ART(202) Journal: The Community Issue

MARCH|2010

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THE COMMUNITY ISSUE: MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE

+PLUS

ART SALON RECAP MAYOR’S ARTS AWARDS

ART 101 DCPS + STEM

DC CREATES! PUBLIC ART THE WATCHER CITY FULL OF WALLS

1371 Harvard St. N.W. Washington D.C. 20009 (202) 724-5613 (202) 724-4493 TTY/TDD

www.dcarts.dc.gov

content IMPRINT The Community Issue: Making the invisible visible

COVER ART |BILLY COLBERT

District Rhyme by Dave Adams

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EDITOR

SHYREE MEZICK

DESIGNER

SPOTlight

ROD LITTLE

CONTRIBUTORS REBECCA LANDWEHR E. KIMBELL HALL MAZI MUTAFA ELIZABETH PISANO ASHTON WINGATE

PROFILE

Words Beats & Life, The Creative Economy and Granting History .

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SPOTlight Q&A with WBL: DJ Two-Tone Jones Melvin

2010 Grantees Upcoming Deadlines

art 101 Learn how art builds communities

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Sneak Peak: Sojourn: The DNA of Perseverance

DC Creates! Public: Murals: the orator of communities

artisttoolbox New Resources, New Players

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IMPRINT

MAKING TH

Artwork|Billy Colbert

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VISIBLE

HE IN

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s the capital city of the United States, Americans are often told to look to DC as a symbol of unity. In a country that spans an entire continent, it should stand as the collective model of national goals, values, and ideas. Yet DC’s character is, in reality, much more nuanced: every neighborhood within its boundaries has a truly distinct culture and population, and there are wide gaps in economic success among them.

By measuring and analyzing our population through programs like the census, community needs and omissions can be addressed.

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ince the first census was conducted 220 years ago, our country has exponentially grown from a nation of just over 3 million to one of over 300 million people, encompassing vast areas of land and numbers of residents. DC itself is no exception to this complex diversity. Words Beats & Life, Inc. (WBL) is one of the city’s many organizations that provide avenues for individuals to connect with, and expand, their own community. The support of this hip hop youth organization extends to niche communities that our 2010 Census aims to reach. It is organizations like Words Beats & Life that create the space that allows for these multifaceted needs of the community to be identified and addressed.

Through the arts and community organizing this platform can be built. As Words Beats & Life founder Mazi Mutafa affirms, community organizations “are the means by which peace can be brokered, and communities can be healed. They can address the challenges of displacement, gentrification, and an overactive police presence.�

In the face of the challenges that inherently come with our cherished diversity, programs like the census help foster concrete connections between the needs of different people and communities. Through this literal counting of residents, we can help spread the message that every DC resident, no matter the age, color, or profession, deserves to be visible. DCCAH in turn wants to ensure this message spreads specifically to young DC residents, educating and supporting our youth to equip them as kings and queens rather than pawns. We see this transition as a truly essential one, because in another decade they will be the players setting the context and the rules by which we all will play.

Artwork|Billy Colbert Portraits|Dave Adams

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•1790|The first American census estimated the population to be 3,929,214. Communities have relied on the census for funding which in turn builds educational opportunities, organized events, and the democratic process.

The census has expanded from a simple population count to a survey of our lifestyle, interests, education, and employment. The population is now approximately 304,059,724.

•1968|DCCAH

was founded to develop and promote local artists, organizations and activities. For forty years, we have helped build and continue to support the DC arts scene through not only grants and funding, but educational opportunities and programming.

•2000|The census launched an extensive advertising campaign reliant on several slogans, like “This is your future. Don’t leave it blank.” In the same year, DCCAH grantee Words Beats & Life was founded as a hip hop conference at the University of Maryland, College Park.

WBL embraces the future of our youth and has become a vehicle to transform individual lives and communities through hip-hop.

•2010|A new census year— a year for growth and community development. Rather than rehashing the last decade, we can now look forward to what the future has in store for us.

Organizations like DCCAH and Words Beats & Life will participate in the 2010 census for funding in order to educate and support our youth so they may become the leaders of tomorrow.

To read more about Words Beats & Life and their partnership with the census, visit our blog.

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L E E R DC COMMISSION ON THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

District Rhyme Directed by Dave Adams Produced by Emre Izat

Featuring: Words Beats & Life Bomani Armah Gabriel Benn aka Asheru Geoffery Chang aka Toyz aRe Us DJ 2-Tone Jones Mazi Mutafa Cory Stowers

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VIDEO|DAVE ADAMS, A HIP HOP COMMUNITY ARTS GRANT RECIPIENT. DISTRICT RHYME, CURRENTLY IN PRODUCTION, TACKLES THE SUBJECT OF USING HIP-HOP TO INSPIRE AND EDUCATE THE YOUTH OF WASHINGTON, DC.

www.wblinc.org www.thedistrictrhyme.com

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SPOTlight

PROFILE

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w

c.o n i l b w

FUNDING HISTORY FROM DCCAH

GRANTING

HISTORY “Funding from DCCAH is more than essential to our work here at Words Beats & Life.

Innovative and worthwhile initiatives like MuralsDC allow us to offer instructional and inspirational opportunities to our students.

It is so important to give kids the chance to positively change the world around them through the art that they love and a skill they have worked hard to hone and hope to one day perfect. It gives them the sense of community unlike any other. Funding literally translates into everything from the free flow of our ideas in senior staff meetings to the soaring aspirations of students in the Academy.”

-Mazi Mutafa, Executive Director

To read more about how funding from DCCAH and others help support WBL’s efforts in the hip hop arts community, visit our blog

2010: Hip Hop Community Arts Bumrush the Boards 2010: Hip Hop Community Arts Remixing the Art of Social Change 2010: Grants In Aid 2009: Hip Hop Community Arts Bumrush the Boards 2009: Hip Hop Community Arts Remixing the Art of Social Change 2009: Festivals DC Hip Hop’s Underground Economy Mixtape FIlm Festival 2009: Capital Arts Initiative 2008: Hip Hop Community Arts Benning Park Urban Arts Academy 2008: Hip Hop Community Arts Printing WBL Journal/Release Event 2008: UPSTART Ward 7 Outreach 2008: City Arts Projects Hiring 2 new assistant directors 2007: UPSTART Ward 7 Outreach 2007: Hip Hop Community Arts Multimedia hip-hop literacy project 2007: Hip Hop Community Arts opening new Urban Arts Academy 2006: Arts Education Initiative DC Hip Hop Theatre Festivals 2006: Latino Initiatives Cultural Exchange with Brazil

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PHOTO|ROSINA TERI MEMOLO

BUILDING THE

CREATIVE ECONOMY THE ACADEMY | Do you remember when you first got excited about learning? The name of the teacher? The subject? Today the answer for far too many youth is “I never got excited about learning.” The staff of Words Beats & Life understand how the golden age of hip hop introduced them to leaders from the past, education, entrepreneurialism and culture in ways that school never did. Words Beats & Life’s Urban Arts Academy utilizes the culture of hip hop to empower youth and open up unexplored possibilities.

