M NOV/DEC 2016
Holly
“I try to get people out to places they wouldn’t normally go” -Pg. 10
M Editor-In-Chief Miranda Jackson
Creative Director Chloe Jones Fashion Editor HaeMee Lee
Lifestyle Editor Laura Spitalniak Copy Editor Asia Hester
Fashion Writers Antoninette Biafore Aamir Khuller Lifestyle Writers Pearl Mak Veronica Proudford Photographers/Contributors Aamir Khuller Shaughn Cooper Veronica Proudford Ornelle Chimi James Marrow Alexandra Jackson Olasubomi Adesoye 2 | MASTHEAD
STAFF PICKS:
Winter Weather “
My go-to fashion items for the fall and winter embody my cold, long, lazy days.
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HaeMee Fashion Editor
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Both comfy and chic, these leather ankle booties are an absolute staple. Nothing beats a scarf bigger than life itself. The chunkier the fabric, the better. What’s the point if it doesn’t feel like a massive blanket?
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Miranda Editor-in-Chief
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Natural cleansers and face masks are must-haves for combating pre-finals week stress and dry winter skin.
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Chloe Creative Director
STAFF PICKS |3
Dear reader, As the curtain draws on this year, we turn our attention to the last three big hurrahs of the season. November will close with tables of food, surrounded by friends and those family members who “haven’t seen you since you were this big.” December will come with a batch of 24 extraneous days that culminate in an early morning celebration over gifts in the living room. New Year’s Eve will ring in the finale with a great whirlwind of cheers, both by hand and mouth. These are the days that remind us where our homes are. Whether that is a physical or an emotional place is of course subjective, but nothing summons this awareness quite the same way as a cold night does. It is during these days that we must remind ourselves about the need for community, ensuring we both give and receive support from others in anyway possible. This is a marvelous and eager world we share, but there are many people who come to feel alone in the same streets you walk. This season, I implore you to reach out to them. Please, remember those who cannot manifest a home for themselves. Be the community that they have never had, but have always deserved. In honor of this notion, Holly Garner has graced the front cover of this holiday edition. Through her Instagram community, she has been able to connect thousands of creators and artists and people who are simply interested in witnessing the prosperity of others. She has provided a home of sorts to those who need her hand to link theirs to others. Garner has demonstrated that forging a community can really be as simple as sharing memories and waiting for others to connect to them. In these last few weeks of 2016, I wish you nothing but blessings, and may the New Year bring you peace. On behalf of my team, I welcome you to the holiday edition of M Magazine. Sincerely,
Miranda Jackson, Editor-In-Chief
4 | LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Letter From the Editor
Table of Contents 6 8 10 16 24 26
Eternal DC Winter Setlist Cover Story Autumnal Atelier DC Travel Guide Holiday Gift Guide
TABLE OF CONTENTS |5
Eternal DC By Aamir Khuller
Eternal DC is far more than a clothing brand. It is a representation of the ideas, emotions, and values of three young designers from Prince George’s County, Maryland, based on the concept that “though our bodies may decay, through the creations we leave behind, we live forever.” Co-owners M. Jachuku “Chuks” Howard, Julian Cavenaugh and Jamaal Franklin have consistently made their presence known in the local vibrant art scene through their hosted events, and have pushed boundaries with each season’s release. This fall/winter proves to be no different. The first in the collection is a set of two T-shirts designs named “001” & “Social Sacrifice.” Both feature the new Eternal branding--design “001” is distressed with a low-cut collar and “Social Sacrifice” showcases the new logo on a matte black shirt with a boxed abstract work of art on the front. Design “001” is also bleached and influencedby elements of classic rock and punk, as well as script text detailing on both the front and back, giving the tees a fully customized and personal element. “My main theme for a lot of the upcoming fall designs is ‘Love (or lack thereof) in the Social Media Age’,” said Franklin on his creative design process. “I think a lot of people have their own differing opinions of what ‘Love’ really is. I tried to sneak little messages and quotes into the shirts that basically give my own interpretation.” 6 | STYLE
Eternal also released an exclusive hoodie for the winter season called “Flight,” a maroon drawstring piece which comes with a unique twist of disconnected sleeves near the elbows, held together by a rope-like material. As time has passed, the brand’s artistry and innovation have grown as well, specifically in their work with local photographer Shaughn Cooper. Whether it is through an arts event, local collaborations or capsule releases, Eternal DC continues to grow as a member of the local creative community.
