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You’d be forgiven if you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about houses this week—your own, others’, their general cleanliness, their relative stockpiles of food and cleaning products. After all, if you end up quarantined for a few weeks, you want to do it comfortably. For now, turn your attention to a different house: Roy Lichtenstein‘s House I, that iconic mind-bending sculpture in the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden, is the kind of thing you have to see in person. If you only see the static image, you lose the bewildering feeling of watching the house’s corners shift and fold before your eyes as you move around the sculpture. Go out and take a leisurely stroll through the garden. Don’t panic. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face (or the art). —Emma Sarappo
FRIDAY, MARCH 6
In Series’ Women Composers FestivalIn classical music and opera, gender representation remains a problem. Orchestras that historically discriminated against women largely corrected that with the advent of blind auditions, but this only fixed the problem among musicians. Composers remain overwhelmingly male, though women composers—Meredith Monk, Kaija Saariaho, Caroline Shaw, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, and Julia Wolfe among them—are starting to get deserved attention. Putting on a concert of contemporary opera is a tough enough sell, but the works in the In Series’ Women Composers Festival are never boring. READ MORE >>> The festival runs to March 8 at GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW. $25–$80. (202) 234-7174. galatheatre.org. (Mike Paarlberg)
The SHE DC show, featuring art from 100 D.C.-based women, has its Dupont Circle reception. 6 p.m. at Shop Made in DC Dupont, 1710 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free.
Catch Before Black Lives Matter, the story of a teenager named Daniel who must grip with the dangers of living in a racist society after his friend is killed by a police officer. 6:30 p.m. at the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre, 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $25–$45.
The Oak Ridge Boys remain proudly “American Made.” 7:30 p.m. at The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. $59.50.
SATURDAY, MARCH 7
Let’s Talk Dance: Martha Graham, Women in Dance, and Dance as ActivismMartha Graham’s legacy in the dance world is astounding. Her Graham technique mothered American modern dance, creating a new worldwide curriculum for dancers. And today, the Martha Graham Dance Company keeps her legacy alive, performing her original choreography and creating new pieces in her signature style. But dance, like any art form, is evolving under the influence of modern social and political issues. Earlier in the week, as the centennial of the 19th amendment draws near, her company will be performing iconic dances Diversion of Angels, Ekstasis, and Chronicle, along with new pieces Untitled (Souvenir) and Lamentation Variations. READ MORE >>> The talk begins at 4 p.m. at the Kennedy Center REACH, 2700 F St. NW. $15. (202) 467-4600. kennedy-center.org. (Sarah Smith)
There’s a screening of Merata: How Mum Decolonized the Screen, a film about pioneering Māori filmmaker Merata Mita by her son Heperi Mita. 2 p.m. at the National Museum of the American Indian, 4th Street SW and Independence Avenue SW. Free.
Chuck Brown may have passed away, but his legend will never die, thanks partially to The Chuck Brown Band keeping the legacy alive. 8 p.m. at Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. $25–$35.
Stay up all night with DJ Will Clarke. 10:30 p.m. at U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St. NW. $15–$20.
SUNDAY, MARCH 8
Otis TaylorOtis Taylor’s trance blues don’t sound like typical blues. The Colorado-based, Chicago-born Taylor, who sings and plays guitar, banjo, and other instruments, likes to use lots of sonic and lyrical repetition in his songs to convey emotion and drama. He has a bit of singer/songwriter folksiness, but he is backed by a band, and together they offer powerful vocals and hypnotic rhythms. Taylor’s picked chords are raw-sounding, his lyrical phrasing is melancholy, and his lyrics confront history, with song titles like “Ten Million Slaves” and albums with names including Fantasizing About Being Black, My World is Gone, and When Negroes Walked the Earth. READ MORE >>> Otis Taylor performs at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $25. (202) 337-4141. bluesalley.com. (Steve Kiviat)
Nasty Cherry aren’t afraid to be what some might call nasty women. 8 p.m. at Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. $18–$35.
What’s a better combination than The Orphan The Poet? 8 p.m. at DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. $15.
Celebrate International Women’s Day by attending a RIOT!—well, a comedy show, featuring Jen Kirkman, Margaret Cho and Dulcé Sloan. 8 p.m. at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, 2700 F St. NW. $29–$69.
MONDAY, MARCH 9
Rod WaveRod Wave “has a tremendous, bluesy groan-bellow that turns vulnerable when his voice floats into its upper register,” says Stereogum’s Tom Breihan. Wave is a singer, rapper, and songwriter known for his unique sound and personal lyrics. Throughout Ghetto Gospel, his debut studio album, Wave reflects on how his childhood was damaged by the arrests of men in his life and financial insecurity. His father was the financial backbone of his family, Wave told DJ Smallz in an interview, so when his dad was sentenced to six years in prison, Wave thought it was his responsibility to provide—which he did by selling marijuana and robbing “innocent people,” he says. READ MORE >>> Rod Wave performs at 8 p.m. at the Fillmore Silver Spring, 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, $40–$87.99. (301) 960-9999. fillmoresilverspring.com. (Kennedy Whitby)
Keep your belongings safe from Destroyer. 7:30 p.m. at Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $22–$25.
