VIP Alexandria Magazine | Connect + Grow Issue 2024

Connect & Grow

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Publisher Kellie Gunderman

Editor-In-Chief Liesel Schmidt

Copy Editor Andrew Gates

Creative Director Jonathan Thorpe | @jthorpephoto

Accounts Manager Megan Crescio

Staff Writers Dawn Klavon

Liesel Schmidt

Contributing Writer

Brian Acton

Staff Photographer Lucia Smith

Contributing Photographers Rassi G. Borneo

Maggie Connors

Cover Model Nancy Bhasin | @basicbalance

Editorial Sponsors

Healthy Minds Therapy

McLaughlin Ryder Investments

Spectra Credit Union

United States Senate Federal Credit Union

Unwined

Distribution

Printing Best Impressions

www.VIPALXMAG.com

Editor's Letter

If nothing else, COVID reminded us of the value of connection by starving us of it. Three years with it in our rearview mirror, we may have a dimmed recollection of what those days were like, having to shelter in-place and isolate ourselves from friends and family, but the fact remains that we all need human connection—and, all the more, a connection that comes from real-time, face-to-face interactions.

Wherever we may find them, be they from daily contact or something as quick as an encounter in the grocery store, connections feed us at a soul-level. That translates into how we feel about ourselves, how we present ourselves and how we see the world around us. On the flip side, how we feel about ourselves and the ways in which we grow as people are manifested in how we connect with others. It’s a self-feeding cycle.

This entire issue is dedicated to the correlation between connection and growth. Without connection, we don’t grow. Instead, we falter, we stagnate, we idle. We do not become the better versions of ourselves. We do not put energy out into the world that can improve it.

Within these pages, we’ll introduce you to some of Alexandria’s connectors: a social media influencer who uses her own fashion and self-expression to not only forge a relationship with her followers, but also to grow in herself and a venue where creatives are brought together to connect with an audience and with each other.

With respect to the onset of wedding season, we also give a nod to the ultimate connection of marriage with a love story that may remind you of your own. In our Salute to Service, you’ll read about an organization that does the incredible work of connecting deserving brides with wedding gowns.

However much you connect with others, we urge you to connect with yourself. Only through self-growth can you create deeper relationships with the world around you.

Liesel Schmidt

Liesel Schmdit Editor-In-Chief, VIP Alexandria Magazine

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what's INSIDE

VOLUME 06 | ISSUE 02

EVENT

THE HEART BALL

Learn how Senior Services of Alexandria is fostering seniors' independence. 14 26

SALUTE TO SERVICE

OPERATION: WHITE WEDDING

Learn how non-profit, Brides Across America, is gifting weddings and wedding gowns to our military & first responders.

18 A PERFECT MATCH

From match.com to a holiday-inspired wedding at Gunston Hall, take a glimpse inside of this local love story. LOVE STORY

22

THE CLOTHES MAKE THE... YOU

DC influencer, Nancy Bhasin, chats about the intersection between fashion + personal growth. COVER FEATURE

HEALTHY MINDS

GROWTH THROUGH EMOTIONAL INTIMACY

Welcoming someone into your emotional space can be scary. But why? Learn what it means to rely on another person to protect you and support you, without judgement.

ALX IMPACT

GROWING THROUGH THE PAST: HOW WOMEN CHANGE THE WORLD

Did you know the National Women's History Museum is located right here in Alexandria? Help us to preserve these inspiring stories beyond the scope of Women's History Month!

UNWINED 40

2022 PRAESIDIUM

CERASUOLO

D’ABRUZZO SUPERIORE

Love wine? Learn more in our monthly featured wine feature by our friends at Unwined.

SMALL BIZ SPOTLIGHT

GALACTIC PANTHER

As humans, art is one of our greatest forms of expression. Meet the faces behind one of Alexandria's hottest venues for all things creative!

The Greater Washington Region Heart Ball recently brought together over 400 prominent business leaders, philanthropists and supporters of the American Heart Association to dine, dance and bid in the Nation’s Capital in celebration of life, to fund lifesaving science and advance equitable health for all! During the evening, local survivor Krysta Pearce will be featured as the Open Your Heart Honoree. Krysta, from Alexandria, VA, suffered a cardiac arrest attributed to Broken Heart Syndrome at the age of 30.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARLES KING

SALUTE TO SERVICE | SPONSORED BY UNITED STATES SENATE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

OPERATION: WHITE WEDDING

STORY BY LIESEL SCHMIDT | PHOTOGRAPHY

Why non-profit, Brides Across America (BAA), is on a mission to gift weddings and wedding gowns to our military & first responders.