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Artist Facilitator Game Changer Holly Garner By Miranda Jackson
Holly Garner, owner of prominent D.C.-oriented Instagram accounts @GoLightly and @IGDC, was peering at a cluster of portable outhouses from the no trespassing zone of the Georgetown Waterfront.
“It’s not great, but I think it’ll work,” she said to me. She handed her things over to her husband and made her way down the cracking concrete steps before anyone could oppose. She had just offered to change outfits in a construction zone for our photo shoot, one of the many possibly terrible ideas that Garner was willing to do that frigid day. There was dust in her eye in almost every shot, and she climbed on any rock we told her to. She was, by the end of it, a champion. Hours later, we tucked into seats at District Doughnut over well-deserved sweet treats and tall cups of coffee so that Garner could explain to me how her museum-worker-by-day, community-facilitator-by-night identity came to be.
10 | COVER STORY
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Miranda: What is your day job? Holly: I work at The National Gallery of Art as a museum registrar. So we ship art, we track it, make sure all of the records of movements and installations are correct. We do the coordination of the installations, etc. M: Have you worked there the whole time you’ve been doing things for @GoLightly? H: Yes. So I started at the gallery in 2004 right out of grad school and in 2010 I joined Instagram, three weeks after it started, as @ GoLightly. That was my personal account, and then a year later @ IGDC was formed based on events we had. M: Where did you attend grad school? H: GW. M: So you’re very, very local. H: I feel like I am now. M: You’re not from here originally? Where are you from? H: Originally Arkansas. And then I lived in Ohio for a little bit and Florida is where I went to high school and undergrad. 12 | COVER STORY
M: What was it about GW that you really liked? H: They have a really good art history program. One of my professors in undergrad recommended I look at their school for the art history program. It just seemed to fit and D.C. seemed like a cool place to go. It got me out of Florida, which was a big plus.
minute…at Bar Pilar, and I thought, we’ll see who comes. Fifteen people showed up, and we had a great time. At the end, everyone sort of looked to me as to what are we doing next.
So it started out slowly—because I didn’t know what I was doing— with Instameets around neighborhoods. Our first big Instameet was M: What is your average day like at in the U Street area. We focused on the gallery? glass and graffiti. We tried to look H: It can change every day, actually. at the buildings that were run down, A lot of our jobs are just communicat- like the Wonder Bread factory that ing via email to other museums, oth- got renovated. Went and did the er departments in the museum, coor- murals. Just really celebrated and dinating things, making sure people explored what U Street was. are where they’re supposed to be to get their work done. For me, I work In the beginning it was very easy primarily with our works-on-paper to just throw an Instameet togethdepartment, our graphic department. er, once a month, once every two months. They never really require a M: Where does IGDC fall into your lot of work on my part. Sort of just regular life? get an idea, throw together a route. H: I started it just as a personal proj- Now as we’ve gotten bigger, and ect. What it was when it started is more people want to be involved very different than what it is now…. with us, it’s just a little more comIt was very small. It took me about a municating with partners or venyear to get used to Instagram initial- dors. ly. I wasn’t quite comfortable with the social aspect of it because I didn’t I do most of it while commuting in consider myself a photographer. My and out of work, on lunch break, or early stuff was really bad. after work. I have a lot more request than I did when I first started, but But as I got comfortable with it, I it’s still very easy for me to do on wanted to meet more people here and my personal time. It’s remained that locally, which Instagram obviously kind of a being that I can just jugsupports. They have worldwide In- gle when I have free time. It’s very stameets twice a year. In October ’11, manageable. they held one, and it said check your local listings for plans. I checked and M: That’s good. You don’t want it nobody had planned anything for to become overwhelming. D.C., so I thought I would take a stab H: Well, I mean, there are times at it. when it’s gotten like that. There’s so much going on now. There have I went on meetup.com, because that’s been a couple of months over time what they used to use. I put up a hap- where we have three back-to-back py hour, because it was sort of last events, and it takes a toll.
