ART(202) Journal: Creative Workforce Development

NOVEMBER|2010

contents IMPRINT

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Creative Capital: What is it, how do you get it?

by Alexis Chaney

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COVER ART |ROD LITTLE

EDITORS

SHYREE MEZICK REBECCA LANDWEHR

DESIGNER ROD LITTLE

CONTRIBUTORS

SYEP Documentary: sneak peak into the 2010 Summer Youth Employment Program’s Media Arts Cap

SPOTlight

PROFILE

The 2010 Summer Youth Employment Program’s Media Arts Camp

SIA TIAMBI BARNES ALEXIS CHANEY REGINALD CONWAY RAQUEL POINDEXTER

Have this issue delivered to your inbox—Subscribe at dcarts.dc.gov

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Project: Anacostia Learn how local youth contributed to the community of Anacostia

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Anacostia Business Development Local youth aid four local businesses with new media: •Vivid Solutions DC •Big Chair Coffee ‘n Grill •Spirit Anacostia Health

& Wellness •Ward 8 Business Council

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Meet the New Creatives 2010 Media Arts Camp Youth say what art means to them.

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Grant Opportunities for DC artists and arts organizations

art

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63 Gateway to a Great Community mural project

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Art Bank: newly acquired pieces by SYEP youth

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Evaluator Mark Williams on the 2010 Media Arts Camp

D SOUN

BITE

artisttoolbox

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Meet the teaching artists behind Project Anacostia

Resources for artists

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IMPRINT

iVE a P i tA L

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ILLUSTRATION|ROD LITTLE

W

hat is Creative Capital, and how do you get it? Creative Capital is the juice that keeps the workforce of tomorrow running, the

workforce where creativity is what’s for sale, and freelancing is the norm. Creative Capital is a way of turning your art into your business.

That’s why DCCAH, in partnership with the Department of Employment Services (DOES) and the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), designed the 2010 Media Arts Camp—to prepare the future generation of working artists with the knowledge and skills needed to sustain. One hundred DC youth were placed in a 6-week program that included internships at organizations like BET, Facilitating Leadership in Youth (FLY), Words Beats and Life, GALA Hispanic Theatre, Capital Fringe Festival, City Arts, International Arts & Artists, DC Youth Ensemble, Washington City Paper, Capitol Movement, Latin American Youth Center, Joy of Motion Dance Studios, and Multimedia Training Institute.

Every Tuesday, youth journeyed to Ward 8 to participate in the Anacostia Business Development Project, where they applied their newly acquired skills to nourish the community East of the River.

This massive collaborative effort supported four local businesses: Anacostia Spirit Health and Wellness Center, Big Chair Coffee n’ Grill, Vivid Solutions DC, and the Ward 8 Business Council with youth-produced logos, TV and radio commercials, websites, and much more. When these businesses flourish, the community as a whole stands to gain. That’s why youth also produced events, oral history recordings of Anacostia, a documentary about Anacostia past and present, and a community mural.

—SYEP Youth Alexis Chaney

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CONTRI Reginald Conway, 16, is a

resident of Ward 6 and a student at Duke Ellington School of the Arts: “I prefer writing over any other art because as a writer I believe that when you have that pencil or computer or whatever you have in your hand, you’re in control and no one can tell you otherwise.”

Raquel Poindexter, 18, is a resident of Ward 1 and a recent graduate of Walter Johnson High School. To her, “Art means opportunity.”

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PHOTOS |AARON THOMPSON

RIBUTORS Alexis Chaney, 19, is a resident of Ward 4 and a student at the University of Chicago: “I think art is undefinable and to a degree any definition I would probably have of it is meaningless as soon as I say it because it is so personal and subjective.�

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L E E R DC COMMISSION ON THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

Summer Youth Employment Program Documentary Contributors: Clarence Alexander SYEP Youth Rod Little Former SYEP Participant & Instructor at Duke Ellington School of the Arts Gerren Price SYEP Program Manager

View this video and more at www.youtube.com/thedcarts

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Summer Youth Employment Program Documentary YOUTH PRODUCERS |

SAMANTHA FIGGINS

BRYANNA BROWN

ERICA SCOTT

TIARA JACKSON

ZURI DORITY

ANASTAZIA WHITTLE

TEACHING VIDEOGRAPHER|MICHAEL T. Miller

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SPOTlight 10%

Building Arts

43%

Media & Communications

24% Cullinary Arts

DC’s Creative Workforce 6% 3%

14%

Performing Arts Visual Arts

Museums & Heritage

Media & Communications - In DC, News syndicate employment is 26X times the national average; TV/ broadcasting employment i s 4X times the nat ional average; periodical publishing 4X.

