Shaw Celebrates 10th Art All Night • Pleasant Mann

Shaw Celebrates 10th Art All Night

Sept. 25th Event A Tremendous Success

by Pleasant Mann

Art All Night, the District’s free annual overnight arts festival, returned to Shaw on Saturday night, Sept. 25. Art All Night started in Shaw in 2011. It has since become a city-wide tradition. is year’s Art All Night, held in 18 di erent commercial districts around the city, marks the return of a live, in-person festival after the District was forced to make it a virtual event last year due to the pandemic.

Shaw’s Art All Night focused on a vacant lot, known as Parcel 42, on the southeast corner of Seventh and R Streets NW. It served as the festival’s welcome center, art market for local artists and a performance stage for live acts. e stage saw performances from Art All Night Shaw veterans, Grammy-nominated, human beatbox Christylez Bacon and pyrotechnic soap bubble blower Jennifer Stephens, as well as rst-timers vocalist Ace Ono and her band and martial arts and dance performances by the Brazilian American Cultural Center’s Capoeira Barro Vermelho and the Vava Samba School. Renowned video artist Robin Bell projected a new work commissioned for the festival on the ve-story white wall behind the stage, celebrating that the District is once again open for business. Creative Junk

Jennifer Stevens set soap bubbles afl ame at the Shaw Art Market. Photo by Alexander Padro

Food’s #LoveShaw animation was also projected. A crowd surrounded muralist Aniekan Udofa as he completed a minimural with the theme “Welcome Back” featuring the festival’s owl mascot. Across the intersection, the Watha T. Daniel Library was another hive of activity. On the rst oor were youth-oriented activities, including an Evil Laugh contest. In the basement, Team Rayceen held a dance off artist Sydney Bu alo led a “Paint In,” where anyone could get for prizes during Art All Night a canvas and paint to do their own artwork. Would-be artists Shaw. Photo by Pleasant Mann

Robin Bell’s colorful video projection was once again a highlight of Art All Night Shaw Art Market. Photo by Victoria Pickering

The DIY paint party at the Watha T Daniel Library drew wannabe artists of all ages Photo by Pleasant Mann

lined up during the night to get a seat to get to work.

Performance artist Shanna “Shae” Lim marched down Seventh Street NW in a dress made of carpet until she got to the library entrance plaza. en she dropped the dress and became a human canvas, inviting bystanders to paint messages on her as a drummer provided a background beat. WeActRadio projected “Resilient Together,” a revolutionary visual and audio mixtape southward across Rhode Island Avenue NW. e most excitement was provided by Batala Washington DC, the women’s drumming group. ey started with a performance at T Street NW, moved south with the #Love Shaw Parade along the west sidewalk, drawing a crowd that over owed onto Seventh Street NW, ending up in front of Watha T. Daniel to perform a rousing percussion set.

Almost the entirety of the south side of the 600 block of T Street NW was taken up by the Right Proper Brewing Block Party, which featured a night of live music, art displays and drinking. Of note was the Black Beer Garden near the Duke Ellington statue, which featured African American brewing companies: Sankofa Beer, Soul Mega, Joyhound Beer, Patuxent Brewing and Urban Garden Brewing. Around the corner, Wanda’s on 7th salon presented paintings by Reggie Gilliumo and free henna tattoos, with music provided by DJ Candikrush. At the Lee on 11th, formerly known as Lincoln Temple, the Shaw Community Center presented a lineup of motivational speakers, music, youth fashion shows and even a professional wrestling demonstration.

e Washington Convention Center The drummers of Batala o ered a guided tour of its distinguished Washington DC led the #Love Shaw Parade down Seventh Street. Photo by art collection, which Pleasant Mann includes works of famed artists Sol LeWitt and Carrie Mae Weems, along with a wall devoted solely to art works depicting Shaw. Nearby at the Sunoco Gas Station, Maggie O’Neill, Nia Ketura Calhoun and Lisa Marie alhammer, the artists completing the giant mural “Together” there, live painted large panels in their signature styles. Lee’s Flower and Card Shop played dance music and held a ower fashion show. e shop also provided owers for festival goers to create their own oral leis and crowns, which could be seen along U Street and at festival venues. Other businesses presenting art and entertainment included Shaw’s Tavern and the Urban Athletic Club. e DC Housing Finance Agency building at Ninth Street and Florida Avenue NW once again served as the venue for Team Rayceen, which presented “Shaw Shakes and Shimmies,” o ering music, burlesque acts and an audience dance o contest, with the winners receiving gift bags from erotic emporium Bite the Fruit. “ e pandemic made it necessary to reduce the size of the crowds and insist that masks be worn indoors and outdoors, but it was a small price to pay for being able to welcome everyone back to Shaw, where Art All Night began,” remarked Shaw Main Streets Executive Director Alexander Padro, who cofounded the festival in 2011. “ e festival has spread throughout the city, but Shaw will always be Art All Night DC’s home.” ◆ Visitors to Lee’s Flower and Card Shop created their own fl oral necklaces and crowns. Photo by Stacie Lee Banks.

Muralist Aniekan Udofa live paints for Art All Night Shaw. Photo by Alexander Padro