There’s no arts section to recap this week. For our Dec. 23 issue—-on stands today!—-the Washington City Paper staff took a look back on the year that was. No surprise, then, that a good chunk of our Annotated Guide to 2011 is devoted to the arts. Pick up a copy! Or read it online. Either way, inside you’ll find:
— Afro-Blue (they kicked ass)
— Arena Stage (it was D.C.’s smartest theater, but it still hit a funding wall)
— Artisphere (yes, blame Rosslyn)
— Bethesda (still not an arts hub)
— Bluebrain (experimental pop band as app entrepreneurs)
— Dance Exchange (dance isn’t the only focus anymore)
— Dismemberment Plan, the (the only thing bigger would’ve been a Fugazi reunion)
— Fillmore Silver Spring, the (we freaked out over nothing)
— Gold Leaf Studios (and why D.C. has an art-workspace problem)
— Imagining Madoff (finally)
— Jefferson Memorial (or: the pre-Occupy Occupy?)
— Moombahton (it went global, but to what end?)
— Movie theaters, east of the Anacostia (don’t hold your breath)
— Pop-ups (endearingly ephemeral cultural spaces—or malicious symbols of economic peril?)
— Sockets Records (big ups)
— Street Art (sigh)
— Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie (the rock festival we deserve?)
— Talent agents (they’re here, but the theater scene is still quiet and friendly)
— Timony, Mary (D.C.’s biggest rock star)
— Wale (the DMV should direct its cheerleading elsewhere)
— Wugazi (and why it was an oddball cultural moment)
Plus, tons of non-arts things.