Creative jobs =10% of all jobs

The media arts represent 43% of the creative workforce in DC. The 2010 Media Arts Camp through the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program strove for workforce development and college preparedness in media arts and communications for DC youth to enter the creative economy. DCCAH, in partnership with DOES and DHCD, provided 100 youth with hands-on-training in the media arts. For six weeks, youth worked on a pioneering East of the River business and community revitalization project using their newly acquired media arts skills. Twenty professional media specialists/arts groups were hired to instruct youth through handson training, workshops and presentations and produce 43 different deliverables across radio, television, print, graphic, and online media.

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PHOTO|Aaron Thompson

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Media ARTS Camp Sheila Reid of Washington City Paper speaks to her experience in publishing and advertising.

PHOTOS|Aaron Thompson

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Media Camp orientation Teaching videographer Chris Keener and students discuss the art of filmmaking. View their short film, Good Hope: Anacostia, at youtube.com/thedcarts

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PHOTOS|Aaron Thompson

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In the field Teaching videographer Michael Miller and SYEP youth Erica Scott set out to film the SYEP Documentary. View the short film at youtube.com/thedcarts.

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PHOTOS|Aaron Thompson

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I AM FROM Teaching artists Ellie Walton, Amy Hedrick and Anu Yadav work with youth from Anacostia to tell their own story. View their multimedia performance, I Am From, at www.youtube.com/thedcarts.

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PHOTOS|Aaron Thompson

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Project Anacostia Youth visual artists discuss plans for their installation at Good Hope Rd. & Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE, “Gateway to a Great Community” with lead artists Billy Colbert and Tim Conlon.

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PHOTOS|Aaron Thompson

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PROJECT

ANACOSTIA “Anacostia in a few words: Vibrant, Green, Picturesque, Village-like, Safe, Home.”

–Fred Joiner, Ward 8 poet

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Project: Anacostia is a media arts project that sought to delve into the community of Historic Anacostia. With support from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), youth contributed their ideas, time and skills to not only give the community the opportunity to learn more about each other, past and present, but to also allow them the opportunity to become working artists for businesses like Anacostia Spirit Health & Wellness, Big Chair Coffee n’ Grill, Vivid Solutions DC, and Ward 8 Business Council.

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Good Hope: Anacostia SYEP Youth worked to produce this short documentary about the community in Anacostia.

Participants: Tailor Coble Catherine Frost Donnell Powell Tierra Rich Victoria Wallace Lead Artist: Chris Keener

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View this film and more at youtube.com/thedcarts

I Am From

I Am From

a SYEP project, 2010

I Am From is a collective video poem which reveals the personal story behind the labels imposed on us by zip codes and ward numbers. Six young people from Anacostia explore the layers of their identity through powerful prose and visual metaphor.

Participants: D’Andre Beamon Stanley Diggs Diamante Dorsey Allantra Lewis Nicolette Webster Lead Artists: Amy Hendrick Ellie Walton Anu Yadav

View this performance and more at youtube.com/thedcarts

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An excerpt from “Reflections on Anacostia”

by Alexis Chaney What makes you a community? Is it having a name, and set boundaries? If you are on this side of the line, you are one of us. Is it sharing common goals, aspirations, ideals? Can you build a community from scratch, or must it form on its own? We call many things communities, but are they really?

Is your community the place where you belong, whether you like it not? The place where you will always have a spot at the table, and they may not recognize your face, but they recognize you?

Can you belong to your community, if it does not belong to you?