Every little girl dreams of how she’ll look on her wedding day; whether she’ll wear a poufy, white confection of tulle and satin or something a little more sleek and sophisticated, how her hair will look, how her veil will drape dramatically just so and how her groom’s breath will catch when he sees her walk towards him.

Whatever the vision she has in her head, however, that vision may have to contend with the fact that the fantasy might be impossible to achieve. For many brides-to-be, the dream of a dress is just out of reach because finances make it a challenge. That challenge served as inspiration for Heidi Janson, who founded Brides Across America (BAA) in 2008, creating a solution to unite military and first responder brides with perfectly matched dresses donated by bridal salons whose hearts were moved with the desire to give back.

Beginning with only a small network of salons that donated their time and resources to spearhead the

program in its earliest stages, BAA donated 50 gowns in its first year to military brides. In 2016, the organization enlarged its mission to include first responders who, much like their military counterparts, heroically put their lives on the line.

Now in its 16th year, BAA hosts countless Operation Wedding Gown donation events at participating bridal salons nationwide. During each Operation Wedding Gown event, brides are gifted with free dresses that have been specially donated. To date, more than 29,000 wedding dresses and 24 free weddings have been united with deserving brides who would otherwise never have the chance to bring their dreams to life.

“At our very core, Brides Across America believes that one seed planted can grow many leaves and it is our duty as Americans to support each other and pay tribute to our troops,” says Janson. “We believe in changing lives and in transformation, and if we can change one life and make a difference, we have done what we set out to do.”

We want to unite our country and spread more love around the world, one dress and one wedding at a time.

HEIDI JANSON, FOUNDER BAA

The organization has an ongoing mission that is both inspiring and aspirational, as it has implemented initiatives that create person- and couple-specific giving opportunities, including fully gifted weddings, provisions of financial support for specific couples and the ability to honor loved ones through directed giving. “Our mission is so important because Brides Across America not only recognizes the sacrifices made by individuals in service, but also helps create memorable and meaningful moments in their lives by providing the opportunity for dreams to come true through the gift of weddings and wedding gowns,” says Terry Brumley, Director of Client Relations at BAA. “By combining our appreciation for heroes with the joy of creating dream weddings, our organization brings positivity to the lives of those who have served our country and our communities.”

Adds Janson, “We want to unite our country and spread more love around the world, one dress and one wedding at a time. It’s amazing to see how the work that we’re doing is accomplishing that. These are people who deserve to be honored for the sacrifices they’ve made in service to our country, and this should be the day they’ve always dreamed of. We have the opportunity to repay them in this. Whether it’s for love of country or love at the altar, our military and first responders deserve our very best.”

That’s a vow worth taking, and one that can make millions of dreams come true.

To qualify for a gown through BAA, brides must be military brides, first responders or the fiancé of a military member or first responder. Pre-registration on the website is required and brides must visit one of the participating salons with proof of deployment to select a wedding gown. Events are held throughout the year. To learn more about BAA and Operation Wedding Gown events, visit www.bridesacrossamerica.com.

STORY BY LIESEL SCHMIDT PHOTOGRAPHY MAGGIE CONNORS

From match.com to a holiday-inspired wedding at Gunston Hall, take a glimpse inside of this local love story.

For busy young professionals, online dating has become the way to meet someone, and so it was that Nadine Umuhire and Anthony Santelli found one another on Match.com in April of 2022. Three days later, they met in person at a local café and found that their connection online was even stronger in person. “It was easy to talk to each other and we found out that we both love history and share strong family values, common religious beliefs and sense of faith,” says Nadine.

Just over a year after their first date, Tony took Nadine to pick out a diamond ring. “We did not have a formal proposal, but we’d decided early on that if we loved each other, we would get engaged within a year,” Nadine explains.

Seven months later, on December 16, 2023, Nadine wore a simple, yet elegant lace and tulle A-line gown as she walked down the aisle at Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia to meet Tony at the altar. After being pronounced married, the couple met their guests for a reception in the Ann Mason Room at George Mason's Gunston Hall Mansion.

“Before we were married, we were visiting Gunston Hall for Tony's birthday and we loved the place,” says Nadine of what made them choose the venue. “We loved its kidfriendliness and that the wedding packages included tours of the historic mansion for our guests—especially since Tony and many of our friends attended George Mason University for grad school, which made for a great personal connection, as well."

