Culture Calendar: 14 Things to Do in August 2017

August 3–6

It’s totally possible to enjoy Aspen without skis, thanks in part to this contemporary art fair that takes over the mountain town for a weekend in the heart of summer.  Now in its eighth edition, Art Aspen begins with an opening night showcasing modern works from the 1950s to the present inside the Aspen Ice Garden, against the backdrop of the Ajax Mountains; and continues with activities like a new art walk through Aspen’s galleries, discussions and tours with experts, and exhibits by the requisite array of world-renowned and up-and-coming artists working across disciplines. art-aspen.com.

August 3–6

Only in its third year, Seattle’s contemporary art fair has big ambitions, this year manifested in a dedication to large-scale installations and immersive experiences scattered throughout the city in the hopes of reaching a larger audience than traditional booth-centric fairs. Highlights include boulder-sized head molds by sculptor Sean Towley; a video, performance and sculpture-based installation in Union Station inspired by historical and contemporary spa materials; a decommissioned bus shelter transformed by stained glass by Jessica Jackson Hutchins; an architectural sound installation by Naama Tsabar; and many more works by artists engaging with design, architecture, and public space in adventurous new ways. seattleartfair.com.

August 4–5

The only thing better than a perfectly-crafted summer blockbuster? Seeing it with live orchestral accompaniment in an appropriately cinematic setting—like, say, the Hollywood Bowl, where the ultra-accomplished film score composer David Newman (War of the Roses, Hoffa, Anastasia) will take the baton, leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic in John Williams’ iconic score from Raiders of the Lost Ark while Indiana Jones swashbuckles and quips in HD on the Bowl’s big screen. 2301 N. Highland Ave.; hollywoodbowl.com.

August 4–28

As global cultural festivals go, Edinburgh’s is a perennial high point, an incubator for some of the most exciting new music and theater, much of which ends up finding a home on major stages around the world. This year, the mission of the original 1947 festival (“to provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit”) lives on through a co-production with the Old Vic theater of Alan Ayckbourn’s new two-part work The Divide; three leading Scottish theater companies all considering the origins of European drama via different works by Edinburgh playwright Zinnie Harris; contemporary music from performers ranging from PJ Harvey and Jarvis Cocker to Anoushka Shankar; an expanded opera program including classics like La Boheme and Don Giovanni along with concert performances by soloists like Bryn Terfel; and numerous appearances by world-class orchestras and dance companies. eif.co.uk.

August 4–6

Rains traditionally christen New Orleans’ Jazz Fest in May; for the storied Newport Jazz Festival in August, hope for nothing but ocean breezes blowing in from the Naragansett Bay.  Opening night brings an ecstatic performance from Trombone Shorty and Rhiannon Giddens to the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino; then, over fifty sets across four stages at Fort Adams State Park, including appearances by the Branford Marsalis Quartet, Maceo Parker, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Leslie Odom Jr., The Roots, and more. newportjazz.org.

Through August 7

The first African-American woman to win widespread acclaim as a science-fiction writer—and the first writer in the genre to win a Macarthur “genius” grant—Octavia Butler was also a Pasadena native, and it’s that city’s crown jewel, the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Garden, that’s presenting a long overdue look at Butler’s life as a writer. After Butler’s untimely death at 58, the Huntington became the recipient of her papers—including nearly everything she’d ever written, from childhood short stories to drafts for over a dozen novels. Around 100 selections from that archive are on display here, giving Butler fans and those new to her work alike unique insight into her formative years, influences, and the themes threading through her writing. 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino; huntington.org.

August 9–20

In the quieter months before the fall Broadway season swings back into gear, the theater world’s best actors decamp to Western Massachusetts for the Williamstown Theater Festival, which each summer reliably turns out a program of compelling premieres with starry casts.  August brings the world premiere (co-produced with LA’s Geffen Playhouse) of Anna Ziegler’s Actually, about two Princeton freshmen who, against the backdrop of Ivy League power and privilege, find they have a great deal more in common than they expected. With young talents Alexandra Socha and Joshua Boone in the lead roles, it’s a chance to see stars-in-the-making up close. ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance, 1000 Main St.; wtfestival.org.

