MLK / Good Hope Public Art Survey

Art by committee often ends up being kinda watered down. But, since they're asking for community input, take a minute to give your thoughts on what might be done at the corner of MLK and Good Hope where the empty lot is now.



As I've mentioned before [see this blog post], I'd like to see a chalkboard of some sort asking the community a question. For example, something as simple as "If you owned this lot, what would you put here?" or "Love letters to Anacostia" then just paint lines for people to write their responses on. I can almost guarantee that that would be more interesting than another mural or artistic fence.

But, since I'm not the one deciding, check out this presentation on some potential ideas for the site:
1201-1203 Good Hope Rd Public Art

Then take this survey asking what Anacostia means to you and what you would like to see at the site. If you like the chalkboard idea, make sure to support it! :)

Reminder: this is a temporary installation. Do we really want to waste city money on something elaborate? The end goal here is to develop the site.

Art Behind the Art - Friday at Blank Space SE

Come out to Blank Space SE tonight at 7pm for the opening of a week-long exhibition showcasing behind-the-scenes photography from local film productions. Refreshments by Cotton’s Gourmet.

Blank Space SE is located at 1922 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE.

Three Art Openings Tonight in Anacostia

Short version: Go to to Vivid from 6-8 and Honfleur from 7-9.
Always a good time.



Long version: (from press release)

For the fifth year running, artists rooted in Wards 7 and 8 will be featured in Honfleur Gallery’s juried East of the River exhibition, with an opening reception on August 5th from 7-9pm. The exhibition includes photography and illustration. Artist Jonathan Edwards uses cartoon style illustrations to explore serious themes of contemporary urban African-American experience. Jon Malis’ large scale prints are based on his research in the medical archives of St. Elizabeth’s hospital. Larger-than-life cross sections of brains are a chilling yet alluring reminder of the hospital’s history and impact in Southeast Washington. Lark Catoe-Emerson and Deborah Terry’s explorations in abstract photography range from the intimacy of human skin to the landscape of the urban environment. Marlon Normon, who first learned photography at Ward 8’s ARCH Training Center, engages the natural world on a macro level. Poet and photographer Danielle Scruggs’ studies of self-image in text and image round out the collection. The six artists were selected by an esteemed panel of judges including Renee Stout (renowned DC artist), Stephen Bennett Phillips (Federal Reserve) and Susanna Raab (Smithsonian‘s Anacostia Community Museum). East of the River runs from August 5- Sepetember 9th 2011.



Upstairs at Honfleur Gallery, 61, an installation-based exhibition on mapping of time and place by resident artist Mei Mei Chang, is based on her two-month (sixty-one day) residency in Anacostia. Using traditional artists materials such as ink, paint and paper paired with more nontraditional drawing materials such as colored tape, yarn and packing wrap, Chang expands the concept of drawing from the paper’s surface to the architectural limits of the gallery. Exhibition runs August 5- Sepetember 9th 2011.



(Un)Lock It: the Percussive People in the Go-Go Pocket, a collection of photographs taken in Washington, D.C. by poet and photographer Thomas Sayers Ellis (author of The Maverick Room and Skin, Inc.), opens at The Gallery at Vivid Solutions the same evening with a reception from 6-8pm. Mr. Ellis was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and began taking his camera to area Go-Go’s while he was a percussionist in the Petworth Band in the 80s. Ellis portrays the lives of local legends like Chuck Brown and Little Benny with intimate respect and fascination. (Un)lock it: the Percussive People in the Go-Go Pocket will be open to the public from August 5th to October 7th 2011. Gallery hours are 12-5, Tuesdays through Friday and 11-5 on Saturdays.

Must-See Article on Anacostia Art Walk

In case you missed the buzz last weekend, Anacostia was kind of the center of the DC arts scene: a fashion show at Honfleur, an artist happy hour at Vivid Solutions, and a walking tour of the neighborhood sponsored by ARCH that highlighted our blooming arts scene, green technology, new businesses, and cool history.



Worn Magazine, a magazine that's all about art and fashion in the District, took the walking tour and came back with some awesome photos and text that truly shows how interesting this inner neighborhood of DC is becoming. I strongly urge you to check it out. Click Here to read the article.



photos by Josh Yospyn

FotoWeek Starts Tomorrow in Anacostia

FotoWeek DC starts tomorrow night, folks, and Anacostia is the where the exciting stuff is happening. Check out this great poster for all the details ... with some more details below.

Click to Enlarge


Friday Night @ 7:30, 2204 MLK Ave SE



Tickets Still Available! Silent Auction + Reception hosted by Senator Al and Franni Franken to celebrate the kick-off of DCFotoWeek in Anacostia and the opening of Owen Franken : A Photography Retrospective. The Senator will be drawing his famous free-hand map of the US to be auctioned off during the event. Tickets are $25 - email bferraro@archdc.org or call 202-365-8392.