An excerpt from “In My Community” by Raquel Poindexter In my community The excitement that we get from seeing others happy, Whether they’re marching in a parade Celebrating a birthday Or simply waiting to get paid My community offers ALL that It doesn’t always have to be sad; life is what you make it No need for deliberate exaggeration, Hyperboles only come when it’s not obvious to the human eye I don’t know about you, but I’m proud of my thick thighs, dark brown eyes, weary skies And whatever else is yet to come in this lifetime Because I’m proud to be me I owe it ALL to my family, friends, upsets, influences, yes even my teachers But most of ALL

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PHOTOS|Anscia Brown

I owe it to my community

ART(202) RADIO: MY HOME, ANACOSTIA Listen to the work of the Radio Journalism team of the Media Arts Camp.

You’ll hear a sample of audio snapshots of life in Anacostia and the people who find home in this historic place.

My Home, Anacostia

a SYEP project, 2010

Participants: Steven Austin William Montano La’Quisha Pettigrew Demetrius Simms Lead Artist: Wilma B. Consul

Listen to ART(202) Radio and more at youtube.com/thedcarts

Reginald: “When I used to live in Anacostia I never really tried to understand the culture of the places and things around me. I walked through neighborhood alleyways as an adolescent and I never was skeptical of what was happening. I soon started to grow up, and with my maturing came knowledge and curiosity. I started to see transformation, change, and transition. I didn’t know whether to accept it or to go against it. From apartment complexes being refurbished to long time friends moving out. I didn’t feel at home anymore... I felt that maybe things would come back to what they were when I was still an adolescent who doesn’t have to ponder on these thoughts. Yes things have changed, some m ay say for the better, but I say expand and keep the culture.”

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SPOTlight

PROFILE

The ARCH Development Corporation has been located in Ward 8 for over twenty-five years and more recently has developed a “Social Arts Initiative” to support the arts in Anacostia. The Digital Gallery and state of the art imaging lab at Vivid Solutions DC, the first of its kind in the area, has been in existence for just one year; its sister, Honfleur Gallery has been in existence for about four years.

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—Raquel Poindexter, SYEP Youth

PHOTO|Aaron Thompson

:30 Commercial as seen on: •Animal Planet •Discovery Channel •Food Network •Headline News •MSNBC August 15-29

Advertisement Design as seen in: Art in America October 2010

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Started by a local school nurse searching for a good old-fashioned “cup of Joe,” Big Chair Coffee & Grill is nothing ordinary. “We are the first coffee shop East of the River,” says Yimenu Batamalak, an Ethiopia native and manager of the family-owned cafe. Since the cafe opened in January 2010, Batamalak says the entire neighborhood has experienced growth. “I have seen several buildings being built up and some renovations of the area... and the activity on the street has increased a lot.”

Big Chair Coffee & Grill, a leader in the renaissance, offers an intimate, comfortable setting with free Wi-Fi for its customers who are welcome to work and relax while awaiting or digesting the gourmet entrees. Its artistic ambiance features canvases created by community artists and complements the aroma of fresh seasons and herbs as well as the sizzle of the grill.

—Reginald Conway, SYEP Youth

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:30 Commercial as seen on: •Channel 7 •Channel 8 •TBD.com August 15-29 available at youtube.com/thedcarts

Website Design by SYEP Youth

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Spirit Anacostia Health and Wellness, the brainchild of Reverend Willy Wilson, is a 7500 sq. ft. facility in the heart of Historic Anacostia. Opened in November 2009, Spirit Anacostia Health and Wellness aims to be an exemplary provider of “quality health care and fitness for people who live East of the River,” said manager Adama Zawadi. The gym and wellness components seek to revitalize and inspire the Anacostia community, “mind, body and spirit” by offering a variety of fitness classes and health assessments to the young and the young at heart: their members range in age from nine to 100. Working with the community, through local churches and their partnership with the Salvation Army, they want to bring a healthier lifestyle to the people of Anacostia, and of course, jobs. Zawadi, a longtime resident of DC with close to a decade in Anacostia added, “We [have] staff from the community because, who knows better the community than those who actually live and work here?” In the future, Spirit Anacostia Health and Wellness hopes to increase its membership and expand. “I just want to see my people healthier, I want to walk down the street and just see a healthy group of smiling people, young and old, that would be great.”

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—Alexis Chaney, SYEP Youth

:30 Commercial as seen on: •Channel 7 •Channel 8 •TBD.com August 15-29 available at youtube.com/thedcarts

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The Ward 8 Business Council’s mission is to assist businesses in the Ward 8 community by helping them to broker services to include identifying key issues and concerns for businesses, providing forums and opportunities; and to help to streamline certification processes that are mandated by the District of Columbia.