So last year, to kind of help with that and just to bring new voices in…I asked two of my friends from the community to become community managers. So they do features throughout the week, as well. We have a schedule. So it takes the pressure off of me a little bit. Now the community has two other people to hear from, and we all have different styles and we pick very different photos, so it gives it a little more diversity.
the communication back and forth. Because I don’t want to bother anybody with that stuff.
M: So who are these two other people? H: Well one is Phil Martin [@phil. martin]. He’s great. And the other is Lauri Collins. She’s @dccitygirl.
Dave [Garner] is part of our team. He does the design work. So if we know we have a walk next week, I’ll send him some photos saying, make a flyer for this, here are the details, and he’ll send it back to me to post on @IGDC.
M: Do you think the three of you do an equal amount of work for @ IGDC? H: I still am the primary event planner. I still am the one who fields all of the emails that come in, all of the requests, doing all of 14 | COVER STORY
It’s hard to completely remove myself from the major workings. Typically what I do is that once I’ve communicated with people and found out what they want from us, like what they have in mind for collaborating, then, if it sounds like it’s going to be a possibility, I’ll send an email out to the team.
And then we have Andy who built our website, and he does all of our website entry. It’s becoming more of a group effort. I very much lean on them for advice and input in planning stages.
M: So it’s five people total? H: It’s Dave, Andy, Lauri, Phil, and then two other people who are involved. Jenn, who’s @jennrightmeow…sort of jokingly was our props master, because she always comes to events with things that she thinks would be great for the walk. And then Albert, who is @pootie_ ting—when I first brought him on board for the team, I really thought his role would be to market ourselves. Essentially, I think I’ve only approached like two people in the past to work with. I usually just entertain people coming to us, because I’m just not comfortable approaching people. I just think if they want to work with us, they’ll come find us. So I really thought Albert could help me reach out to other museums, institutions, vendors, restaurants, whatever. He’s still very much a person I take advice from. M: What have been some of the
coolest experiences you’ve had, via @IGDC or @GoLightly? H: Well we’ve developed a really good relationship with Instagram, one that I’m very proud of. If someone approaches Instagram and says, “We need someone in D.C. Who do you recommend we reach out to for this event?” And they say to reach out to me, or “Ask Holly because she’ll tell you.”
By South Lawn. Essentially, they brought together a lot of creative thinkers, and people who are using their creative thinking to make the world a better place. Phil and I were there as photographers. Nick Cannon was there and Macklemore and Leonardo DiCaprio, and they were talking about the ideas they had and how to use their position to make the world a better place.
Through that I’ve gotten really good White House access. The White House invited me for the Pope’s visit. I was one of three photographers that went and photographed that.
I was there for the opening of the National Museum of African-American History. There was a small group of us that came in and did an empty event for them to sort of just help generate buzz before opening their doors.
