Friday October 26 * 7pm

“RETRO [per] SPECTIVE: Artist-Run Spaces in Washington DC” is a month-long collaborative program between Rhizome and the DC Public Library Special Collections, featuring live performances every Friday night through the month of October, representing select artist venues: The Museum of Temporary Art (MOTA), d.c. space, Union Arts, DC Arts Center, and Hole in the Sky (HITS). The exhibition includes materials on loan from the personal archives of venue founders, from DCPL Special Collections/Washingtoniana, the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, and excerpts from historical audio and video recordings from the past.

Tonight we feature:

A participatory performance, Amber Wolf’s hair salon “Feel So Fine” operates as a temporary, free hair salon in public spaces. Symbolizing hair as a source of power, the unlicensed stylist Amber Wolf offers free haircuts for "walk-in clients" who empower others. At RETRO [per] SPECTIVE, exchanging haircuts with dialogue, this experimental hair salon focuses on advocating against over-development, and empowering the identity of respected local culture, people and our creative spaces. The work is by Naoko Wowsugi, and recalls Rhizone’s days as a hair salon.

And, Paul Bishow's film Wet Streets at Night, which depicts a fictional punk band in DC, featuring Bad Brains's HR as the drummer, and footage of Tru Fax, Enzymes and others at Madams Organ. Filmed in Super 8mm. 1980. Bishow is a DC resident in Adams Morgan since the mid-1970s, has made many films, and founded the independent film group I AM EYE in 1982, with Pam Kray and Pierre DeVeaux. The forum ran for nine years, screening a variety of films every other Monday evening at d.c. space until the venue closed in 1991. The program continued at various venues throughout the city, including the Black Cat, DCAC, and others.