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THE CIPHER | Words Beats & Life’s Cipher aims to build the field by serving as a national resource for hip hop research, practices and advocacy. Collectively, the hip hop non-profit community is often absent from traditional conferences and symposia. As one of the two major programs of Words Beats & Life, the Cipher is a growing resource to an ever-expanding network of hip hop artists, organizations, educators and scholars. This year, the Cipher will also be held in St. Paul, MN; Chicago, IL; San Francisco, CA; and Washington, DC—for its third national gathering, Remixing the Art of Social Change: a Hip-Hop Approach serves as a teach-in for hip hop artists and arts teachers.

THE JOURNAL | Words. Beats. Life: The Global Journal of Hip-Hop Culture is a peer-reviewed, hybrid periodical of art and hip hop studies published by Words Beats & Life. The journal is committed to nurturing and showcasing the creative talents and expertise of the field in a layout that is uniquely hip hop inspired. Words Beats & Life publishes two issues per year to serve as a platform where the work of scholars and artists can work in dialogue with one another. Since 2002, Words. Beats. Life has devoted its pages to both emerging and established intellectuals and artists. As the premier resource for hip hop theory and practice, the work they publish is a resource in the field of hip hop studies and the work of hip hop non-profits, helping each to elevate to the next phase of their respective growth in America and around the globe.

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BUM RUSH THE BOARDS Saturday, April 10, 2010 10 am-6 pm The Historical Society of Washington 801 K St. NW at Mount Vernon Square Washington, DC 20001 For more information, visit Bum Rush the Boards.

UPCOMING WBL EVENTS: Remixing the Art of Social Change: a Hip-Hop Approach Teach-In

June 17th-20th 2010

The Freshest of All Time : B-boy Jam

July 9th 2010

Bootleg Festival: Mixtapes, Film & Hip-Hop’s Underground Economy

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PHOTO|DAVE ADAMS

W

ords Beats & Life (WBL), in partnership with The Historical Society of Washington and the Columbia Heights Youth Club, presents the fifth annual Bum Rush the Boards HipHop Chess Tournament. Bum Rush the Boards was created by WBL in 2005 to promote strategic thought and actions within the hip hop community. The name of the event was inspired by Public Enemy’s album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, released in October 1987.

This year, Bum Rush the Boards will consist of six rounds of 30-minute, team-based tournament play for intermediate and advanced youth ages 5-23. Beginning Youth will participate in 3 rounds of 1 hour individual play. There will also be six 30-minute rounds of individual tournament play for intermediate and advanced adults. These workshops give chess players the opportunity to have hands-on learning experiences based on the core elements of hip-hop culture. Participants will also participate in Engineering a Culture, a series of S.T.E.M.A.-based workshops.

The 2010 tournament brings a specific focus on career exploration with S.T.E.M.A. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Arts).

S.T.E.M.A. is important because together, these areas of study and employment constitute key components of the creative economy—one of the largest employment sectors in the United States.

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Help your community receive millions of dollars for public services by filling out your 2010 Census form.

Three important facts about

Simply answer 10 questions.

All information is protected.

Important for providing needed services.

Check your mailbox!

For more information call 311 or visit the websites listed below.

www.census.dc.gov www.2010census.gov

6 Rounds of Chess Tournament Play Interactive Hip-Hop Workshops Film Screenings & Much More!

Saturday April 10th from 10am-6pm At the Historical Society of Washington 801 K St. NW at Mount Vernon Square Washington, DC 20001 Registration is FREE to all YOUTH ages 5-23 Competing as Teams and Individuals Adult Individual Registrations are $15 to Compete for a Cash Prize

Register today @ www.wblinc.org Registration Ends on Monday April 2nd 2010 at 5PM Made Possible by the Generous Support of the Following:

SPOTlight

CHECK

MATES: Q&A This month’s spotlight features two of Words Beats & Life’s very own — DJ 2-Tone Jones and Melvin, a young artist. These two chess mates square off in our Q & A session about how their particular art forms relate to the game of chess.

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PHOTO|JANET DANDRIDGE

1. What do you consider the most important element of chess to be?

8. In what ways do you see art building your community?

Without a doubt the most important element is critical thinking. The first mistake that most novice players make is believing that whoever possesses the most pieces has the advantage. But it’s not. Chess is about strategy, positioning and deception. These things all stem from a player’s ability to think critically about where they are going to move and why.

In essence, all pieces on a chess board are pawns. The real Kings and Queens are the players themselves. Nothing is left up to chance in this game. The victor is the one who is wiser and more cunning than their opponent.

Art promotes unity amongst many. A perfect example of this is the creation of hip hop, an artform born out of urban communites filled with drugs, violence and poverty that ultimately brought thousands of youth together for one common cause... to express themselves through music. Today, art can continue to do the same whether it’s through community beautification projects such as creating murals or decorating neighborhood trash cans, or providing resources to others in need by hosting block parties where food is given away for free and kids can participate in art-related workshops that usually aren’t made available to them at their schools.

The most important thing I’ve learned is to not be afraid to express oneself. That’s what art is all about; unleashing the creativity and emotions from within so that they may be heard, seen or felt by others. It took me a while to be confident about my craft (as a DJ) because I lacked confidence and believed that others wouldn’t understand or appreciate what I had to offer. But with more opportunities and platforms to display my talent and put myself out there my confidence began to grow. I went from hiding my craft to boasting about it.

3. How are the arts and chess related, in your eyes?

I believe that in both chess and arts it’s important to play your game and do things your way. You can always be taught strategies and artistic techniques by others, but when it comes down to actually executing it’s all about playing that game or creating that art the way in which you feel is best and comes natural to you.

4. What is your motto in chess?

Always think before you move.

5. Where do see yourself in 20 years?

I see myself traveling across the globe rocking parties, and conducting DJ and chess workshops for the youth.

6. Who is your hero, living or deceased?

My heroes are my grandfather and father, Lester B. Wallace, Sr. and Jr. From them I learned the importance of family, education and goodwill towards others. And if nothing else, they made certain that I took pride in being a “WALLACE!” .”

