Thursday, February 3 at 6:30 p.m.

Film

From 1957 to 1966, the Ferus Gallery was the catalyst of modern art in Los Angeles, shaping the art scene from a loose band of idealistic beatniks into a vibrant community of brilliant artists, including Ed Kienholz, Craig Kauffman, Wallace Berman, and Robert Irwin, among others. The Ferus also played a pivotal role in launching the careers of art world luminaries such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Jasper Johns. In his acclaimed documentary film, The Cool School, director Morgan Neville weaves together the story of how the Ferus Gallery built an art scene from scratch and forever changed the cultural climate of the West Coast. Following the screening, audience members are invited to view Robert Irwin’s work, Gypsy Switch, on view now. $12. http://programs.corcoran.org/products/the-cool-school

“Exactly one year ago at about 4:52 p.m., I was sitting at a round table, enjoying rice and beans in the comfort of my home located in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti,” Karl Delatour, a George Washington University Freshman who hails from Haiti, recalled Wednesday as he spoke at GW’s one-year Haiti anniversary ceremony.  “As I reflected on how to go about studying for my upcoming history exam, I suddenly felt the table vibrate.  As this vibration becomes more and more strong, it is not until my glass of water fell to the ground and shattered that I realized that something big was happening…something really big.”