My friend at Instragram last February connected me with someone else at Instagram working on a project for Black History Month. They wanted to kind of highlight sites around D.C. that are important to African-American history because we have so many here. So I worked very closely with them to develop this thing called Make Your Map. I was at the White House for South
I try to find things like that that get people out to places they wouldn’t normally go to. That’s always been the goal. M: So then where do you expect to go from here? H: I’m content continuing the way we are. I have no allusions that I
want it to be bigger or better or having it go globally. I’m happy just keeping it D.C.-based because it is so important for the community…and I don’t want to change that. It keeps me busy, keeps me on my toes, keeps me changing, keeps me inspired. M: Are there any challenges you’ve faced? H: I mean, the goal has always been to get people out of their house. To get people out and exploring the city, falling back in love with D.C., and we’ve accomplished that by leaps and bounds. The challenges for me really are trying to balance both my work and my personal life, because this has become so big. But I think I’m doing an O.K. job. I’m getting better at asking for help. But I wouldn’t change it. It’s still enriching and a lot of fun. It’s fun to get a bunch of grownups together and see how goofy they can get and how inspired they can be. COVER STORY |15
Autumnal Atelier By Antoninette Biafore
16 | STYLE
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The change of seasons brings new, necessary attire—leather and blazers that protect us from the chilling autumn wind, and dark colors that mimic the autumn leaves, while subtle shades of pastel adorn the clothes of passersby reminding us that spring is faroff. STYLE |17
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“ give a nod to the ‘80s ”
STYLE |19
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“ unique Hats
and Chunky Sweaters”
STYLE |21
“ velvet boots
are storming the streets” 22 | STYLE
STYLE |23
DC TRavel guide: DuPont Circle By Pearl Mak
The grand white marble of the DuPont Circle Fountain glistens triumphantly in the center of the famous traffic circle in Washington, D.C. It was designed by architect Henry Bacon and sculpted by artist Daniel Chester French in honor of Samuel Francis Du Pont, a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy. The figures on the fountain represent the sea, stars and wind. The soft trickling water streams from the peak of the fountain to the lower basin creating a serene vibe, perfect for quiet conversations or alone time. Occasionally, someone will step up onto the fountain’s platform and perform a musical number. Though cars zoom in and out of DuPont, all you hear is the playful symphony, as if the fountain itself is singing. 24 | TRAVEL
Parking
Finding free parking--or parking in general--is difficult in the area. However, if you are lucky enough to find a spot, it is limited to two hours. Taking the train to the DuPont Metro Station is best when visiting this area because the station is within walking distance from all of the hot spots.
Food
There are plenty of restaurants and small shops in DuPont. However, the food can be quite pricey. If you don’t want to spend your money at a place like Hank’s Oyster Bar, grab a bowl of fresh veggies and housemade hummus from Little Sesame. Their cauliflower and beet hummuses are to die for! Cava Grill is also in the area, perfect for those nights you are in the area and need a quick bite of some tasty mediterranean food.
Museums
The Phillips Collection is known as America’s first museum of modern art and offers a wide variety of pieces for the art lovers of D.C. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday through Saturday and from noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays. As part of the UMD Phillips Collection, all students at the University of Maryland, College Park can take part in a free shuttle ride on Thursday nights to and from the the museum until the end of the fall semester. The museum also holds events such as gallery talks and live jazz shows on Thursdays.
Plan a Visit
Make sure to set a day aside specifically for DuPont, as it is an all-day affair. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring money for food and possible museum visits. Most importantly, bring a camera. This beautiful place will make your Instagram feed shine. TRAVEL |25
holiday gift guide
Pumpkin Bread Ingredients 3/4 cup pumpkin puree 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/2 ripe banana, mashed 1 ½ flax eggs (1 ½ Tbsp. flaxseed meal + 4 Tbsp. water) 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 1/2 cup water 1 ¼ cups rolled oats 1/2 – 3/4 cup almond meal 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour Pinch of sea salt
Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees 2. Line loaf pan with parchment paper. 3. Whisk together flax egg, mashed banana, pumpkin puree, maple syrup and olive oil in a bowl. 4. Add brown baking soda, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt and cinnamon Whisk. 5. Add water and continue whisking. 6. Stir in oats, flour and almond meal. 7. Scoop into loaf pan. (Optional: Top with pecans.) 8. Bake for 45 minutes.
Vegan
9. Can be stored for many days at room temperature.
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE |27
Mason Jar DIYs By HaeMee Lee
28 | HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
The holidays are right around the corner, and that means you don’t have much time to get gifts for your loved ones. We understand the struggle of college students: papers on papers, final exams and insufficient funds. This gift guide is for you all out there! Buy a pack of mason jars from Amazon or Target. (You can never go wrong with these trendy jars.) Holiday gifts in a jar are simple and easy on your wallet, and the people receiving the jars will love them—the most important part of gift giving. So, we’re here to help you fill and decorate the jars. You can customize them to be the perfect gift for Mom, Dad, your sibling or roommate.