7. What does “community” mean to you?

Community means a lot to me. It’s comprised of numerous individuals who support me and my endeavors, represent me and what I stand for, and teach me different life lessons and values that have been passed down by others before them. It is my duty as a member of a community to do the same for others that come after me or who are in need.

9. What inspires you to spend time giving back to the youth of DC? I’m inspired by all those who took time to teach me something, spend time with me and be a positive figure in my life while growing up. To show appreciation and respect for what they did for me I feel that it is necessary for me to do the same for other youth who are in need of positive figures in their lives.

DJ 2-TONE JONES

2. What is the most important lesson you have learned through the arts?

MELVIN

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1. What do you consider the most important element of chess to be?

A good strategy, meaning you always need to stay a few steps ahead of yourself in chess. It’s kind of like a war. You have to strategize how to move certain divisions into certain areas. You have to have a strategy on how to move certain pieces based on how they move. Basically certain pieces have strategic ways, and to win you have to know them.

2. What is the most important lesson you have learned through the arts?

I have learned how to develop my art. I have learned how to create work that people can appreciate and still continue to work to get better. I draw things all the time and even if its great I ball it up and start over. I think it’s really important to look at how the people in your craft developed their skills before you and to see the struggles they went through to get better. I have learned to always be working to get better.

3. How are the arts and chess related, in your eyes?

In certain ways they are related, but in others they are not. The thing about chess is that you are trying to capture your opponents’ king and defend your own, that’s why it’s so militaristic. Like the writers in your city, or your local artists you’ve got the ones you like and the ones you don’t like. Everyone plays their position like the pieces on the board.

4. What is your motto in chess?

Wait for my opponent’s first move. I play my opponent and respond to his or her strategy.

5. Where do see yourself in 20 years?

I don’t know…..but in the next 5 years I hope to be promoting art. I enjoy art and so I am thinking about a career selling art, or maybe even working at a museum.

I want to go to school to learn more about art. I want to learn about other kinds of art, like photography and mosaic art.

6. Who is your hero, living or deceased?

I don’t really think I have a hero. . . besides my mother.

I am not from this country. I’m from El Salvador. I thank my mom for bringing me here.

7. What does “community” mean to you?

Certain Neighborhoods. Cause some communities are really messed up and some are really safe, so when I think of community, I think of neighborhoods.

PHOTO|DAVE ADAMS

8 . What brought you to WBL and what keeps you going year after year?

I ran into Cory Stowers, Art Director of Words Beats & Life and he offered me the chance to join the program and be in his class. I have stayed involved because WBL has provided a place for writers and young artists to sit down and be creative with their art and open their minds to different kinds of art.

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The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, FotoWeekDC and DC Counts Campaign are partnering to issue all DC artists, at all skill levels, a challenge: to capture the diverse beauty reflected in the faces of Washington residents. Like the census, we seek portraits representing people of all ages, races, and ethnic groups in each quadrant of the city. Fifty-one portraits will be selected and exhibited at Social, a Columbia Heights Restaurant.

Cosponsored by

2010grantees

DCCAH will award 515 grants totaling $7.25 million to fund arts projects across the District of Columbia. DCCAH is proud to continue offering support to the District’s unique art­ists and arts organizations. Congratulations to these indi­viduals and organizations who received funding so far in 2010: ARTIST FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM •Abdul Ali Addurrahman •Amy Saidman •Anupama Yadav •Assane Konte •Brian Wilbur Grundstrom •Frederic Yonnet •Gabriel Feldman •Henry Ofori-Atta •Issachah James Savage •Juan H. Gaddis •Karen L.B. Evans •Karen Zacarias •Kyle Dargan •Laura Zam •Lawrence B. Redmond •Marc Anthony Nelson •Mary Hall Surface •Maurice Michael Saylor •Randall Packer •Ryan Richmond •Sandra Beasley •Sara Ilyse Jacobson •Suzanne Zweizig •Vijay Palaparty

ARTS EDUCATION PROJECTS INDIVIDUALS •Asssane Konte •Joel Bergner •Marc S. Spiegel •Mary Beth Bowen ARTS EDUCATION PROJECTS ORGANIZATIONS •Capital Fringe, Inc. •Capitol Hill Arts Workshop •Capitol Letters Writing Center •CapoeiraDC •Center for Inspired Teaching •CentroNia •City Arts, Inc. •City at Peace, Inc. •CityDance Ensemble •Critical Exposure •DC Scores •Dumbarton Concerts, Inc. •Festivals DC, Ltd. •Folger Shakespeare Library •Grupo de Artistas Latino Americano •John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

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•Joy of Motion Dance Center, Inc. •Latin American Youth Center Youth-

Build Public Charter School •National Building Museum •National Housing Trust Enterprise Preservation Corporation •PEN/Faulkner Foundation •Septima Clark Public Charter School •St. Coletta of Greater Washington, Inc. •Step Afrika! USA, Inc. •The Choral Arts Society •The Ellington Fund •The National Museum of Women in the Arts •The Parkmont School •The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts •The Phillips Collection •The Selma M. Levine School of Music •The Shakespeare Theatre •The Studio Theatre •The Theatre Lab School of Dramatic Arts •The Washington Ballet •The Washington Middle School for Girls •The Washington National Opera •The Washington Theatre Awards Society •Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art •Turning the Page •Washington Bach Consort •Washington Drama Society, Inc. •Washington Performing Arts Society •William E. Doar, Jr. Public Charter School •WVSA School For Arts in Learning •Young Playwrights Theater, Inc. ARTS TEACHER FELLOWSHIPS •Christina Greta Schorn •Dawn Naser •Katie Coogan •Premila Mistry

ARTISTS IN SCHOOLS INDIVIDUALS •Jose Gonzalez •Marta Perez Garcia •Regie Cabico •Thembi Duncan

ARTISTS IN SCHOOLS ORGANIZATIONS •Center City Public Charter SchoolCongress Heights Campus •Dorothy I. Height Community Academy Public Charter School-Amos 1 Campus •Hyde Leadership Public Charter School •KippDC-LEAP Academy •School Within School at Peabody •Scott Montgomery Elementary School • SEED Public Charter School CITY ARTS PROJECTS INDIVIDUALS •Audrey L. Brown •Holly Bass •Holly Tank •Joy Jones •Kim Roberts •Rex Weil •Ruth Stenstrom •Sarah Browning •Sukumar Srinivasan CITY ARTS PROJECTS ORGANIZATIONS •Art Enables •Building Bridges Across the River •Capital City Symphony •CapoeiraDC •CentroNia •Cultural Development Corporation of the District of Columbia •Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Company •Dance Institute of Washington •DC Film Alliance •DC Wheel Productions, Inc. •Ford’s Theatre Society •Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington •James Renwick Alliance •John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts •Mexican Cultural Institute •Moving Forward: Contemporary Asian American Dance Company •Opera Lafayette •Pin Points Theatre •Post-Classical Ensemble, Inc. •Sixth & I Historic Synagogue •Speakeasy DC

