Happy New Year! It’s somehow already 2019, and there are plentiful art exhibitions, films, music shows, and book talks to attend. See a survey of Nordic art that spans nearly 200 years, learn some baseball history at the Library of Congress, or take a look at digital ecosystems in a new interactive exhibit. City Paper was light on news and reviews you can use this holiday week, but you can enjoy our brand new Fiction Issue—and come out to hear its winning authors read from their work at Solid State Books this Sunday. —Kayla Randall

FRIDAY

Nordic ImpressionsWandering up to the third floor of the Phillips Collection is like entering a portal to an artsy magical world, like Narnia, only in this case, Narnia is Scandinavia. The third floor is home to Nordic Impressions, a major survey of Nordic art from the past 200 years featuring the work of 53 artists. That’s art from Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, and the islands of Åland, Faroe, and Greenland. Read more>>> The exhibition is on view to Jan. 13 at The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. $10–$12. (202) 387-2151. phillipscollection.org. (Kayla Randall)

Mobile, Alabama rapper Yung Bleu performs at The Fillmore Silver Spring. 8 p.m. at 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $30.

Author and former investigative journalist Sarah Pekkanen speaks at Politics and Prose about An Anonymous Girl, her latest novel, co-written with Greer Hendricks, which uses split narration to follow two women bound by power and manipulation. 7 p.m. at 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free.

Bluegrass bands Hollertown and Split String Soup perform at Port City Brewing Company’s free bluegrass and beer festival, taking place at Union Stage. 8 p.m. at 740 Water St. SW. Free.

SATURDAY

Baseball AmericanaThe sounds coming from the room are unmistakable. Old-time announcers. Loudly cheering fans. The crack of a bat. It’s all there to greet you on two large screens when you walk into the single-room exhibition tucked away on the second floor of the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building. Baseball Americana, a nostalgic and polished showcase, takes visitors through the different eras of baseball. Read more>>> The exhibition is on view to summer 2019 at the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Free. (202) 707-8000. loc.gov. (Kelyn Soong)

BENT, a new LGBTQ dance party and DJ night, kicks off at 9:30 Club. 10 p.m. at 815 V St. NW. $15.

The Anacostia Arts Center hosts a panel and workshop for Stop Police Terror Project DC’s campaign to end the policy of stop-and-frisk. 6:30 p.m. at 1231 Good Hope Road SE. Free.

U Street Music Hall hosts Scene Kids, a celebration of D.C.’s diverse and talented underground dance music scene. 9 p.m. at 1115 U St. NW. Free.

SUNDAY

New NaturePolish-born, San Francisco-based digital artist Marpi takes a colorful and dynamic look at our vibrant ecosystems in New Nature, a new exhibition at ARTECHOUSE. While combining art, science, and technology, this exhibition allows visitors the rare chance to fully immerse themselves in an incredible visual odyssey. Read more>>> The exhibition is on view to Jan. 13 at ARTECHOUSE, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW. $8–$15. dc.artechouse.com. (Malika T. Benton)

Celebrate City Paper‘s Fiction Issue at Solid State Books, where authors will read from their work and discuss what inspired them. 6 p.m. at 600 H St. NE. Free.

The Hamilton hosts a performance from popular The Blues Brothers imitators The Official Blues Brothers Revue. 7:30 p.m. at 600 14th St. NW. $25–$50.

Paris Combo, a group that blends jazz and pop, performs at City Winery. 8 p.m. at 1350 Okie St. NE. $25–$35.

MONDAY

SebastianeMount Pleasant’s independent movie theater celebrates queer cinema this month with JarMANuary, a month-long tribute to director Derek Jarman, whose bold formal experiments, such as Wittgenstein, earned him a reputation as one of the boldest voices in British independent film. Sebastiane, a controversial 1976 drama and Jarman’s first feature, relates the trials of Saint Sebastian, an early Christian martyr whose gory persecution—he was shot full of arrows—made him a frequent subject of Renaissance painters and a gay icon. Read more>>> The film screens at 8 p.m. at Suns Cinema, 3107 Mount Pleasant St. NW. $10. sunscinema.com. (Pat Padua)

New Orleans funk and R&B keyboardist and singer-songwriter John “Papa” Gros performs at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. 6 p.m. at 2700 F St. NW. Free.

Soulful vocalist Anita King performs at Blues Alley. 8 p.m and 10 p.m. at 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $22.

Songbyrd Music House kicks off another year of music trivia nights. 7:30 p.m. at 2477 18th St. NW. Free.

