Fear and Loathing of North Virginia

I feel personally antagonized whenever worthwhile art events are situated in Virginia. Case in point: It's bad enough that I'm required to venture into the hinterland, where the Metro dare not run, for "Strictly Painting 5." Though I've been looking forward to the show for a while, the last time I (borrowed a car and) drove out to wylde NoVa for a show, I was hit with a ticket for $0.50—honest to god—at some toll road of whose existence I was neither aware nor warned. It's one thing that Virginia still situates its economy on small bits of copper and nickel and expects the rest of us to retrogress while passing through, but quite another—you just won't believe it—to schedule the opening reception contra game 7 of the NBA Finals. The Finals, game 7! It's an act of red state aggression. (And by the by, watching Tony Parker time and time again try to penetrate Detroit from the top of the key brought me back to the toll booth: "No pass." Though things worked out fine without him, obv.)

Tonight: nothing but alternating patches of urban blight and fresh gentrification along my walk to Adams Morgan for "Traveling With Gulliver by KIOSKdc. Not only have they kindly provided a map I can follow with reasonable assurance that I won't get lost—as opposed to, say, hypothetically, driving experiences in the cities of Reston, McLean, and Clarendon—I'm almost certain not to accrue any traffic violations along the way. Take notes, NoVa!

UPDATE: However, if you simply must leave the WMATA-servicable confines of civilization—final warning: don't expect an embassy!—you should see J.T. Kirkland's work before the show is over. Tomorrow is its last day, and it's not so far from McLean Project for the Arts (though you'll need $0.50). Laptop meltdowns, work, and the NBA have severely cramped my schedule but I plan to post over the next day or so some notes on Kirkland's show, the Northern Virginia Community College/George Mason University student show, and Tim Tate's "Compelled by Content" (scroll down).