Hot Chocolate Mix in a Jar:
Fill the jar with store-bought hot cocoa mix or any DIY hot cocoa recipe. Fill the jar in the following order for this DIY recipe: 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup powdered milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup of either miniature chocolate chips or crushed candy canes and lastly 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows. To prepare both recipes, mix the contents of the jar in a large bowl, place 1/3 cup mix in a mug and stir in 1 cup boiling water. Serves three.
Cookie Mix in a Jar:
Fill the jar in the following order: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups chocolate of your choice or M&M candies, 3/4 cup light brown sugar and lastly 1/2 cup granulated sugar. To prepare, mix 1 1/2 sticks of butter (melted), 1 large egg and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and add the cookie mix. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Makes 2 dozen cookies.
Grooming Kit in a Jar:
Fill the jar with a razor, a pocket-sized grooming set and the following trav-
el-sized items: shave cream, sugar scrub, moisturizer, lip balm or chapstick and cologne. Now, he doesn’t have an excuse. Spa Night in a Jar: First, roll up a face mask pack, and place it in the jar. Then, put in chocolates, nail clippers, a nail file and nail polish. Lastly, fill the jar with the following travel-sized items: hair mask, bath bomb or bath salts and lotion.
Pamper Yourself in a Jar:
This is similar but slightly different from the Spa Night in a Jar. Nevertheless, place a pair of fuzzy socks in the bottom of the jar. Then, fill the jar with the following travel-sized items: oatmeal bar soap, lotion, facial scrub, eye cream, hand and/ or foot repairing cream, fragrance spray and lip balm.
Sugar Scrub in a Jar:
Fill the jar with any DIY sugar scrub recipe. Here’s a simple brown sugar scrub: mix 1 cup dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or almond oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vitamin E from vitamin E liquid gel capsules and 1 teaspoon of your favorite scent like vanilla extract or scented essential oil. Be sure to mix well, and then pack the scrub in the jar.
Pet Pampering in a Jar:
You don’t have to exclude pets! Fill the jar with any DIY treats, small toys and/or other necessities.
Date in a Jar:
This is a cute way to take your significant other on a perfect date. It’s all planned in your jar! Here’s an idea for an ice skating and movie date. Fill the jar with the following items: gloves, 2 one-serving hot cocoa packets, lip balm, his/her favorite movie snack and 2 movie tickets.
Organization in a Jar:
For the organizational freaks in your life. Fill the jar with the following items: miniature highlighters, miniature notepads, sticky notes, paper clips, cute binder clips and patterned washi tape.
Terrarium in a Jar:
Succulents and terrariums are the hottest right now, when it comes to plants and home decor. Succulents are easy to care for, so the person receiving this jar doesn’t need a green thumb! Fill the jar in the following order: 1” layer of small pebbles, a layer of activated charcoal that just covers the pebbles and 2-3” layer of cactus/succulent soil. These items can be found in most home improvement stores, like Home Depot and Lowe’s. Pick 1 or 2 small succulents, and plant them in the soil. Add or take away soil if needed. Lastly, add moss or small pebbles around the succulent(s) for decoration. For best care, put the jar in moderate sunlight without the lid, and spray water until the soil is moist every 2 days.
How to decorate your jar...
The jar on its own is cute, but add some decorations to make it a gift. Take twine, string or ribbon, and tie it around the neck of the mason jar. To complete it, write a note on a small piece of paper, hole-punch it, string it on and tie a bow. Or, string on small ornaments and tie a bow. Cut out a circle, heart or other shape from paper, and decorate it with colored pens. Tape it to the lid or the outside of the jar. Get creative! Try different things, and look online for inspiration.
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE |29
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