TUESDAY

Ashlee + EvanWhile their last names alone are marquee-worthy, Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross truly shine as a duo. Ashlee, the younger sister of early aughts pop singer and reality star Jessica Simpson, is the creator of the iconic bop “Pieces of Me” who nearly brought down an episode of Saturday Night Live and Evan is the actor-singer son of music legend Diana Ross. Not only are the duo married and parents of a little girl named Jagger, they’ve also recently made their mark musically as a pair. Read more>>> The duo performs at 8 p.m. at Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. $25–$99. (877) 987-6487. unionstage.com. (Diana Metzger)

East City Bookshop hosts a storytime for its youngest patrons (and their caregivers), to foster a love of stories in children ages 1 to 4. 11 a.m. at 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Free.

Pearl Street Warehouse celebrates the music of Elvis Presley on what would be his 84th birthday. 8 p.m. at 33 Pearl St. SW. $20.

Odenton, Maryland singer-songwriter Jackson Dean performs at Hill Country Barbecue. 8:30 p.m. at 410 7th St. NW. $10–$15.

WEDNESDAY

Mdou MoctarThe modern age has seen the proliferation of cultural exchanges that were unfathomable just a few decades ago. Take, for example, Mdou Moctar: A Tuareg singer-songwriter-guitarist from Niger, Moctar came to prominence across the Sahel thanks to a network that traded music through cell phones. Read more>>> Mdou Moctar performs at 7:30 p.m. at Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. $15–$30. (877) 987-6487. unionstage.com. (Chris Kelly)

Suns Cinema screens Roar, a film legendary for its disastrous production in which Tippi Hedren, her husband Noel Marshall, and daughter Melanie Griffith act with more than 100 untamed wild animals, including lions and tigers. 8 p.m. at 3107 Mount Pleasant St. NW. $7.

Learn how to make a vision board, a display of images that represents you, at Anacostia Library’s vision board making workshop. 6 p.m. at 1800 Good Hope Road SE. Free.

See Dancing with the Stars: Live! on its winter tour, featuring fan favorite dancers in a new production, at The Theater at MGM National Harbor. 8 p.m. at 101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill. $72.28–$90.46.

THURSDAY

Sohaila AbdulaliContent warning: This pick concerns rape and sexual assault. There should be many more books like Sohaila Abdulali’s What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape. At 17, the writer was gang raped and nearly killed in Mumbai. She wrote about this experience and her recovery from it three decades later in a 2013 New York Times op-ed. Her new book is somewhat of an expansion of that piece, an expansion on the conversation about rape, sexual assault, and rape culture, and an examination of how different cultures handle sexual violence. Read more>>> Sohaila Abdulali speaks at 7 p.m. at Politics and Prose at Union Market, 1270 5th St. NE. Free. (202) 364-1919. politics-prose.com. (Kayla Randall)

The Birchmere welcomes R&B and electro-funk group The S.O.S. Band. 7:30 p.m. at 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. $59.50.

Comedian Iliza Shlesinger brings her stand-up tour to the Warner Theatre. 7 p.m. at 513 13th St. NW. $37.50–$160.

Solid State Books hosts writer Christopher Noxon, speaking in support of Good Trouble, his illustrated guide to using lessons from the civil rights movement to make a better future. 7 p.m. at 600 H St. NE. Free.

NEWS & REVIEWS YOU CAN USE

News: The Fiction Issue 2018.

Music: Andras Fekete, 1956-2018.

OFFICE OF FUTURE PLANNING

Federal employees, be they essential or furloughed, can use their IDs to claim discounted theater tickets.

  • Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is offering feds 15 percent off seats to its upcoming run of BLKS, opening Feb. 4, with the online code SHUTDOWN
  • Shakespeare Theatre Company is offering federal workers 50 percent off tickets to The Panties, The Partner, and The Profit, running through Jan. 6, with the online code SHUTDOWN. 
  • Signature Theatre will present a special performance of its upcoming Judy Garland cabaret for government workers (military and civilian) only on Jan. 23.
  • Arena Stage is offering federal workers 40 percent off tickets to its upcoming run of Kleptocracy, opening Jan. 18, with the online code GVT40.
  • Studio Theatre is offering feds 20 percent off tickets to its productions of Kings, running through Jan. 13, and Admissions, opening Jan. 16, with the online code DCisOPEN.

Presale tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. for The Millennium Tour featuring R&B acts B2K and Mario, performing at EagleBank Arena on March 15. 8 p.m. at 4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax. Ticket prices will be released at time of sale.

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