•Teaching for Change •The Choral Arts Society •The Shakespeare Theatre •The Textile Museum •The Washington National Opera •Transformer, Inc. •Vera Institute of Justice, Inc. •Washington Bach Consort •Washington Drama Society, Inc. •Washington Improvisational Theater Co. •Washington Parks & People •Washington Project for the Arts •Washington Sculptor’s Group EAST OF THE RIVER

•African Diaspora Ancestral Com-

memoration Institute •Arch Development Corporation •East of the River Boys and Girls Steelband •Life Pieces To Masterpieces, Inc •Northeast Performing Arts Group •Serenity Players, Inc. •Sewing Opportunities Never Ending Young Playwrights Theater, Inc. (S.O.N.E.) •Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Community Museum •The Washington Ballet •Ward 7 Arts Collaborative •Young Playwrights Theater, Inc. ELDERS LEARNING THROUGH THE ARTS PROGRAM •Abraham and Laura Lisner Home for Aged Women •Audrey L. Brown •IONA Senior Services •Sharna Fabiano •The Double Nickels Theatre Company, Inc. •The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts •The Washington Ballet •Washington Improvisational Theater Co. FESTIVALS DC

•Building Bridges Across the River •Capital Fringe, Inc. •Cultural Tourism DC •D.C. Blues Society •Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Company

•DC Film Alliance •El Teatro de Danza

Contemporanca de El Salvador

•Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital

•Festivals DC, Ltd. •FotoWeekDC •French-American

Cultural Foundation

•Grupo de Artistas Latino Americano

•John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

•National Building Museum •National Cherry Blossom Festival Committee, Inc.

•One in Ten, Inc. •VSA Arts •Washington Project for the Arts •Washington, DC International Film Festival

FOLK & TRADITIONAL ARTS MINI-GRANT PROGRAM •Brendan Bell •Carlenia Springer •Interstages, Inc. •Lucy Ann Jickling •Sharna Fabiano

GRANTS IN AID •21st Century Consort •African Continuum Theatre Coalition •Art Enables •Atlas Performing Arts Center •Building Bridges Across the River •Capital City Symphony •Capital Fringe Inc. •Capitol Movement, Inc. •City Arts, Inc. •City at Peace, Inc •CityDance Ensemble •Critical Exposure •Cultural Development Corporation of the District of Columbia •D.C. Blues Society •Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company •Dance Institute of Washington •DC Film Alliance •DC Wheel Productions, Inc. •Edgeworks •Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital •Federal City Performing Arts Association, Inc. •FotoWeekDC •Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop •Friends of Fillmore Arts Center •Hamiltonian Artists, Inc. •International Arts and Artists •International Capoeira Angola Foundation •Joy of Motion Dance Center, Inc. •KanKouran West African Dance Co. •Maru Montero Dance Company •Moving Forward:Contemporary Asian American Dance Company •Musica Aperta •Northeast Performing Arts Group

•One Common Unity, Inc. •Opera Camerata of Washington DC,

Inc. •Opera Lafayette •Pan American Symphony Orchestra •PEN/Faulkner Foundation •Post-Classical Ensemble, Inc. •Smith Farm Center for the Healing Arts •Solas Nua, Inc. •Southwest Renaissance Development Corporation •SpeakeasyDC •Step Afrika! USA, Inc. • Taffety Punk Theatre, Inc. •The Black Women Playwrights’ Group •The Congressional Chorus •The In Series, Inc. •The Inkwell •The National Men’s Chorus •The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts •The Selma M. Levine School of Music •The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts •The Thomas Circle Singers •The Wagner Society of Washington, D.C. •The Washington Chorus •The Washington Theatre Awards Society •The Washington Women’s Chorus •Theater Alliance of Washington •Theatre Downtown, Inc, t/a The Washington Stage Guild •Transformer, Inc. •Vocal Arts Society •Washington Bach Consort •Washington Concert Opera •Washington District of Columbia Jewish Community Center, Inc •Washington Improvisational Theater Co. •Washington Project for the Arts •Washington, DC International Film Festival •Words Beats & Life •Youth Organizations United to Rise

HIP HOP COMMUNITY ARTS

•CityDance Ensemble •Dance Institute of Washington •David Nicholas Adams •DC Wheel Productions, Inc. •Diallo Sumbry •Facilitating Leadership in Youth, Inc. •Festivals DC, Ltd •Jerald Bryant •Latin American Youth Center, Inc. •Magee McIlvaine •Mentors of Minorities in Education •Pediatric Aids/HIV Care, Inc. •The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts •The Studio Theatre •William E. Doar, Jr. Public Charter School •Words Beats & Life •Youth Organizations United to Rise

SMALL PROJECTS PROGRAM •Alexis E. Gillespie •Allison Lince-Bentley •Building Bridges Across the River •Carol Pineau •City Arts, Inc. •CityDance Ensemble •Consumer Action Network •DC Youth Orchestra Program •El Teatro del Danza Contemporanea de El Salavador •Eleanor Walton •In Da Streets, Inc. •Jamelle G. Thomas •Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington •Keisha Dene Mitchell •Khanh H. Le •Lorton Art Program, Inc. •New Horizons •Noah Getz •Ryan Richmond •Shawn Short •Sherri Lyn Sosslau •SpeakeasyDC •The Selma M. Levine School of Music •The Washington Ballet •Washington Bach Consort •Washington Project for the Arts •Women in Film & Video •VERGE Ensemble

•Eric Rubin •Graciela Requel Sedillo Lopez •Guarina Lopez-Davis •Hannah Naomi Kim •Jason Nickens •Jes Therkelsen •Jessica Solomon •John A. Johnson •Justin Young •Lindsay Routt •Maria Emelyn Villa Bryk •Mark Perkins •Mary Christina Coble •Matthew Jordan Hemerlein •Maureen Elizabeth Andary •Nicole Aguirre •Patrick Crowley •Paul Joseph Thornley •Peter Chang •Rachel Beamer •Ryan Patrick McDonnell •Sarah Koss •Sia Tiambi Barnes •Thomas Patrick Goss •Tommy Bobo