:60 PSA by the youth of Multimedia Training Institute available at youtube.com/thedcarts

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The meeting will be held on

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

at 6:30pm

@Rehoboth

621 Alabama Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20032

For more info please call (202) 562-1671 or ward8businesscouncil.blogspot.com

Newspaper advertisement as seen in The Washington Informer created by the youth of Words Beats & Life

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Demetrius simms

•18 •Ward 4 •Student at Delaware State University •BET & ART(202) radio magazine

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“My definition of art would be anything that expresses who you are, it could be writing, it could be drawing, it could be singing, whatever it is that expresses how you feel or whatever emotions you have.”

william

La’Quisha

•16 •Ward 4 •Student at Duke Ellington School of the Arts

•18 •Ward 1 •Student at Norfolk State University, •BET & ART(202) radio magazine

•Capital Fringe & Art(202) radio

“I love to do as much as

Montano

Steven AUSTIN

•20 •Ward 4 •Student at Norfolk University •BET & ART(202) radio magazine “[Art is] a way for somebody to broadcast their inner thoughts.”

Pettigrew

magazine

I can with the best

“I think of art as pretty much anything that you have a passion for and what you would like to pursue as your life long career... cooking, drawing, writing, pretty much anything

of myself.”

that you can name that you put your heart into, that you put your commitment to.”

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Catherine FROST

•17 •Ward 6

Victoria WALLACE

•18 •Ward 5 •Recent graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts with plans to attend Marymount Manhattan

•Capital Fringe and with the Art(202) radio magazine

“[Art] allows everyone to express themselves and their unique individuality in a healthy way.”

See Victoria in Ryan Richmond’s newest film, Money Matters.

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•Student at Pomona •Hillyer Art Space & Good Hope: Anacostia documentary

“People think art has to be in the Phllips Collection or something, but I don’t think it has to be that way, you can find it in everyday life.”

Tierra

Tailor

•20

•16

•Ward 5

•Ward 4

•Student at Montgomery College

•Student at School Without Walls

•Washington City Paper & Good Hope:

• DCCAH & Good Hope: Anacostia

Anacostia documentary.

documentary

“I have learned that nothing is

If I had to correlate one

complete until you work it! Workshop

word with myself now it

it and release it to the world.”

would be ‘artist.’”

Rich

Coble

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ALEX

CLAROS •16 •Ward 4

•Student at Duke Ellington School of the Arts

•Capital Fringe and with the Art(202) “I would define art as an abstract meditation... although it’s supposed to appeal to an audience, it’s supposed to be a representation or a product of the artist themselves which means... based on their emotions and however they’re feeling at the time.”

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Cheyanne McDuffie •18 •Ward 1 •Student at Duke Ellington School of the Arts

•Capital Fringe & Photography for Anacostia “With any type of art you never stop learning.”

Anscia

Kamari

BROWN

BOWMAN

•16

•14

•Ward 7 •Student at SEED Public Charter School •Fotoweek DC & Photography for Anacosita

•Ward 4 •Student at Wilson High School •Facilitating Leadership in Youth & Photography for Anacostia

“Art describes who you are, it expresses who you are, it tells

“Art is the imagination that comes to an artist.”

what type of person you are and how you feel about things.”

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Tiara

JACKSON •17 •Ward 5

Dority •18 •Ward 4

•Student at School Without Walls

•Student at School Without Walls

•Hillyer Art Space & SYEP documentary

•BET & ART(202) radio magazine

“Art is your

“Art is a form of expression that has

personality... the

no boundaries and allows you to be

way you talk, the way you act...

You don’t have to have a pen and a paper, you don’t have to say words to be artistic, you don’t have to have a picture, or sing a song. You can be yourself.”

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Zuri

free with your thoughts.”

Omatayo Akinbolajo •16 •Ward 1 •Recent graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts

•City Arts & Mural Project “I think of art as pretty much anything that you have a passion for and what you would

ANASTAZIA Whittle

•18 •Ward 5 •Student at Virginia Commonwealth University •Capitol Movement & SYEP Documentary “If I had to paint a self portrait it would use many mediums. I have been involved in some type of art since I was young, but being that it was usually on a Marley floor barefoot, I would create an abstract form of a dancer as the centerpiece.”

like to pursue as your life long career... cooking, too.”

