Maine Avenue Fish Market, complete with stacked rows of crabs, wafting steam, and a bustling squad of employees. Word to the wise: To capture D.C. best, follow Johnson’s example. Capital Perspectives runs through Jan. 5 at Multiple Exposures Gallery at the Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union St., Alexandria. Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. multipleexposuresgallery.com. Free. —Louis Jacobson