STIM10

•American Poetry Museum •Building Bridges Across the River •Capital City Symphony •City Arts, Inc. •CityDance Ensemble •Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh

Company •DC Youth Orchestra Program •Joy of Motion Dance Center, Inc. •Life Pieces To Masterpieces, Inc. •Opera Lafayette •Prisons Foundation •The Choral Arts Society •The Double Nickels Theatre Company, Inc. •The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts •Theater Alliance of Washington •Washington District of Columbia Jewish Community Center, Inc •Washington Men’s Camerata •Woolly Mammoth Theater Company UPSTART PROGRAM

•Environmental Film Festival in the

Nation’s Capital •FotoWeekDC •Jones-Haywood Dance School, Inc. •One in Ten, Inc. •The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts •Youth Organizations United to Rise YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM

•Adam de Boer •Alexander Richard Clarke •Alexandra Silverthorne •Carmen Wong •Christylez Bacon •Danielle M. Evennou •Elizabeth Dawn DeRoche

CULTURAL FACILITIES PROGRAM

•Atlas Performing Arts Center •Dance Institute of Washington •DC Wheel Productions, Inc. •Folger Shakespeare Library •Grupo de Artistas Latino Americano •Hillwood Museum and Gardens

Foundation •Meridian International Center •National Trust for Historic Preservation •The National Museum of Women in the Arts •The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts •The Shakespeare Theatre •The Studio Theatre •The Washington Ballet •Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art •Washington District of Columbia Jewish Community Center, Inc PUBLIC ART BUILDING COMMUNITIES •Bill Warrell •Chinatown Community Cultural Center, Inc •City Arts, Inc. •Golden Triangle Business Improvement District •Kelly Towles •Latin American Youth Center, Inc. •Roderick Turner

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PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONED PROJECTS •Takoma Metro Underpass – Sam Gilliam •NY Avenue BridgeDesign Team – Kent Bloomer •Girard Street Playground Mural – Words Beats and Life – Albus Cavus – Aniekan Udofia •Benning Library Project – Rik Freeman –Life Pieces To Master Pieces •Anacostia Library Project – Kamala Subramanian –Bill Howard •New Beginnings Youth Development Center Mural – Cheryl Foster –Joey Tomassoni •The New Saint Elizabeths Hospital Suspended Installations – Matthew Barinholtz – Walter Kravitz •The New Saint Elizabeths Hospital Murals – Sheila Crider – Roderick Turner – Bill Gibbons

PUBLIC ART BANK RECENT ACQUISITIONS Artists •Aliza Lelah •BJ Adams •Carol Brown Goldberg •Caroline Thorington •Catherine Kleeman •Cynthia Connolly •David Allen Harris •Denise Wright •Elaine Langerman •Ellen Hill •Frank Hallam Day •Frank Smith •Gloria Kirk •Gwen Lewis •James Brown Jr. •Jarvis Grant •Jason Horowitz •Jenny Walton •John Aquilino •John Grunwell •John James Anderson •Joseph Craig English •Judy Byron •Karen Hubacher •Kay Hwang •Lely Constantinople •Lisa Fanning •Lisa Marie Thalhammer •Margaret Boozer •Matt Dunn •Michael B. Platt •Michael Dax Iacovone •Peggy Fleming •Robert Sanabria •Sandra Parra •Sharon Moody

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•Solomon Wondimu •Sondra Arkin •Stanley Squirewell •Steven Jackson •Susana Raab

Artomatic Purchases •Arlie Hammons •Ben Nicholson •Carlito Cabading •Claudia Minicozzi •Jamea Richmond Edwards •Jeremy Arn D. Ramirez •Jessica Van Brakle •John Sawyer •Kerry Cavanagh •Kimberley Bursic •Lori Larusso (Jordan Faye Contemporary) •Lynne Venhart •Marina Reiter •Mark Jude •Matthew R. Carucci •Michael Torra •Pat Goslee •Patricia McDonald Hartnett •Rachel Thern •Rob Chester •Sam Vasfi •Sean Hennessey •Stephen Beardsell •Susan Finsen •Susannah Parnin Artists Represented by Galleries •Colby Caldwell (Hemphill Gallery) •Franz Jantzen (Hemphill Gallery) •Godfrey Frankel (Hemphill Gallery) •James Huckenpahler (Hemphill Gallery) •Jamils Rahimi (ArtEnables) •Kate McGraw (Curator’s Office) •Kevin McDonald (Pyramid Atlantic) •Margie Smeller (ArtEnables) •Michael Farrell (Curator’s Office) •Nancy McIntyre (Jane Haslem Gallery) •Renee Stout (Hemphill Gallery) •Robin Wheeler (ArtEnables) •Workingman Collective (Hemphill Gallery)

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES 2010 STUDENT ART EXHIBITION MARCH 19, 2010 5:30PM

CENSUS 2010: PORTRAITS OF DC MARCH 30, 2010 7PM

DCCAH is seeking DC Public School and DC Public Charter School student artwork to be included in a citywide Student Art Exhibition highlighting artwork from the 2009-2010 school year. Selected works will be honored with a gallery show and reception, with the top ten works to be purchased by DCCAH for the Art Bank collection. Application should be completed and submitted by art teachers on behalf of the student applicant.

DCCAH, in collaboration with FotoWeek DC and DC Counts invite DC photographers of all skill levels to participate in Census 2010: Portraits of DC . Fifty-one works will be selected to celebrate the diverse beauty in the faces of DC residents. Winning photographs will be part of an exhibition at Social, one of Columbia Heights’ newest restaurants and other exhibitions around DC. This competition is open to all DC residents. T

For more information, contact Rachel Dickerson at rachel.dickerson@dc.gov.

PERFORMING ARTIST ROSTER PROGRAM MARCH 24, 2010 7PM The Performing Artist Roster Program (PAR) will increase booking and management opportunities for DC performing artists by Maryland and DC presenters through their inclusion on the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities’ touring artist roster. All DC performing artists are encouraged to apply! The Performing Artist Roster program is not a monetary grant.

For more information, contact Keona Pearson at keona.pearson@dc.gov .

For more information, contact Zoma Wallace at zoma.wallace@dc.gov

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PUBLIC ART OPPORTUNITY APRIL 12, 2010 6:30PM DCCAH is seeking members of the Columbia Heights community to submit proposals for the 17 Streetscape Mosaic Medallions for the Resonance Plaza to be installed in Summer 2010. This competition is open to members of the community in order to capture the unique qualities of Columbia Heights.