“Getting ready for the reception, the private bridal changing quarters were another plus,” Nadine continues. “We also loved the idea of having a dedicated staff member throughout the planning process.”

The couple also saw the possibilities when it came to unforgettable photography. “We decided to take our wedding pictures there, both on the grounds and in the historical mansion,” Nadine notes. “We thought the openair Riverside Garden and a small portion of the Potomac River would look great in our pictures, as well.”

“The staff at Gunston were fantastic at guiding us throughout the wedding process till the end of the reception.”

- Nadine (Umuhire) Santelli

Being that the wedding was Christmas themed, the tables were adorned with Christmas lanterns and other Christmas centerpieces, with Christmas wreaths decorating the walls as well as a beautiful Christmas tree standing proudly in the room. Making the day seem even more festive, the guest list included nine children under the age of 12. “People were surprised, but happy to see them there,” says Nadine.

During the cocktail hour, guests were able to take a guided tour of the mansion. “For most of our guests, that was the first time they’d visited Gunston,” Nadine says, going on to share that her family from Rwanda was in attendance, a fact which made the occasion even more special. “We played some African music and everyone enjoyed the music and unique dances.”

Having dined on a beautifully catered meal, the couple cut into their cake, a two-tier confection from Alexandria Pastry Shop & Catering. Comprising one tier of white chocolate mousse and one tier of red velvet, the Christmas theme carried through in the cake, which was adorned in Christmas decorations.

After being sent off to start their honeymoon, the newlyweds spent a few days at the Bavarian Inn, Resort and Brewing Company in West Virginia. Now home in Alexandria, they look forward to the rest of their story.

Local influencer, Nancy Bhasin, chats about the intersection between fashion + personal growth.

STORY BY LIESEL SCHMIDT

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RASSI G. BORNEO

Since its beginning, fashion has always been a powerful tool. More than just serving a function, throughout history, fashion has been influenced by wealth, as those in high society were afforded more luxurious materials, better tailoring and more ornate styles. Essentially, fashion spoke volumes about class.

It has also been inextricably linked to culture. Different cultures have given to various forms of dress, some more elaborate, some simpler, some following the same strictures of religion that have been in place for centuries.

In whatever ways it has been influenced, fashion has become a powerful tool for self-expression. Beyond keeping up with trends, it can also impact self-confidence, appearance and how people perceive the wearer: Do you take time with your appearance? Do you care what people see when they look at you? Are you dressing for where you are in life or for where you want to be?

There’s a reason the entertainment industry has spent time and money on makeover shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and What Not to Wear—and yes, it’s a throwback, but the cultfollowing still speaks volumes. Both shows—and every television series of the same ilk—have a running theme: What you wear matters.

“my style represents who I am through every stage of life.”

In this age of Instagram and TikTok, we have influencers for everything from food to gadgets, and fashion is at the top of the pile when it comes to the ways social media has driven trends. While that has certainly written itself into the narrative of fashion, the fact remains that we find our own groove through the clothes we wear.

For Nancy Bhasin, finding her niche in fashion has translated into a wide following as an influencer over the past five years— and, consequently, she found an incredible outlet for creativity through her wardrobe.

“Prior to a huge career change in the summer of 2022, I’d been working as a victim advocate for 12 years and primarily worked with victims of sexual assault and violent crimes,” says Bhasin, who relocated to Virginia from Miami in 2015. “As you can imagine, the work was intense and was taking a toll on me. I decided I needed a creative outlet, a break from my full-time work as an advocate, and that is when I started BasicBalance in 2019. I began sharing my love for fashion and for this city as well as posting about local shops and restaurants in my space. Eventually, I grew a following that led me to work with brands I admire.”

Naturally, being an influencer means constantly being on social media, in the public eye and subject to all manner of scrutiny. Still, Bhasin saw the incredible opportunities. “I thought long and hard about this before starting my platform,” she says. “I am typically very private about a lot of things in my life. However, since this was ‘my thing’ and I initially created this space as an outlet for myself, I was in full control of what I shared and how often I shared it. When I started picking up brand partnerships and realized that what I am sharing actually is impactful and I have an engaged audience, I knew I wanted to focus more on what everyone enjoyed: fashion, local recommendations, bits and pieces of my personal life and how I navigate through certain hardships in life. All of it is content that a lot of people find relatable. Knowing that what I share through my platform is something that can inspire someone in some way, shape or form makes it easier for me to publicly share bits and pieces of my personal life. It really makes it worth it, knowing at least one person might gain inspiration from it. I have completely let go of the idea that people may judge me for what I share or what I do [or] don’t and I have peacefully come to terms with that.”