View Omatayo’s online portfolio at issuu.com/ thedcarts.

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Erica SCOTT •19 • Ward 4 •Student at University of Delaware •SYEP Documentary “I don’t think I would define [art] at all. It’s one of those things where it’s up to the interpretation of the person, how they see the world.”

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Clarence Alexander

MENSA

•19

KONDO

•Ward 8

•19

•Student at Rochester Institute of Technology

•Ward 1

•City Arts & Mural Project

•Recent gradute of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts

“[Art is] everything,

•City Arts & Mural Project

because everything is structurally designed or visually designed in some shape or form, like even a brick, everything.”

“My definition of art is simple... art is expression; sometimes it’s random and sometimes art doesn’t have a definition.”

View Clarence’s online portfolio at issuu.com/ thedcarts.

View Mensa’s online portfolio at issuu.com/ thedcarts

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Chelsea Harrison

A very special Thank You to all youth, supervisors and staff involved in the first-ever Media Arts Camp.

This pilot year of the program could not have been the enormous success that it was without each and every one of you. We at DCCAH know and appreciate the amount of coordination, teamwork and patience it took to get this program off the ground. It is our hope and vision that is the driving force behind this program and the first exposure for many of these youth to the media arts.

In this burgeoning creative sector, 43% of which are jobs in the media arts. We are looking forward to the next generation of creatives to grace the cultural landscape of DC!

Steven Austin Demetrius Simms Shabreia Womack

Cheyanne McDuffie William Montano

Bryanna Brown Samantha Figgins

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Omatayo Akinbolajo Clarence Alexander Jasmine Andrews Raymond Berry Diana Castillo Alex Claros Symphony Johnson Mensa Kondo Damar Sartar Tessa Thomas Nick Umpleby

Facilitating Leadership in Youth Kamari Bowman Brittany Davis Juania Cawthorne Jaelyn Clay Brittany Clements Danea Coble Jordan Dickerson Tiyana Ford Briauna Frazier Jelisa Jennings Venetia Kennerly

Tierra Rich

Alisha King Melanie Lawrence Chalethiea Loring Kenon Mitchell-Sewell

Etta Barnes Tailor Coble Erica Scott La’Quisha Pettrigrew

Anscia Brown

D’Andre Beamon Reginald Conway Stanley Diggs Kristin Ellis Bri She Fair Mercedes Gramajo Allantra Lewis Kenisha McNair Victoria Wallace Nicolette Webster

Rashida Proctor Rashida Ross Hattie Shaw Charineen Stevenson

Catherine Ball Paul Johnson Tremain V. Minette-Skinner Antonio Simpkins

Toria Bobbit

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Kenya Reese Michael Smith Rachel Thompson

Alexis Chaney

Danielle Walker

Zuri Dority

Tanisha Walker

Catherine Frost

Anthony Williams

Tiara Jackson Anastazia Whittle

TEACHING ARTISTS Akili Ron Anderson Antonio Anderson

Sia Tiambi Barnes

Maleehah Cash

Craig Brown

Akili Brown

Lombeh Kabia

D’Angelo Brown

Kriston Capps

Khaya Carter

Billy Colbert

Brandon Edwards

Tim Conlon

Anthony Farmer

Wilma Consul

Ryan Gilbert

Ralston Cyrus

Stephanie Hampton

Gary Fabiano

Lexus Henderson

Jonathan French

Donjier Ingram

Amy Hendrick

Gorwar Karyah

Andrea Hope

Brittany Lee

Chris Keener

Tiara Marshall

Sarah Massey

Lloydisha Mason

Mike Miller

Jamilla Okubo

Jared Ragland

Raquel Poindexter

Aaron Thompson

Donnell Powell

Renee Woodward

Genesis Sanchez

Katura Henry Marketa Nicholson

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Opportunities for Funding Project-Based Grants Arts Education Projects - Funds projects that provide training and indepth exploration of artistic disciplines to students from pre-K through 12th grades. Grant Amount: Individuals- $1,000 - $5,000 Organizations- $1,000 - $30,000 City Arts Projects - Encourages the growth of quality arts activities throughout the city, supports local artists, and makes arts experiences accessible to District residents. Grant Amount: Individuals- $1,000 $5,000 Organizations- $1,000 - $30,000 Elders Learning Through The Arts - Funds artists and arts organizations that provide programs that serve DC residents, ages 60 and older.