For more information, contact Rachel Dickerson at rachel.dickerson@dc.gov

27TH ANNUAL LARRY NEAL WRITERS’ COMPETITION MARCH 30, 2010 6PM

DC PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTERS INITIATIVE APRIL 15, 2010

Do you have the writer’s edge? Since 1981, DCCAH has recognized and celebrated the literary accomplishments of adult writers of DC in poetry, fiction, dramatic writing and essay with the Larry Neal Writers’ Competition. This program also recognizes young writers in three poetry, fiction and essay. Cash awards and prizes are given for artistic excellence in writing for each category.

The DC Performing Arts Presenters Initiative is a program of Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation and DCCAH that supports the presentation of touring artists at venues within DC. The initiative encourages presenters to expand and diversify their programming and audiences. DC-based nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply. Proposed artists must be based outside of DC, but based in the mid-Atlantic region or outside the United States.

For more information, contact Lisa Richards at lisa.richards@dc.gov

For more information, contact Keona Pearson at keona.pearson@dc.gov

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES: • JT3’s Artist Awards for DC screenwriters and directors • WPA’s WPArade on the Capitol Waterfront • National Cherry Blossom Festival Design Challenge •Submit your short film to the DC Shorts Film Festival.

•Cultural Alliance’s free JOB Bank •Adam Lister Gallery’s Summer Group Show •The Sparkplug Artist Collective is seeking new members.

•Join the Fringe with Capital Fringe’s job opportunities

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art 101

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ART

builds communities BY|ASHTON WINGATE

A

n education starts with communication. Words Beats & Life’s afterschool programming is unique in that it

uses a cultural foundation to facilitate the adoption of new ideas, helping students realize things inside and outside of the classroom that they might not otherwise grasp. Together with the DC Counts campaign, Words Beats & Life uses cultural gatherings like a chess tournament to start the dialogue about issues that are relevant to the future successes of DC’s youth.

PHOTO|DAVE ADAMS

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So much of education is based on passing tests and reaching deliverables—Words Beats & Life instead prepares students for the real working world by giving them the tools they need to gain employment. The first hurdle is to get students to understand the vast spectrum of employment that exists both here in the US and overseas. Through the S.T.E.M.A. initiative, Words Beats & Life exposes them to the undercurrent that subjects like Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Art have in the world economy. S.T.E.M.A. fits well with the creative individuals enrolled in the programming of Words Beats & Life. When students are shown what they’re already doing for fun can translate into a viable source of income, it merits an increased effort and achievement in every aspect of their lives. The key to exposing people to the arts is thinking outside of the box—making the connections that at first don’t seem to fit, but are realized through the reach of the arts into both society and social consciousness. With Bum Rush the Boards this year, Words Beats & Life is connecting the dots between the arts and sciences to allow youth to youth to express themselves within the educational structure as well as to activities to which they have never been exposed.

To read more about how hip hop intersects with S.T.E.M.A., meet DJ Scientific on our blog. .

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PHOTOS|DAVE ADAMS

The ways in which Bumrush the Boards will be incorporating new elements such as:

•The Engineering of a Turn Table This year we have taken our normal skills based workshops and infused S.T.E.M.A. to add another dimension which makes them more informative and completely nuanced. So apart from learning the skill of DJing, students will now delve deeper into the science and engineering of how a turntable is made.

•Math in Turn Tables With turn tables, mathematics play a part in the speed and tempo of the music. To blend two records together and make a successful transition from one record to another, DJs have to be conscious of BPM or the amount of Beats Per Minute. DJs must ask themselves which two records have met the mathematical requirements to make a good transition? This goes further into the software that is created to help DJs with the complex mathematics that go into moving the crowd.

Physics of Graffiti and B-Boying Geometry can play a big part in both graffiti and b-boying.

Understanding the physics of the space that your are interacting with is important to perform a well choreographed b-boy set or to create a beautiful mural. The brain is an amazing instrument in that it often naturally processes these innumerable geometric situations in a split second. Where to put the hand or the foot. At what angle to point the spray can.

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art 101

S.T.E.M. Supporting & Empowering Our Youth

I

magine an education that encourages our youth to become drivers instead of passengers. The nationwide S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics) Education Coalition does just this through student exposure to the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics in our nation’s classrooms. On July 28, 2009, Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee announced the six DC Public Schools chosen as S.T.E.M. Catalyst Schools.

Success in today’s competitive workforce increasingly demands DC’s students learn a basic understanding of S.T.E.M. concepts and skills. Words Beats & Life has recognized this necessity and is working to create a harmony between the S.T.E.M. concepts and art. These connections may not be obvious or readily available to DC students, so through Words Beats & Life’s Bum Rush the Boards event, participants will learn the science and engineering of a turntable, how mathematics plays a part in the speed and tempo of music, and the role of geometry in both graffiti art and b-boying..

PHOTO|DAVE ADAMS

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2010 – 2011 DCPS S.T.E.M. CATALYST SCHOOLS: Beers Elementary School Ward 7 Burroughs Education Campus Ward 5 Emery Educational Campus Ward 5 Langdon Education Campus Ward 5 Malcolm X Elementary School Ward 8 Whittier Education Campus Ward 4 Curious about how Words Beats & Life is incorporating the four pillars of S.T.E.M. with the four pillars of Hip Hop? Check out Bum Rush the Boards.

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POST ART SALON

sojourn The DNA of Perseverance

Black and Women’s History Months were fused at March’s Art Salon—Sojourn: The DNA of Perseverance.

This performance-based Art Salon brought poetry, dance and visual and performing arts to The Historical Society of Washington, DC. Poet Laureate Dolores Kendrick started off the evening by sewing the roots of history with her unique voice and spirit. The Saartjie Project, an all-female artist collective, drew upon voices of the past to manifest the realization of today’s black female in spoken word and dance. Similarly, interdisciplinary artist Holly Bass performed her own “Hard Work” poem (at right), then had the results of her African Ancestry revealed. Lastly, visual artist Solomon Wondimu shed new light upon his Skin Color Project, with an artist talk and original works on display in the lobby.

After the performance, guests were treated to an artist-led discussion by Dr. Floyd Coleman, whose Form & Content; Selected Works by Dr. Floyd Coleman interprets the art of Jazz into visual formulas. The exhibit is currently on display at The Historical Society of Washington, DC. A special thank you to Zoma Wallace, whose commitment and dedication made this evening possible . As 2010 unfolds, we look to continue to raise the profile of these DC artists and all of our 2010 grantees who are paving the way for the New 202 in DC. PHOTOS|YUYU KIM & REBECCA LANDWEHR

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HARD WORK

BY HOLLY BASS

I’m a Northern girl with Southern roots and soft hands.

