Kelly Rand is a writer for DCist.com and Crafting a Green World , as well as a compulsive knitter and avid maker. She spends most of her free time pursuing crafty endeavors and volunteering for numerous causes. Her latest upstart, Hello Craft , is pretty awesome (see our posts about it here and get involved!).

As an artist looked on as a leading figure in 20th century art, Louise Bourgeois has enjoyed an incredible 70 year career. From her early influences of Surrealism to her Feminist works, Bourgeois uses memory and emotion to create thought provoking motifs and dramatic sculpture. At the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Bourgeois' lengthy and successful career is highlighted in a major retrospective of her work.

This Saturday is a milestone in the life of both the Hamiltonian Gallery and Hamiltonian Artists. Not only is it the grand opening of the venue itself, but it marks the first show by So Hamiltonian Fellows. Amid the clatter of last minute construction, DCist got a preview of the space -- which will also be the new home to Project 4 -- and a refresher on the So Hamiltonian Fellowship program that will be showcased Saturday night.

A little over a year ago, Conner Contemporary Gallery announced the closing.

A little over a year ago, Conner Contemporary Gallery announced the closing of their gallery space in North Dupont to start renovations on a new building in Northeast D.C. This Saturday is the inaugural opening of the new space, and DCist got a sneak peak. From the outside, the simple facade blends in with the neighborhood and gives nothing away of the two gallery spaces, which include 15 foot ceilings, a large courtyard and 8 foot wide hallways.

As a recent MFA graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, Sebastian Martorana has found a calling in stone. A sometimes over-looked medium, Martorana creates work that is often somber and other times light in emotion. This fresh face in the art world is still finding his way as a sculptor as his style progresses, but he's one to keep your eye on.

Just in time for D.C.' s hot, humid weather, Randall Scott Gallery presents photographs by Sarah Wilmer, who's work offers a cool, dewy refuge from the heat and humidity found on the city's streets. Wilmer's work consists of ethereal photographs of mystical characters that transport you to another time and place.

Violent, bloody and chaotic; these are the images that come to us.