Grant Amount: Individuals and Organizations- $500 - $5,000 Festivals DC - Funds arts festivals or festivals with significant arts components that: encourage growth and promote awareness of quality arts activities throughout the city, support local artists, stimulate economic benefits to the community, promote a sense of community identity, and make arts experiences accessible to District residents and visitors. Grant Amount: Organizations - $1,000 - $30,000 Hip Hop Community Arts Initiative - Funds artists and arts organizations that encourage the growth of quality Hip Hop arts activities and make Hip Hop arts experiences accessible to District residents. Grant Amount: Individuals - $1,000 - $2,500 Organizations - $1,000 - $5,000

UPSTART - Capacity-building program for small to mid-sized arts organizations. Grant Amount: Organizations - Cohort A up to $100,000 Cohort B up to $30,000 East of the River Arts Program - Funds arts activities in underserved communities east of the Anacostia River. Grant Amount: - Organizations - Category 1: up to $20,000 Category 2: up to $5,000 Grants-In-Aid - Funds general operating expenses and financial assistance to nonprofit arts organizations. Grant Amount: Organizations $3,000 - $30,000

Capital Projects Grants Cultural Facilities Program - Provides funds to help defray costs related to the improvement, expansion and rehabilitation of existing buildings owned or leased by nonprofit cultural institutions. Grant Amount: Organizations - $10,000 - $100,000 Public Art Building Communities Grants - Funds individuals and nonprofit organizations for the creation and installation of permanent public art projects with a life span of at least five years. Grant Amount: Individuals - $1,000 - $20,000 Organizations - $1,000 - $100,000

Young Artist Program - Funds individual artists between the ages of 18 to 30 through eligible projects include support for innovative art projects and community service art projects that aim to provide access and positive alternatives for youth and seniors. Grant Amount: Individuals- up to $3,000

Roster Opportunities

Capacity Building and Operating Support Grants

Art Bank - Individuals and Organizations- Artwork is purchased by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities from local artists, providing them with financial and professional benefits. The artwork is documented, framed and installed in public areas of District government agencies. Grant Award Varies. Theme: District Identities

Artist Fellowship Program (Visual and Media Arts) - Funds individual artists who make a significant contribution to the arts and who promote the arts in the District of Columbia. Grant Amount: Individuals - $5,000

Teaching Artist Roster - Individuals - Provides District schools and community centers a clear and accessible roster of DC area teaching artists who have gone through a rigorous panel process in order for them to be selected for the Artist In Residence grant program and other opportunities. No Monetary Award

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art 101

“ The Media Arts Camp sets a precedent in this attempt to engage DCPS students with the language of the Creative Economy and the Media Arts and the attendant joining of the two…The fact that students are asked to engage and understand this language and within that dialogue with newly developing … communities as it pertains to the Creative Economy and produce deliverables…under the leadership of area Media Artists for said communities is groundbreaking in its theoretical saliency.”

-Mark Williams 2010 Media Arts Camp Evaluator

PHOTO|Aaron Thompson

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Sarah Massey of Massey Media speaks to her experience in public relations and crafting a story.

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D SOUN

E T I B Billy Colbert:

I B

How have you been shaped by hip h

Did you ever imagine yourself having a career in the arts?

SF:

Yes. I knew it was one of the

My brothers and I were encouraged to express ou

things that I wanted to be, but it was just a matter of trying to get everything all figured out.

Wilma Consul:

PH: My parents raised my brothers and I on Hip hop

favorite rap songs, rhymed at the dinner table an

our professions. I think a quote from the show sum

hip hop and all it has to offer. Ya see on my plane

first lady. We eat mixtapes and robot to dance br

hype” and that “you gotta fight for your right to p

When did you first see yourself as a working artist?

I started kind of late, but I’ve always been creative but... I saw myself first as a cultural worker because my training is journalism. I got into

theatre as community work. They needed people, actors; I had acting

in highschool and dance and all that, but they actually gave us training, grassroots training from this organization, and for a long time and even

though I was doing plays and getting reviews, I didn’t call myself an “artist” ...When I started doing my own work, my own monologues and not somebody else’s play I found myself as an artist and why do I do

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this... I’m trying to tell stories of my people, of my community.