“I

love the selfconfidence that clothing provides.”

Being that this all started with her love of fashion, Bhasin is certainly someone who understands how clothes serve as a conduit for self-expression. “Choosing and styling outfits is a creative process that allows people to showcase their unique personality,” she says. “You want to feel good in what you wear and everyone’s style is unique to them. I would describe my style as chic, timeless and elegant. This is also an overall representation of my personality and I love that style and what you choose to wear can speak for you without you having to say a word. Clothing can also reflect mood, emotions and attitude on any given day. I tend to wear black a lot, but I am not by any means a ‘dark person.’

I just get drawn to black because I can always add a pop of color, which I am a huge fan of!”

Then, of course, is the self-confidence a great outfit instills in the wearer. Knowing that others view you as someone with a sense of style or as put-together is a powerful thing—as is feeling in command of the outside persona you are embodying.

“I truly believe that fashion serves as a canvas where we express our personality, values and aspirations—and claim a sense of confidence,” says Bhasin. “Our chosen style and attire become a mirror reflecting our identity to the world, subtly conveying messages about who we are and what we stand for. Whether it’s a bold statement piece or a timeless ensemble, fashion equips us with tools to communicate our individuality. Choosing an outfit is probably one of my more important tasks of the day because that outfit will set the tone for my day. I could be having a bad hair day or my nails just aren’t done, but if I throw on an outfit that makes me feel good, I don’t need anything else!”

“Fashion has always been a light in my life and almost a savior through my hardships,” Bhasin goes on. “From devastating break-ups and feeling homesick for my family to career challenges and changes, I’ve always been able to rely on fashion to lift my spirits.”

Follow Nancy on Instagram at @basicbalance.

GROWTH

BROUGHT TO YOU BY HEALTH MINDS THERAPY

STORY BY LIESEL SCHMIDT

Most of us think of intimacy as the kind of thing that happens behind closed doors, some physical act that lays us bare and exposes everything we have to someone else.

Take that to the emotional space and you have the baring of your soul to someone else and trusting them with your innermost self.

To be honest, it can be incredibly scary.

But why?

If we examine emotional intimacy and what it is, it can be equated to a psychological sort of nakedness, and you, as the barer of that nakedness, are relying on another person to protect you and support you, without judgement. In return, you are showing that you feel comfortable and cared for enough to trust your thoughts, feelings and emotions with someone else. You are being vulnerable.

So what’s the payoff?

For you, it’s knowing that you are being completely open, that someone else accepts you and loves your whole self, knowing everything about who you are and what makes you tick. For others, it’s the reward of knowing someone in all that they are, through every layer of their being.

If it sounds tricky, it’s because it can be.

Vulnerability is hard for both sides.

But it’s also important for deeper relationships, be they deep, ride-or-die friendships or those between spouses or life partners.

You need to know that this person, whomever it is, is someone you can be yourself with.

Achieving emotional intimacy comes from spending time together and learning one another, becoming comfortable with each other and feeling at peace in the other person’s presence.

The first thing needed to create emotional intimacy in your most important relationships is to reflect on when you feel most connected. Maybe that’s the before-we-turn-off-the-lights moments right before you go to bed, maybe it’s while you make dinner, maybe it’s during your weekly brunch. Whenever those moments of feeling connected are, focus on creating as many of those opportunities as you can within the week. Spending more and more time together is key in deepening your emotional intimacy—but that time needs to be about quality, not quantity.

In other words, sitting at the table glued to your phone doesn’t count, merely because you’re technically “together.”

Quality time is all about actual togetherness. It comes down to expressing your love and affection with undivided attention. Put down the phone, turn off the TV, shut off your devices and focus on them. Even if you don’t consider quality time to be your own love language, time together builds emotional intimacy—for both of you. It usually takes spending quite a bit of time together to establish a shared sense of connection.

Partners and even friends enter relationships with their own history—and that history may be fraught with insecurities and a greater need for closeness. People rarely have the same level of need for connection at the same time, which means that people experience cycles. In the beginning of any relationship, couples usually share a similar desire for closeness—hence, the honeymoon phase of falling in love, which happens when each is excited about seeing the other, and both are paying a great deal of attention to what the other thinks or feels. As the relationship progresses, that need for connection waxes and wanes for each—but the emotional intimacy can still stay strong if both work at maintaining it.