My mother started working when she was eight years old in Eufaula, Alabama.

My father spent his summers and afterschool hours picking cotton in a small town in rural Georgia.

His mother, my grandmother was a field hand, and later a domestic.

She worked very hard. In 1971, she bought herself a brick house with her earnings. And then kept her old house—a wooden, shot-gun one-story— as a rental property.

Not bad for a cleaning lady.

I come from good stock. Hard working people.

I was a lazy child, I will admit. Book smart, but lazy. I spent most of my twenties in nightclubs, dancing til dawn. But as I’ve grown older I think I’ve made my folks proud.

I work hard. I work with my mind.

I work with my mouth. I work with my whole body and soul. My calloused feet bear the marks of many years of flesh against wood.

But these hands are still soft.

To read an additional poem by The Saartije Project, visit our blog.

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SOLOMON WONDIMU Using a digital camera, I have taken pictures of the forearms of hundreds of participants, and then used Adobe Photoshop to cut out a square-inch section from each forearm. The idea was to accurately measure and record the different skin colors of people. Interestingly, I found an average of fifteen different colors within each square-inch sample. This discovery has led me to believe that people are not, in fact, any one color, that skin color is a fiction in this sense.

From each square-inch sample, I made eight color swatches.

These represent the multicoloredness of each participant.

Based on the data, I have collected 3000 different colors from the people who rolled up their sleeves for the cause. These 3000 colors have become my palette: my Skin-Color Bank.

Using this Skin Color Bank, I have begun to create digital works.

The artwork such as The Flag in Black & White, Sojourner Truth and Protest are some examples of these digitally generated works.

I have also converted some of the digitally collected colors into latex wall-paints and used them to create large paintings.

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This mural, commissioned through the DC Creates! Public Art and Girard Street Park. The project takes into account its rich been a gathering place for elders in the com

With the renewal of the park, the area is moving towards being out to play basketball, chess, and other activities. Those same e the park as well as

DC Creates! Public Art , Words Beats & Life and Albus Cavus Udofia; along with the support of the Columbia Heights Yout DC Urban

t Program, was designed to reflect the history and future of the 14th history and present use of the space. The park, for most of its past, has mmunity to play checkers and various card games.

g a multigenerational meeting ground, where people of all ages come elders, however, have not left; and continue to be the primary users of s its strongest advocates.

s have created this mural with the help of artists pose 2 and Aniekan th Club, Mary’s Center, Martha’s Table and Words Beats & Life’s own n Arts Academy.

City Full PHOTOS|CHRIS TUSS

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of Walls City Full Of Walls is a mural creation program that allows the most talented of our roster of youth graffiti artists to use their skills for community beautification. Words Beats & Life does outreach to homes, apartment buildings and business owners to ask for support for this effort.

They are committed to creating alternative community service projects for some of DC’s most talented, but under resourced youth.

Teaching a skill + providing the opportunity to use it = change in a young person’s life.

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The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is pleased to announce the 25th Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards

Presented by The Honorable Adrian

M. Fenty

Mayor, District of Columbia

Hosted by

Dr. Anne Ashmore-Hudson Chair, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Honors of Distinction Félix Angel Inter-American Development Bank, Cultural Center

2010 Mayor’s Award for Visionary Leadership in the Arts Michael O’Sullivan The Washington Post

2010 Mayor’s Special Recognition Award

Finalists EXCELLENCE IN AN ARTISTIC DISCIPLINE · Cathedral Choral Society · Ira Blount · Lawrence Bradford · Pan American Symphony Orchestra · Peter Waddell · Step Afrika! · The Suzanne Farrell Ballet · Theater Alliance Of Washington DC · Transformer · EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE TO THE ARTS · Dance/Metro DC · Kim Roberts · Margery E. Goldberg · Washington Project For The Arts · OUTSTANDING EMERGING ARTIST · Andrew Wodzianski · Brian W. Grundstrom · Sarah Elizabeth Koss · Helanius J. Wilkins · Luciana Stecconi · Michelle Herman · INNOVATION IN THE ARTS · Daniel Phoenix Singh · FotoweekDC · GALA Hispanic Theatre · Miriam’s Kitchen · Taffety Punk Theatre Company · The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts · Velocity Dance Festival · OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO ARTS EDUCATION · CityDance Ensemble, Inc. · Duke Ellington School of the Arts · The Shakespeare Theatre Company · The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts/ Education Dept. · The Washington Ballet · Washington Performing Arts Society · MAYOR’S AWARD FOR ARTS TEACHING · LANGUAGE ARTS · Kathy Echave · Mark A. Williams · PERFORMING ARTS · Gregory E. Lewis · Premila Mistry · Thomas Kingston Pierre, Jr. · Rebecca Stump · Benjamin Whelan-Morin · VISUAL ARTS · Stephanie Basralian · Daniel A. Foley · Eric Michael Ginsburg · Bill Harris · Charles Jean-Pierre · Vinson Irby · Andrea Perll · Lindy Russell-Heymann

Monday | March 22, 2010 | 6:00pm Historical Society of Washington, DC 801 K Street, NW (at Mount Vernon Square) Washington, DC 20001 Valet Parking Available $10 This event is free and open to the public This invitation does not guarantee admission For more information contact Victoria.Murray@dc.gov

THE

IN KNOW

ART(202)TELEVISION

POETRY OUT LOUD: DC

DCCAH, in partnership with DC Office of Cable Television (OCT), launched Art(202)TV, an innovative one-hour television segment showcasing DC’s Art Scene on Friday, February 26 at 9pm. Tune in to channel 16 every Friday at 9pm and Saturdays at 11pm!

HALF PRICE TICKETS

Aleca Piper of Duke Ellington School of the Arts won the DC State Competition of the NEA’s Poetry Out Loud. Look for her at the national competition on April 26-27 at the George Washington University’s Linser Auditorium

TICKETPLACE, your source for halfprice local tickets to the performing arts in DC, now offers advance purchase and day of show ticket sales.

DC’S CAPITOL MOVEMENT

BANK ON DC

March 20, 2010 8pm

March 26, 2010 6pm

KHÁNH H. LÊ: BORN TOO LATE

Now in its fifth season, Capitol Movement is one of DC’s premiere dance organizations.

