Art Beat With Sean Rameswaram, Sept. 24

(Sept. 24-March 10) The Sultan's Garden

There are a couple of ways to get back to the Middle Ages in the District at the moment. One is through The Textile Museum in Northwest. The Sultan's Garden tracks the blossoming of Ottoman art through March. You can see over 50 works employing the stylized floral designs that became synonymous with the wealth, abundance, and influence of one of the world's greatest empires. You can also get to know the man who planted the seed of the floral revolution.

(Sept. 30-Dec. 31) Imperial Augsburg

At least one of the other ways back to the Middle Ages is over at the National Gallery of Art. Imperial Augsburg opens Sunday, focusing on the renaissance prints and drawings that emerged from the German city in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. A few medals and a set of armor add a little color to the collection.

(Sept. 28) Asian Soundscape

You can see Asian art from the Middle Ages, and the earlier-than-Middle Ages, and the more recent ages at the Sackler Gallery almost any day of the year, but if you go Friday you can take it all in along with a party. Asia After Dark brings D.C.'s DJ Spooky and a few of his friends to the museum's garden to provide some sounds to a backdrop of silent Asian films. There will also be face-painting, design-your-own-drum sessions, and a dance-off.

Music: "Galactic Funk" by DJ Spooky