Tyler Ramsey galloped away from the Band of Horses, but he’s still making affecting folk-rock. 7:30 p.m. at Jammin Java, 227 Maple Ave. East, Vienna. $13–$15.
Jason Moran is scoring a screening of Ava DuVernay‘s 13th; DuVernay will talk with NPR’s Michel Martin about the film afterwards. 8 p.m. at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW. $29–$59.
TUESDAY, MARCH 10
Tall HeightsWhen Paul Wright and Tim Harrington make their journey from the Boston suburbs to U Street Music Hall, they’re sure to take the crowd to new heights. The duo performs as Tall Heights, a so-called electrofolk band. With two recently released singles, the bandmates, who are hometown friends, are busy climbing the musical ladder. They started out as buskers, but have since toured internationally, serving as Ben Folds’ backing band and performing alongside CAKE, Judah & the Lion and The Paper Kites. READ MORE >>> Tall Heights perform at 7 p.m. at U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St. NW. $15. (202) 588-1889. ustreetmusichall.com. (Sarah Smith)
Candacy Taylor discusses her book Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America, an examination of the power and influence of the Green Book on a generation of motorists. 7 p.m. at Solid State Books, 600 H St. NE. Free.
Ali Barter is Doing Her Best. 8 p.m. at Songbyrd Music House, 2477 18th St. NW. $10–$12.
Crystal Bowersox pushed for years to lay the groundwork for a post-American Idol career. 7:30 p.m. at City Winery, 1350 Okie St. NE. $28.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11
Bookmaking WorkshopWhile the odd critic of millennials will say that books are a thing of the past, replaced by iPhones and e-readers, the art of the hardcover didn’t die with the rise of the digital era. Ornate, detailed manuscripts, mostly of religious texts, date back long before the Western invention of the printing press, and the artistic process is still alive and well at smaller printing presses today. Indie bookstores are coming back into prominence and the sale of physical books is rising. Reconnecting with the art form in the age of mechanical reproduction can be a meditative experience, similar to how other forms of crafting release dopamine. READ MORE >>> The workshop begins at 6:30 p.m. at Femme Fatale DC, 401 Massachusetts Ave. NW. $25. moonlitdc.com. (Katie Malone)
Camille Dungy, Tina Chang, and Beth Ann Fennelly will read their work about motherhood in an event co-sponsored by Folger Shakespeare Library. 7 p.m. at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. $12–$15.
Don Frederick, Humbalaya, and Bluewreck are teaming up for a high-energy show with local ties. 8 p.m. at Pie Shop DC, 1339 H St. NE. $10–$12.
Dead Kennedys are still going hard and not holding back. 7 p.m. at 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $30.
THURSDAY, MARCH 12
James McBrideA preacher shoots a drug dealer in a courtyard. That’s how James McBride’s Deacon King Kong starts, but that’s not all it’s about. McBride, a National Book Award winner and author of celebrated memoir The Color of Water, shifts his keen eye on race relations to fiction by examining the social context that leads to the opening act of violence. READ MORE >>> James McBride speaks at 7 p.m. at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free. (202) 364-1919. politics-prose.com. (Kaila Philo)
Caroline Kepnes, the author of the bestseller You, which was recently adapted into a Netflix television show, will discuss stalking in the digital age, her writing, and the transition from page to screen with Hillary Kelly. 7 p.m. at the Miracle Theatre, 535 8th St. SE. $20.
J.R. Jones takes his lonely bones on the road. 8 p.m. at Pie Shop DC, 1339 H St. NE. $10–$12.
Salute women after hours with an all-woman Afro-Brazilian drum group, a DJ spinning female artists, and pop-up talks about women in art. 6 p.m. at the National Gallery of Art East Building, Constitution Avenue NW and 4th Street NW. Free.
NEWS AND REVIEWS YOU CAN USE
News: Local photographer Steven Marks talks about how his vision influences his artistic practice and signature style.
Cartoon: Liz at Large, “Overthinking”
Film: Greed wants to both entertain and educate, a split in focus that makes it fail at both.
Film: The 2020 New African Film Festival is taking a look at history.
Theater: Suddenly Last Summer is a powerful examination of how truth and power shape each other.
OFFICE OF FUTURE PLANNING
Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday for Violent Femmes at The Anthem on June 7. 8 p.m. at 901 Wharf St. SW. $45–$75.
Tickets are on sale now for The Weeknd at Capital One Arena on July 13. 7 p.m. at 601 F St. NW. $59.75–$875.
Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday for Maren Morris at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sept. 19. 7 p.m. at 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. $45–$125.