#GWtoDo: Your Curated Arts and Events Agenda

Show your school spirit at Colonials Weekend. Plus novelist Rick Riordan, the Kennedy Center’s new arts campus, free tickets for Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton and more.

September 16, 2019

Sept. 20 to 22 Colonials Weekend 2019

Locations and prices vary

Welcome alumni back to campus with traditional fall celebrations like the Buff and Blue BBQ, Vern Harvest and Jazz Brunch. Plus free classes from GW faculty, a conversation with President Thomas LeBlanc, a kickoff party in University Yard and more. Full schedule here.

Coming Up:

Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre
800 21st St., NW
$15 to $45

Former FBI special agent Josh Campbell and former FBI Director James Comey will discuss Mr. Campbell’s new book, “Hurricane Crossfire: Donald Trump’s War on the FBI.”

Funger Hall, Room 108
2201 G Street NW
Free, registration required

Are you a GW student with an idea or a problem that needs solving? Follow your innovative instincts (and enjoy free pizza) at this annual student entrepreneurship event. Sign up as a pitcher to win one of 10 $100 gift cards, or as an attendee to vote for your favorite ideas.

Kennedy Center
2700 F St., NW
Free, reservations required

This massive celebration of the Kennedy Center’s new expanded campus packs in over 400 free performances, workshops, simulcasts, interactive installations and more. The final week includes an appearance from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, performances by comedians Patton Oswalt and Rachel Dratch, dance classes and more. A timed pass is required for entry.

Duquès Hall, Room 651
2201 G St., NW
Free, registration requested

Mr. Carbonell, chair emeritus of the GW Board of Trustees, will speak to GW School of Business Dean Anuj Mehrota about his entrepreneurship, philanthropy and leadership.

Lisner Auditorium
730 21st St., NW
$27 to $34

A bestselling author of more than 20 novels for young readers, including the blockbuster Percy Jackson series, Rick Riordan visits Lisner to discuss his latest, “The Tyrant’s Tomb.”

Save the Date:

Lisner Auditorium
730 21st St., NW
$15 to $40

Musician, writer and poet Patti Smith is a National Book Award winner for her first memoir, “Just Kids,” and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In her latest book, “Year of the Monkey,” she reflects on a nomadic year in which she reckoned with loss, aging and a dramatic shift in America’s political landscape.

The George Washington Museum & The Textile Museum
701 21st St., NW
Free, registration required

Frau Fiber is an international artist and activist who worked in garment and knitting factories in East Germany until the fall of the Berlin Wall. During her artistic career she has created “soft guerilla actions” aimed at making apparel production transparent. At this workshop, she will explore the cultural appropriation of motifs by migrants fleeing violence in their home countries by teaching attendees to "knock off" a Syrian tunic using T-shirts.

Lisner Auditorium
730 21st Street, NW
Free by lottery to current GW students

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton will take the stage to celebrate the women who inspired their co-authored “The Book of Gutsy Women.” Tickets, along with a complimentary copy of the book, will be allocated via lottery. Current GW students should click here to register for the lottery, which will remain open until 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20. Results will be communicated to all registrants by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25.

This conversation is part of the Presidential Distinguished Event Series, which launched in the spring of 2019 to connect GW students to renowned guest speakers and performers through culturally significant, free events on the Foggy Bottom campus.