A preview of Owen Franken's, "A Photography Retrospective" at The Gallery at Vivid Solutions is free and will open at 6:30 pm.

Saturday, November 7 - Saturday, November 14: (all openings at 7PM on the 7th)

Honfleur Gallery, 1241 Good Hope Road SE



Women Photojournalists of Washington: Including works by Astrid Riecken, Allison Shelley, Abby Greenawalt, Ashely Twiggs, Algerina Perna, Amanda Lucidon, Andrea Bruce, Carol Guzy, Gabriela Bulisova, Jamie Rose, Katie Falkenberg, Laura Pohl, Melina Mara, Sarah L. Voisin, and Yanina Manolova.

Alternative Art Space, 2200 MLK Ave SE



BK Adams' and Steven M. Cummings' I AM ART: Presenting an experimental installation with interactive components.

Gallery at Vivid Solutions, 2208 MLK Ave SE



Owen Franken, A Photography Retrospective: Owen has traveled to over 100 countries and covered everything from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the culture of food and wine in his home city of Paris.

This is a great excuse to check out Anacostia for the first or the hundredth time. Come on over!

Piedmont Blues Tonight @ Honfleur

Come out to the Honfleur Gallery this evening at 7PM to kick off the fall arts season with Piedmont Blues and dedication of a new installation light sculpture on the gallery's cornice. The new neon public art piece by DC light sculptor Craig Kraft is entitled Anacoeti, and was created as a site-specific installation acting as a beacon of light and color for Honfleur. The sculpture, funded by a grant from the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities, and will be lit and dedicated during the concert intermission.



Phil Wiggins, a leading exponent of the Piedmont Blues, will perform live at the gallery at 7pm. Joined by blues musician and activist Rick Franklin, under the name of “Wiggins and Friends”, the duo exemplifies this local blues style - specifically the Piedmont-style guitar.

Tickets ($10) are available at the gallery; 1241 Good Hope Road SE, by telephone at 202-580-5972, or on the web. The current exhibit is East of the River, the third annual exhibition hightlighting artists from wards 7 and 8 and will be on view from August 1st to October 15th. For further inquiries, please contact Briony Evans Hynson, Creative Director at 202-536-8994 or arts@archdc.org.

(Anacostia's own) BK Adams at CityVista Busboys

Next Saturday our very own artist in residence BK Adams' work will be featured at the 5th and K NW Busboys and Poets.

Click to Enlarge

BK is the guy in the background

blue sky afternoon

burst of color in front of a newly remodeled house on V Street SE:


have you checked out BK Adams' house at the top of Maple View Place yet? completely crazy but cool:

BK Adams Open House & Reception

BK Adams presents "I AM ART" July 10 - July 30 at 1348 Maple View Place SE. Opening Reception is July 10 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM.

guerrilla art at the projects

ladder to the sky - Maple View Place

we have an artist in our midst, and his name is BK Adams. and he lives on Maple View Place.

If you haven't recently ventured to the crest of Maple View, Mr. Adams recently bought one of the large wraparound porch Victorians between Chester and High Streets. His porch has a giant wood airplane hanging from it, whimsical pipe windmills spring from the garden, and a DADAist self-defining poster of BK's face covers the front door with the words "I AM ART".

This post is about BK's first installation in the neighborhood - a ladder on top of the crumbling project-style apartments at the top of Maple View, and a collection of multi-color pipes growing from the ground in front: a sort of shrunken, localized and color-splashed Air Force memorial in our own hood.


in the rusted stairwell leading up


the ladder is perfectly balanced, and spins and sways with the wind

entitled "Sunshine Life", this more grounded piece adds a breath of fresh air to the street - the kind of hope that reaches out:




the proclamation: I AM ART

for more, be sure to check out BK Adams' open house, at his art-filled home at 1348 Maple View Place SE, from July 10 - July 30.

Cherry Blast: the reviews are in.

reports are in. the Pink Line Project's Cherry Blast last night lived up to its name and was completely amazing.



Photos: Cherry Blast!, by Brightest Young Things
"Now, I know warehouse parties in DC are common fare, but how many of these parties have been in Anacostia?" (click link for some awesome photos)

Stunning art, music and entertainment at the Pink Line Project's 'Cherry Blast', by Swedish Scene
"Look out New York and look out world. Philippa Hughes is reinventing performing and visual art and nighttime entertainment, and it's not long before everybody takes notice."

