Art All Night DC 2012, in which Man On the Street attempts to art all night

Have you ever pARTied all night? That as the premise, sort of, behind Art All Night DC 2012: Nuit Blanche DC. An "all-night" arts fest (from 7:00 pm to 3:00 am), the celebration linked together a half dozen venues in the Penn Quarter section of town. The event marked the close of Art4All DC, a new citywide collaboration to bring local arts organizations and artists together to present and initiate participation in the arts.

Not being from the art world, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect and my plan to interview folks at each stop was quickly made impractical by the size (and volume) of the event itself. Instead, I attempted to make it all 8 hours, start to finish, and document certain moments along the way. The result is a video and photoset I did on behalf of Pink Line Project. At Caos on F, I received the royal treatment, in the form of "Oh, sure, of course you can take some video! ANYTHING for Philippa!" That's respect, kids.

• Of the venues, the former Platinum nightclub was the largest and probably the coolest. I went dancing there exactly once, so I do remember the interior somewhat. Stripped bare in anticipation of a new tenant, the skeletal condition suited the pallet-based industrial artwork being showcased.
• Caos on F reminded me of Artomatic, with its series of small rooms. Also, the elevator was out, so I snuck up the staircase after the exit door swung open, avoiding the line. Media bias.
• There were lines to both F St NW venues, but combined they were dwarfed by the number of folks waiting to get into Ultra Bar. Apparently it's not just a clever name.
• The video cuts off at the Alliance Francaise DC because there wasn't too much going on at the time I was there, so I followed the noise up to 7th & F, where I found that brass band wailing as the Kevin Hart show was letting out. Kevin Hart is doing arenas.
• While each stop had its share of trendy/arty folk, there was a strong representation from the everyman society, as I like to think of them. How often do you catch a dude in a backwards Cubs hat waiting in line to enter an art gallery? (see video)
• I didn't drink all night. Still didn't make it to the end.