By encouraging emotional intimacy in others, you will find space to be vulnerable, as well. It’s a give and take—and one that will see you in happier, more fulfilling relationships.

ALX IMPACT | SPONSORED BY MCLAUGHLIN RYDER INVESTMENTS

GROWING FROM THE PAST

how women change the world

STORY BY LIESEL SCHMIDT

Patsy Mink. Ida B. Wells. Jovita Idar. Anna May Wong. Wilma Mankiller.

While most of us may not know them, theirs are among the names who changed history, who left their fingerprints on the world in a way that indelibly changed the way we think, the way we live, the way we do things…

Who we are.

Throughout history, women have stood shoulder-toshoulder with men—sometimes, like Revolutionary War hero Deborah Sampson, disguised as one; sometimes under the threat of death; sometimes with no reward nor credit.

But still they stood fast and fought—for themselves, for their families, for the women who would come after and for the greater good of society. And that fight has been long, as women have had to struggle for every step, from the right to vote and own property to the right for equal pay and to hold sole power over her own body.

How is it then, that these amazing women have been reduced to footnotes and afterthoughts written in margins?

For the founders of the National Women’s History Museum (NWHM), the oversight in celebrating women’s contributions to the world was one that needed to be corrected. Created in 1996 as a digital platform, the

museum was the passion project for Karen Staser, who came to Washington, DC and noticed that, in a city filled with memorialized people and events, there was a glaring lack of any statues or monuments dedicated to women.

Not that there weren’t any in existence.

In fact, there were artifacts, even monuments, highlighting the amazing women who had made their mark in society. They were just out of sight, hidden away and collecting dust.

One such memorial, the Portrait Monument, first arrived at the Capitol on February 10, 1921 and was unveiled in a ceremony by the National Woman’s Party. Dedicated to suffragists Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, the statue stood for only a single day before it was taken down and relocated to the Crypt, where it remained for three-quarters of a century.

It was Staser’s mission—and that of the team who stood with her—to lobby Congress for the rightful inclusion of women’s contributions and accomplishments in our nation’s capital through the building of a dedicated women’s history museum on the National Mall. That fight continues to this day, as it has taken decades to win inches in the battle for miles. In 2020, this mission advanced significantly with the signing of legislation that will create a Smithsonian Museum dedicated to women’s history in Washington, DC.

Almost 30 years after the NWHM was founded, it remains the leading cultural institution for women’s history. In a time when much of our lives are lived on devices, the predominantly virtual space is available and accessible to anyone, anywhere. It is, in NWHM president and CEO Frédérique Irwin’s words, “borderless. More and more people interact online, so being a virtual museum has given us a greater reach.”

Among the most popular exhibits is We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, a physical and online exhibition highlighting 20 Black women in DC and the incredible impact of their lives and accomplishments. The award-winning exhibit is on view in the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library in DC.

“In 2017, there was a study measuring how much of the national curriculum is dedicated to women and their contributions,” says Irwin. “That number was only 15 percent. The impact of not acknowledging women trickles into politics, healthcare, STEM, research—so many aspects of industry and progress. Women do incredible things, but are continually left out of the story. We begin to believe the lie that women can’t do these things or have never done them, and that is dangerous.”

Indeed, overlooking these achievements and contributions is perilous to society as a whole. How can we ever hope to grow if we deny our past and don’t allow ourselves to understand it?

As Staser says in her letter to the viewing public on the NWHM’s website, “Women will play an ever more important role in solving the problems of sexism, racism, poverty, violence and environmental degradation. But to get there, we need a history that incorporates the story of both men and women. If we and future generations are to learn all the lessons of the past upon which to build the future, we must be aware of the true experiences and contributions of women. Clearly, men cannot get there alone. Together, all things are possible.”

While women’s history may have been given acknowledgement each year in the month of March, it should never be relegated to days on a calendar. We are more. We deserve more.

For more information, visit womenshistory.org.

unwined

2022 PRAESIDIUM CERASUOLO

D’ABRUZZO SUPERIORE

Wine professionals have certain things we need to say. It’s almost compulsive. Order Crémant de Limoux at your local wine-centric restaurant and you will almost certainly be regaled with the tale of how Limoux was most likely the birthplace of sparkling wine, not Champagne. Dare to order a Pouilly-Fuissé and you may nearly be scoffed at, “You know this is Chardonnay, not Sauvignon Blanc from Pouilly-Fumé, right?” Another gratuitous display of learning that we love to trot out for the unsuspecting customer or diner is the reminder that Montepulciano is a grape variety, while Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a Sangiovese-based wine, whose grapes were grown in vineyards surrounding the town of the same name in Tuscany. You see, we are like superheroes, preventing vinous disasters one guest at a time—if only in our minds.