August 18–20

For a few nights this month, L.A.’s Music Center decamps to the newly renovated Ford Theatres amphitheater to present music and dance in a more intimate, outdoor setting. The diverse bill includes a performance from imaginative choreographer Aszure Barton; a double bill of contemporary dance by Jacob Jonas The Company and experimental electronic music by Tim Hecker with Kara-Lis Coverdale; and an under-the-stars concert from Rufus Wainwright. Barton’s piece in particular is a must-see: the choreographer, a Baryshnikov protégée who recently relocated to LA from New York, will present her powerful piece Awaa, for seven men and one standout woman. 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East; fordtheatres.org.

Through August 22

Locations for summer classical music fests don’t come much more picturesque than the Glimmerglass Festival in upstate New York, set along Otsego Lake between the Adirondacks and the Catskills. The programming is always top drawer as well, and this summer is no exception: the mainstage’s productions include the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, Handel’s Xerxes, and Donizetti’s The Siege of Calais. Among the other premieres, highlights include Victor Simonson and Paige Hernandez’s Stomping Grounds—blending hip-hop, spoken word and opera—and Derrick Wang’s vocal battle of the Supreme Court titans, Scalia/Ginsburg. 7300 State Hwy. 80; glimmerglass.org.

August 22–January 3

There’s reason to get excited about any major production of a show by Stephen Sondheim, the master of the modern musical; extra reason when the show in question is his deeply touching Follies, about the last gathering of the Weissman Theatre’s Follies girls before their stage is demolished; even more reason when the production stars Imelda Staunton, a Sondheim leading lady extraordinaire who now adds to her repertoire Sally Durrant Plummer, who performs one of the show’s most gorgeously heartbreaking solo numbers, “Losing My Mind.” In short: the National Theatre’s new production of Follies, performed with a 21-member orchestra, should be the hot ticket of London theater through the fall. Southbank; nationaltheatre.org.uk.

Through August 27

The artist Sigmar Polke’s work was always strongly tied to his surroundings—a witty, critical take on the postwar world. And even in his editions, Polke looked for ways to continue to experiment artistically and insert subtle commentary, whether in the nuanced alteration of a foreground or background or in his layering of images. Those editions—a varied collection of work comprising books, portfolios, photocopies, prints and more—get the spotlight in a new show highlighting how Polke’s painting was informed by his edition work, and vice versa. Me Collectors Room Berlin/Olbricht Foundation, Augustsrasse 68; me-berlin.com.

August 27–December 31

History (and the movies) have rendered Giacomo Casanova a kind of 18^th-century caricature, but the man now legendary for his love life was more than just a lothario: he was a vibrant and worldly character who lived in Italy, France and England and traveled from the Ottoman Empire to Catherine the Great’s St. Petersburg. If seeing the globe through those adventurous eyes sounds tantalizing, check out the Kimbell Art Museum’s show, assembling paintings, sculpture, works on paper, porcelains, period costume and more to reconstruct it (the exhibition later travels to San Francisco’s Legion of Honor and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts). 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd.; kimbellart.org.

August 27–November 7

From the revolutionary “New Look” of the 1950s to the label’s still innovative couture designs today, designs from the house of Christian Dior have indelibly influenced the evolution of women’s fashion.  Now, in a deeply researched new exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia, Dior’s influences and design ethos, along with those of his six successors, will be thoroughly explored. The show, a direct collaboration with the House of Dior, will feature over 140 Dior Couture garments spanning 1947 to 2017 (including current head designer Maria Grazia Chiuri’s work), along with sketches, accessories, photographs and archival material. 180 St. Kilda Rd.; ngv.vic.gov.au.

August 31–September 3

One of the younger contemporary art fairs in the world, Code was founded just a year ago in Copenhagen with the aim of bringing a new international art fair—and the wide array of galleries that come with it—to Scandinavia. Leading galleries from abroad and Denmark alike have already set up shop, with over 80 coming to this year’s edition in the airy atrium court of the Bella Center. New highlights include the Art ReActs program, with talks, film and performance investigating the ways artists and curators react to the social, political, environmental and technological changes in today’s society; and Code on Sunday, a new initiative of site-specific performances and events throughout Copenhagen’s public spaces. Center Blvd. 5; codeartfair.dk.