D N U SO Sia Tiambi Barnes:

So what was your job as a teenager?

I was a lifeguard at DC Public Pools.

E T I

hop culture?

Okay, so that has nothing to do with journalism, how did you get from there to here?

Well, everything I’ve experienced feeds into my writing.

Although being a lifeguard doesn’t necessarily allow p. We learned all the classic R&B samples from our you to practice using words in order to tell a story, it nd danced out “video moves” in the basement. did allow me to practice interacting with people, and urselves through hip hop and ultimately it informed to be able to understand how other people think and ms it up best: I’m on planet rock. Obsessed with behave is the essence that feeds writing. We don’t et, Big Daddy Kane rules and Queen Latifah is his create in a vacuum, we create based on what we reaks. We understand that “you don’t believe the see and hear and smell and taste and feel. paaaarrrrtttyyyy”!

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O S

Chris Keener:

T I

How do you stay passionate about art when it’s your job?

In my experience, making a passion into a job is something like committing to someone you love. What perhaps looked perfect in a starry-eyed gaze

becomes a little more holistic through a longer lens. There are definitely sacrifices made, and there is a new level of fulfillment and confidence that

comes with it. You also take on the “in-laws� of colleagues, collaborators, and competitors in your field, for better and for worse. Like any relationship,

keeping the passion alive takes work, growth, and constant re-investment.of

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my people, of my community.

D N U O

E T

Mike Miller:

How do you stay passionate about art when it’s your job?

I] don’t spend much time thinking about the challenges, but instead count [my] lucky stars to be doing what [I] do for a living... Creatio Ergo Sum: I create, therefore I am. ...forr me, this is a labor of love, so to stay inspired I try to work on projects that are challenging, creative, and support things that I believe in.

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GATEWAY TO A GREAT COMMUN Anacostia Community Mural

Sustainability and creativity are the key components depicted in Anacostia’s newest mural located at Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue. The blue wall previously had been a mural turned local truck stop (where two trucks, on separate occasions, crashed). Now, with assists by professional artist, Billy Colbert and Tim Conlon, some of DC’s young visual artists will transform the wall once again to depict stories of the historic neighborhood, and unlike any other mural before, this blue wall is all “green,” completely made of recycled materials and environmentally friendly paints.

—Reginald Conway

*look for installation on October 7-8!

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Artists’ Rendering |Good Hope Road & Martin Luther King, Jr.

NITY

. Ave SE

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60

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A GREAT COMMUNITY (l-r) teaching artists Tariq Tucker , Tim Conlon, Billy Colbert; DCCAH Executive Director Gloria Nauden; DHCD Executive Director Leila Edmonds; CM Marion Barry; ANC Commissioner Anthony Muhammed

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ArtBank newly acquired pieces The following pieces by SYEP Youth have been acquired by DCCAH as part of our ArtBank Collection.

Symphony Johnson, 17 | Woodblock Print

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Tessa Thomas, 16|Digital Print

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Raymond Berry, 17 | Digital Print

Mensa Kondo, 18 Digital Print

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Omatayo Akinbolajo, 17 Digital Print

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Clarence Alexander, 20 Digital Print

Jasmine Andrews, 18 |Colored Pencil

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In The News

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Project 60

E. Ethelbert Miller: the making of an African-American Writer A Celebration of Mr. Miller’s 60th birthday and

the highlighting of the Washington D.C. Literary Archives, Manuscripts Division

November 19, 2010

The Gelman Library at The George Washington University 2130 h Street NW

Evening Performances:

Dec. 2 - 18 7:30 pm

Afternoon Performances:

DEC. 4, 11 & 18

Gala Night wi th

original dreamgirl

Jennifer Holliday

December 9, 2010 - 7:00 pm Sponsorships and Gala Night Tickets available through The Ellington Fund at info@ellingtonarts.org or 202.333.2555 x2101

The Ellington Theatre 3500 R Street, NW, Washington DC 20007 Tickets now available: $25, $30, $35 group sales available Call the Ellington Theatre Box Office: 202.337.4825 or visit www.ellingtonschool.org

artisttoolbox

Each month, you’ll find a staple of arts resources, with new additions provided by grantees.