Named the Resident Dance Company of the historic Lincoln Theatre, the company will dazzle audiences with a diverse repetiore of Jazz, Hip hop, Contemporary, Gospel and Theatrical Dance. Proceeds from this event will fund their youth outreach efforts and scholarship programs.

Bank on your future with Bank on DC! Present an original poem at their Poetry Slam Competition. Works should focus on the importance of financial responsibility for a chance to win cash prizes and perform at the Bank on DC launch event.

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG?

O STREET ARTISTS TALK

Tuesday, April 6, 2010 1pm - 3pm Presented by the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington, our own Commissioner Philippa P.B. Hughes, founder of the Pink Line Project, and our Outreach Coordinator, Rebecca Landwehr will be teaching you how to set your blog apart by creating your own voice and infusing concrete strategies to include web 2.0 social networking features.Register Today!

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For more information, contact Kylee Mitchell at kylee.mitchell@ dc.gov

April 25, 2010 1:30PM The Making of Boxer Girl: Lisa Marie Thalhammer will discuss the creation of the DC Bloomingdale neighborhood’s newest public artwork and poet Danielle Evennou reads excerpts from her new chapbook Queen of Tuesday at their O Street Studio.

For more events, visit our website and Facebook page.

February 26 - April 4 Artist Talk: Sunday, April 4, 3pm Twenty years after fleeing his native Vietnam, Khánh Lê is in pursuit of his own legend. Join him for his first solo show in DC, a project funded by DCCAH, as he embarks on a quest to decode the cultural patterns of the America he now inhabits and confront the mythologies which cling to the land he left behind.

STAY ITK WITH CULTURECAPITAL.COM! CultureCapital.com connects DC to the heart of the arts and culture community of the DC area. This virtual arts marketplace provides information and ticket-purchase options for shows, performances, classes and exhibitions from more than 300 regional arts organizations and cultural institutions, making it the region’s richest and most diverse collection of arts and culture activities.

artisttoolbox

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

This month, Words Beats & Life provided a sampling of new resources they use, found in red.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

RESOURCES

Mayor Adrian Fenty

ARTS EDUCATION

mayor@dc.gov, Tel: (202) 727-6300

•The American Alliance for Theatre & Education •The Kennedy Center ArtsEdge

David A. Catania, Councilmember (At-Large)

•Life Through Arts Foundation •Martha’s Table •Music 2 Life •National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts

dcatania@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-7772

FUNDING

Phil Mendelson, Councilmember (At-Large)

•ArtsReady

Vincent C. Gray, Council Chairman vgray@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-8032

pmendelson@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-8064

Kwame R. Brown, Councilmember (At-Large) kbrown@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-8174

Michael A. Brown, Councilmember (At-Large) mbrown@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-8105

Jim Graham, Councilmember (Ward 1) jgraham@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-8181

Jack Evans, Councilmember (Ward 2) jackevans@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-8058

Mary M. Cheh, Councilmember (Ward 3) mcheh@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-8062

Muriel Bowser, Councilmember (Ward 4)* mbowser@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-8052

Harry Thomas, Jr., Councilmember (Ward 5) hthomas@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-8028

Tommy Wells, Councilmember (Ward 6) twells@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-8072

Yvette M. Alexander, Councilmember (Ward 7) yalexander@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-8068

Marion Barry, Councilmember (Ward 8)* mbarry@dccouncil.us, Tel: (202) 724-804

To make a difference in your neighborhood, contact your local Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) or visit the nearest Recreation Center

•Colin Higgins Foundation •Grantmakers in the Arts •Lily Auchincloss •Mayor’s Office of Partnerships and Grants Development (OPGD) •Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers (WRAG)

MARKETING •Free Culture •National Arts Marketing Project •Technology in the Arts •Wallace Foundation

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)

GENERAL •Americans for the Arts •Cultural Development Corporation •National Council of Nonprofit Associations •National Endowment for the Humanities •National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts •The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities

SPECIAL INTEREST •American Association of Community Theatre •Center for Community Change •International Society for the Performing Arts •National Alliance for Media Art & Culture •National Association of Women Artists •PEN American Center •Poets & Writers

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dccah

ABOUT 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. | Vice Chair 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 | WARD 7 Tendani Mpulubusi | WARD 8 Philippa Hughes | At -Large Ian Williams | At-Large

OFFICE OF THE POET LAUREATE Dolores Kendrick | District of Columbia

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DCCAH STAFF Gloria Nauden | Executive Director Ayris T. Scales | Deputy Director

Moshe Adams | Legislative and Grants Manager Curtia Ashton | Staff Assistant/Human Resources Advisor 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 Lamont A. Harrell | Director of Partnerships and Development Charlese Jennings | Information Specialist Yuyu Kim | Graphic Designer/Animator Rebecca Landwehr | Outreach Coordinator Rod Little | Graphics Consultant Shyree Mezick | Outreach Manager & Art(202) Editor Samuel Miranda | Arts Education Coordinator Victoria Joy Murray | Program Coordinator Carolyn Parker | Office Manager Keona Pearson | Grants Assistant Lisa Richards Toney | Program Manager Zoma Wallace | Art Bank Coordinator, DC Creates! Public Art

INTERNS

Evan Bentz | ART(202) TV Intern Breanna Bickmore | ART(202) TV Intern Armando Lopez Bircann | Digital Media Intern E. Kimbell Hall | Outreach Intern

Selema Jenkins| Programming Intern Elizabeth Pisano | Arts Education Intern Nijeul Porter | Special Events Intern Roland Spence | Programming Intern

Get Connected!

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EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH Zoma Wallace has worked at DCCAH for the past 6 months as our Art Bank Coordinator. She has brought something new and very special to the community of DCCAH. Zoma works tirelessly every day to make the works by local artists purchased for the Art Bank collection accessible in the work place. Among her duties with the Art Bank, she has recently taken on the role of curator of our monthly Art Salon. An artist herself, Zoma’s work seeks to reveal an invisible essence, the “unseen scene” of Go-Go. Zoma possesses a deep commitment and incredible amounts of energy in making the arts accessible to everyone.

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STUDENT OF THE MONTH Jamilla Okubo: A b-girl, writer, DJ and scholar, Jamilla is not afraid to show and learn. This honor roll student has gone above and beyond as a leader in her classes and with her family.

She is proving that she has everything that it takes to take her crafts to the next level.

APPRENTICE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM The 30 students selected for enrollment in Words Beats & Life’s Apprentice Leadership Program have access to enhanced programming. They participate in intensive Positive Youth Development programming to significantly enhance their progress and development in the Academy.

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