Well, if you are ever met with that last factoid, the wine I’d like to recommend to you will allow you to engage your oenophile do-gooder on a deeper level, namely the 2022 Praesidium Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Superiore. Fortunately for us, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo isn’t merely a wine for trivia night either—it’s downright delicious and just the thing we should drink more of this time of year. Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is an appellation for darkly colored

rosé wines made from Montepulciano in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Cerasuolo means “cherry colored,” and is used here to differentiate it from the red wines made from Montepulciano in the region, though the difference between the two wines may be smaller than you’d expect (the Cerasuolos made by some producers would be considered red wines by most consumers). This convention doesn’t translate to other regions, however; Cerasuolo di Vittoria, for example, is an appellation for red wines from Sicily.

STORY BY BRIAN ACTON

Montepulciano most likely originated in the Peligna Valley in Abruzzo. While it is planted all over central Italy these days (it is, in fact, Italy’s fourth most planted grape variety), and with all due respect to Rosso Conero in the Marche, Montepulciano is probably at its best in its home region—and even here, only in its cooler high elevation sites. Montepulciano is a high-yielding variety that accumulates sugar with ease during the growing season, which is probably why it is so widely planted, but it also suffers from asynchronous maturation—meaning its clusters ripen unevenly. When not planted in sites that allow for a long cool growing season, the resulting wines are at best inoffensive and at worst oaky and overbearing. Cerasuolos, on the other hand, are almost always exciting and Praesidium’s is one of the most exciting I’ve tasted in recent memory.

Praesidium is based in the village of Prezza in the Peligna Valley. Their seven hectares are tended organically by Enzo and Lucia Pasquale, with their children, and are situated at high elevation in poor soils—just the sort of thing Montepulciano needs to do its magic. The name is derived from the fortress that “presided” over the area, which was the home of Peligni tribe before Roman rule.

Praesidium's Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Superiore comes from four different sites, two of which were planted in 1965 and 1973. The grapes are harvested at red wine levels of ripeness and the juice is left to macerate on the skins for four days before pressing. The wine matures in stainless steel vats before bottling. The resulting wine is wildly

juicy, bursting with wild strawberry and raspberry notes, but also packs complex notes of wet stones, citrus, and spice. It is just the thing for an in-between season like Spring when you might not need the depth and weight of a full-bodied red and might be breaking out the grill for the first time.

To learn more about wine and explore the shelves at UnWined, visit Brian at 3690 King St. or 1600 Belleview Blvd. in Alexandria.

SPONORED BY SPECTRA CREDIT UNION

STORY BY LIESEL SCHMIDT PHOTOGRAPHY MAGGIE CONNORS

As humans, art is one of our greatest forms of expression. It was that concept that inspired West Virginian Eli Pollard to bring together all forms of art in one gallery and performance space in 2020, creating Galactic Panther in a renovated century-old building in Morgantown, West Virginia.

A year later, on August 6, 2021, the doors of an Alexandria-based location opened. “My longtime friend, art connoisseur Erik Muendel, had been collecting my art for years and had recently purchased ESP Tea & Coffee in Old Town, which he filled with the artwork,” says Pollard. “Having visited Galactic Panther in Morgantown, Erik saw an

to collaborate and expand Galactic Panther to Old Town. We are unique to the area in that Galactic Panther is dedicated to representing incredible, underrepresented contemporary artists alongside more established artists, while engaging with the community through dynamic, diverse cultural events.”

With a full calendar of open mic, poetry, comedy, musical performances and art exhibitions, community engagement and connection are not just buzzwords here. “Not only do we make connections with many people in the area who come in with an interest in international artwork, but we also work with many artists in the DMV area, including Alexandria, who bring in friends and family from the area to their exhibits,” says Pollard. “We also host a lot of musicians and comedians from the area to further develop the sense of community. Our most community-oriented events are our open mics. We offer a safe space where a diverse group of talent gather to read poetry, play music, share jokes and connect in a meaningful way.”

In support of small businesses like Galactic Panther, Spectra Credit Union encourages community growth through their small business loans, helping launch dreams.

Located at 1303 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For more information, visit galacticpanther.com.