Who would have thought..., by South East Socialite
"I was left speechless by the well planned, creative, stylish, and well attended event. The location was a raw warehouse... The crowd was individuals from all over the metropolitan area interested in learning more about the River East Buzz that has overtaken the city."

manipulated photo courtesy of South East Socialite

this weekend in Anacostia

there is a ton of great stuff going on today and tomorrow: music, food, art, and more. Come on out to Anacostia and check out a piece of this chock-full weekend.

Click Here for an interactive walking map of the weekend's events!

Friday Night: Cherry Blast
art + music + dance + fashion + anime + origami



When: Friday, April 10, from 9PM to 2AM
Where: 2020 Shannon Place SE
How Much: $10 (21+)

Getting There and Back:

FREE shuttle from Dupont Circle: Pickup on the corner of 20th Street and Massachusetts Ave (on the island between CVS and PNC Bank). First pick up at 8:30 PM and every half hour after that until 1:30 AM. Look for the yellow school bus!

Metro: Anacostia stop on the Green Line. FREE shuttle will run from the metro station to the event.

Parking: Lots of FREE street parking nearby and FREE parking at the Big Chair parking lot on the corner of MLK Ave, SE and V Street, SE.

Music and Video:
Yoko K + Aphrodizia
Optical Groove with A DC DJ
302acid
John Bowen - Video Killers DC
JMC

Art:
Words Beats Life, Inc.
Asad ULTRA Walker
Hiromi Ashlin, courtesy of Gallery Sydney-East
Cory Oberndorfer

Fashion:
Moojooken

Dance:
CityDance Ensemble

Spoken Word Performance:
Life Pieces to Masterpieces - Hope & Renewal

Film:
DC Anime Club

Light Design:
David London - Divergency

Food:
On the Fly

- - -

All Day Saturday:



The day kicks off at 10 am in the Anacostia Park with a Cherry Blossom tree planting and dedication to Phil Pannell, Marion Barry and Butch Hopkins by the Anacostia Garden Club. The festival continues with live jazz music by The Young Lions at Honfleur Gallery at 1241 Good Hope Road at 1 pm. More music can be heard throughout the day from 11am – 11pm at Eric Whitehead’s JazzNSoul Café, located at 2020 Shannon Place S.E. Musicians include SamO & JFC, Earl Carter, Glenn Arnett, Jamie Jones, Paul Chew, Nonya Whitley, DJ JAMMER and many more!


the location of the Cherry Blast and Jazz events

The Art Walk begins just a short distance from the Anacostia Metro with the grand opening of Vivid Solutions, a new photographic gallery located at 1227 Good Hope Road S.E. Sakura: Awakened by Spring is a group show of photography all submitted with the Spring theme in mind. It is full of color, nature and some unexpected visions.

Outside in the open lot next to the gallery is the Art + Craft Market, open all day with local artists ready to sell their work. Please stop by and see the assortment of jewelry, paintings, books and other crafts. At the market, Curbside Café offers their homemade burritos, and pick up an Anacostia Cherry Blossom Festival t-shirt as well. Other food is available along the Art Walk; check out the Jamaican cafe or renowned Soul Food restaurant on MLK Jr. Ave.

Continue on the Art Walk to the storefront at 2204 MLK Jr. Ave SE where you will find a Pink Line Project exhibit in collaboration with Critical Exposure, with curatorial assistance from Chanel Compton. Don’t forget to also check out the Cherry Blast event the night before the festival on Friday April 10th from 9pm-2am, also hosted by The Pink Line Project. Cherry Blast highlights fine art, live music, dance, a DJ, fashion, anime, and origami, presented in association with the National Cherry Blossom Festival and through funding from the DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities.

Alison Spain will paint "live" in a raw studio space on the next stop on the Art Walk at 2200 MLK Jr. Ave S.E. She is offering a charcoal drawing workshop for area youth from 2pm - 4pm; all are welcomed to join. Spain’s colorful abstract paintings are larger than life in both size and dynamism. Upstairs is a showcase of eight selected artists invited to use the space to display their work in any way possible. Don’t miss all this creative energy!

Stop into the American Poetry Museum at 1922 MLK Jr Ave, to hear some live readings by local poets. The current exhibit, Beats to the Rhyme: Visual Representations of Hip-Hop Poetry features works by Franc Rosario, Sami Miranda, Fred Joiner, Howard Fleming, Kenneth Robinson, and Nia Smith. The next space on the Art Walk is at 1231 Good Hope Road S.E. at Arch Training Center, showing local student photography in Spring Visions and Inspirations. Just a few doors down at Honfleur Gallery, take in Darren Smith’s solo exhibition Cross & Ladder. This DC Based artist pushes the boundaries of photography with handmade photo mosaics and a few large installation pieces.