RESOURCES

PARTNERS

Arts Education

Provides a forum for artists to convene, perform and exhibit; strengthening Washington’s arts community.

•The American Alliance for Theatre & Education •The Kennedy Center ArtsEdge •National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts

This virtual arts marketplace connects users to more than 300 DC-area arts organizations and cultural institutions.

FUNDING

Provides access to arts and humanities education for DC Public and Public Charter Schools to encourage the growth of

A private, non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Humanities Council funds and conducts humanities-based cultural and educational programs across DC. Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the nation’s largest annual funder of the arts, supporting excellence in the arts bringing art to all Americans, and leading the naMid Atlantic Arts Foundation supports the richness and diversity of the region’s arts resources and promotes wider access to the art and artists of the region, nation and world.

•ArtsReady •Grantmakers in the Arts • GSA’s Art in Architecture Program •Mayor’s Office of Partnerships and Grants Development (OPGD) •Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers (WRAG)

MARKETING •National Arts Marketing Project •Technology in the Arts

LEGAL •The Artists Rights Society •The Copyright Society of the United States of America •Porterfield’s Fine Art Licensing •Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA)

SPACE • Blank Space SE • Cultural Development Corporation • DC Office of Planning’s Temporium Initiative

GENERAL •Americans for the Arts • artsmanager.org •National Council of Nonprofit Associations •National Endowment for the Humanities

Legal Issues for Creative Entrepreneurs Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts presents a series for creatives who want to take the next step in their career by creating their own business. Explore the basics, from deciding whether to incorporate as a non-profit or for-profit entity, to understanding copyrights and trademarks.

• Monday, November 8| Tax Strategies • Monday, November 15|Negotiation Skills • Monday, November 22|Commercial Leasing All sessions are held 6pm -8pm at the Artisphere.

For more informatoin, visit www.thewala.org

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dccah

ABOUT DCCAH STAFF

Gloria Nauden | Executive Director Ayris T. Scales | Deputy Director Moshe Adams | Legislative and Grants Manager Ebony Blanks | Program Coordinator Catherine H. Cleary | Director of Grants and Legislative Affairs Rachel Dickerson | Manager, DC Creates! Public Art Deirdre Ehlen | Coordinator, DC Creates! Public Art Erin Jackson | Special Assistant Charlese Jennings | Information Specialist Yuyu Kim | Graphic Designer/Animator Rebecca Landwehr | Outreach Coordinator Rod Little | Graphics Consultant Shyree Mezick | Outreach Manager & ART(202) Editor Carolyn Parker | Office Manager Keona Pearson | Grants Assistant Earica L. Simmons| Program Analyst Zoma Wallace | Art Bank Coordinator, DC Creates! Public Art

INTERNS Lucas P. Hayes | ART(202) TV Intern Shannon Holloway| ART(202) TV Intern David Olson | SYEP Coordinator Emiliano Ruprah | ART(202) TV Intern

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MISSION

Our Mission at The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is to provide grants, programs and educational activities that encourage diverse artistic expressions and learning opportunities, so that all District of Columbia residents and visitors can experience the rich culture of our city.

COMMISSIONERS

Anne Ashmore-Hudson, Ph.D. | Chair WARD 1 Bernard Richardson | WARD 1 Rhona Wolfe Friedman, J.D. | WARD 2 Lou Hill Davidson | WARD 2 Rebecca Fishman | WARD 2 Marsha Ralls | WARD 2 Michael R. Sonnenreich | WARD 2 Christopher Cowan | WARD 3 Rogelio Maxwell | WARD 3 Deborah Royster | WARD 4 Judith Terra | WARD 4 Lavinia Wohlfarth | WARD 5 Susan Clampitt | WARD 6 Marvin Joseph Bowser | Vice Chair WARD 7 Tendani Mpulubusi | WARD 8 Philippa Hughes | At -Large Ian Williams | At-Large

office of the poet laureate Dolores Kendrick | District of Columbia

DCARTS.DC.GOV

Get Connected!

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DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities 1371 Harvard St. NW Washington DC 20009 (202) 724-5613 | (202) 724-4493 TTY/TDD