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Art Beat With Lauren Landau, Nov. 28

By: Lauren Landau // November 28, 2012
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The pyrotechnic optical illusion, Black Christmas Tree: Explosion Event for Washington, D.C., will create a scene of two trees: one real, and the other a smoky shadow.
Cai Guo-Qiang
The pyrotechnic optical illusion, Black Christmas Tree: Explosion Event for Washington, D.C., will create a scene of two trees: one real, and the other a smoky shadow.

Nov. 28: THEARC Open House featuring Artist Nick Cave and local students
This week the State Department commemorates the 50th anniversary of its Office of Art in Embassies with events open to the public. A free performance featuring local students and dancer-slash- artist Nick Cave will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at THEARC in Southeast D.C. The event is part of THEARC's Annual Open House, which will include performances, exhibits, and much more.

Nov. 30: Black Christmas Tree: Explosion Event for Washington, D.C.
The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is also celebrating an anniversary, its 25th. The gallery and the State Department have jointly commissioned Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang to create Black Christmas Tree: Explosion Event for Washington, D.C. The outdoor event starts Friday at 3 p.m., when a 40-foot-tall pine tree will be illuminated, not with lights, but with black smoke fireworks. As the smoke rises and curls from the tree, it will mimic the flowing ink in traditional Chinese brush drawings.

Music: "Morning of America (Instrumental)" by Blue Scholars

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