September
Opening Reception!
Saturday, September 6, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
An extraordinary fall art season awaits at the museum with six all-new exhibitions!
We begin with Women Artists of the DMV, a sweeping 16-venue survey anchored here at AU Museum. From Painting to Print: The Poppies, Mimosas, and Lantern Flowers of Donald Sultan explores how an artist’s original works inspire the collaborative process of fine art publishing.
Our international focus includes Fabricated Boundaries: Filipina American Textile and Fiber Artists, reflecting on life between cultures and the heritage carried across borders; and Jan Svoboda & Jaroslav Beneš: Lenticular Poetry, an intergenerational dialogue between the renowned Czech photographer and his artistic disciple.
Finally, two deeply personal solo exhibitions: From Ancestral Traces to Contemporary Visions – The Art of Méné, in which the Ivorian artist transforms prehistoric cave art inspirations into luminous, mystical paintings; and Orna Ben-Ami: Displacement and Memory, where the Israeli sculptor-welder explores the longing for home and the resilience to shape life’s hardships into memory.
Gallery Talk – The Art of Méné
Sunday, September 7, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Related Exhibit: From Ancestral Traces to Contemporary Visions – The Art of Méné
Meet Ivorian artist Méné and his curator Anne-Béatrix Keller Semadeni, founder of African Art Beats. Learn about Méné's improvisational process and how he takes inspiration from prehistoric cave paintings – as well as his own dreams – to create luminous works that offer viewers a mystical experience beyond the images themselves.
Reserve Your Spot 9/7
Gallery Talk – Orna Ben-Ami
Saturday, September 13, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Related Exhibit: Orna Ben-Ami: Displacement and Memory
Israeli artist Orna Ben-Ami has had an interesting life. The first female military correspondent for the army radio station “Gallei Zahal,” she became a reporter and news editor for the Israeli Broadcasting Authority. Working with words transitioned into working with materials and now, in her 70s, she uses iron as the main raw material for her artistic expression and is known in some circles as “the iron Grandmother.” Meet Orna and delve into her unique sculptures that pair Reuters images with hand-welded iron sculptures that contimplate displacement, memory, and the enduring longing for home.
Reserve Your Spot 9/13
Community Event – Tenleytown Main Street’s Art All Night
Saturday, September 13, open until 10 p.m.!
AU Museum will be open late for Tenleytown Main Street’s Art All Night – check out our new exhibitions and the AU Studio Art MFA program’s open studios at the Katzen Arts Center!
More about Art All Night
October
Gallery Tours – AU Family & Alumni Reunion Weekend
Friday, October 3, 1:00–1:30 p.m. and 3:00–3:30 p.m.
Come discover the AU Museum! Created for students, their families, AU alumni, and faculty and staff, these mini-exhibition tours are designed to introduce you to YOUR museum. Open to the public.
Saturday, October 4, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Related Exhibit: Fabricated Boundaries: Filipina American Textile & Fiber Artists
AU Family and Alumni Reunion Weekend continues with a special focus on the exhibition Fabricated Boundaries. Led by curator and AU Professor Dr. Tiffany Hunt.
Gallery Storytime – Filipino American History Month
Tuesday, October 7, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Related Exhibit: Fabricated Boundaries: Filipina American Textile & Fiber Artists
To celebrate Filipino American History Month, a special Storytime reading and programming geared towards pre-K families (ages 2-5) will feature the carabao. Tristen Gambito’s Pepe and the Magical Carabao, Norma Pablo’s Albi the Pink Carabao, and Sylvia Mendez Ventura’s telling of The Carabao-Turtle Race will share the rich folklore tradition of Filipino culture with young audiences. To accompany these stories, little hands will make their own ‘magic carabao’ shaker that they can fill with sequins, buttons, shells, and bells. Jeanne F. Jalandoni’s Carabao Mother sits at the entrance of the show. Children will also receive an exhibition scavenger hunt to find symbols and designs in the artworks (lechon, moths, Bionondo church, etc.) and collect Philippine stickers to earn a prize.
Reserve your spot 10/7
International Conference - Ahn Chang Hong: A Critical Gaze Beyond Borders
Saturday, October 11, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
A prelude to artist Ahn Chang Hong’s forthcoming solo exhibition in fall 2026, this conference is designed to deepen the understanding of his work and spark new conversations about the social role of contemporary art in a challenging and rapidly changing world. Join us for this international gathering of scholars, museum professionals, and art critics!
Reserve Your Spot 10/11
Gallery Talk – Fabricated Boundaries
Saturday, October 25, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Related Exhibit: Fabricated Boundaries: Filipina American Textile & Fiber Artists
AU Professor Dr. Tiffany Hunt examines the ways in which four extraordinary Filipina American artists (Pacita Abad, Mic Diño Boekelmann, Jeanne F. Jalandoni, Patricia Orpilla) explore identity, migration, and memory through personal works that weave heritage with the complexities of life between cultures.
Reserve Your Spot 10/25
November
Artist Seminar - Bootcamp for Artists with Lenny Campello
Friday, November 7, 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Related Exhibit: Women Artists of the DMV: A Survey Exhibition
► SOLD OUT!
Are you an artist wondering how to get your work noticed by the press, galleries, and museum curators? How to present yourself professionally, save money, and gain access to grants, awards, and residencies? How to approach galleries with confidence?
Then this is the seminar for you! Open to the public (limited to 75 participants), this program is packed with information, data, and proven strategies to help artists develop and sustain successful careers in the fine arts. Artist Bootcamp is led by Lenny Campello, a respected figure in the Washington, DC art world with decades of experience and insights to share. Registration is required.
Community Event – Kids @ Katzen: Philippine Textiles
Saturday, November 15, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Related Exhibit: Fabricated Boundaries: Filipina American Textile & Fiber Artists
Kids @ Katzen presents programming geared towards early elementary students (K-4), upper elementary (5-8) and high school (9-12) with crafts and art projects related to special exhibitions. Each artist from the Fabricated Boundaries exhibition will have a dedicated project that illustrates their unique techniques and incorporation of Philippine textiles and fibers. Elementary students will learn Habi and the art of simple weaving using yarn and tie-dyed cloth (Pacita Abad and Jeanne Jalandoni), middle schoolers will simulate the printing process of painted yarn and ribbon (Patricia Orpilla), and high schoolers will construct paper cutouts and collage (Mic Diño Boekelmann).
Gallery Talk - Women Artists of the DMV Panel Discussion
Saturday, November 15, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Related Exhibit: Women Artists of the DMV: A Survey Exhibition
Join us at the AU Museum, the anchor venue for Women Artists of the DMV; a sweeping survey spanning 17 partner sites and featuring more than 400 works by leading and emerging female artists from across the greater Washington, DC region. In this special panel discussion, curator Lenny Campello will be joined by six of the sixty-two artists from our portion of the survey: Sandra Pérez-Ramos, Sophia McCrocklin, Selena “Noir” Jaquesun Jackson, Akemi Maegawa, Jenny Kanzler, and Amber Robles-Gordon. Together, they will explore the vision behind this landmark exhibition, share personal stories, and discuss the artistic influences that shape their work.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear directly from the curator and artists shaping one of the most ambitious exhibitions of women’s art in the DMV!
Reserve your spot 11/15
December
All Exhibitions Close
Sunday, December 7, 4:00 p.m.
Event Contacts
Patricia Edwine-Poku, Gallery Talks
ppoku@american.edu
Brittany Lester, Museum Events
blester@american.edu