Last chance to see LUMEN8 Anacostia, closing party this Saturday June 16th

It’s the last week of LUMEN8 Anacostia, below is a quote from an interview about Developing Anacostia through the Arts:

When people talk about Anacostia now and in the future, they almost always frame it in terms of another neighborhood. I always say Anacostia does not have to be the next U Street; it just has to be the next Anacostia. What I see for Anacostia is more of a flourishing community. It will have more diversity than what you see in most neighborhoods.
I will bet my bottom dollar that there is going to be a day when people say ‘Damn, I should have moved to that neighborhood. I should have bought that house.’
Nikki Peele

To read the full article here.

National Building Museum CityVision

I volunteered with the National Building Museum’s CityVision helping with the current projects based around Anacostia. The groups were working on redeveloping three different sites in Anacostia located at Poplar Point, the Metro station, and the parking lot at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Ave and Howard Road.  It was a fantastic opportunity to volunteer in this project, helping the kids with their designs.  Before I left I gave a presentation to the group of kids I worked with, talking about my view of Anacostia, and about my work as an artist.

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Card Game Photos

[Click on image to see all photos]

On Wednesday 25th April at 1-3pm & 6-8pm I held a card game at The Hive. This event gave anyone who I had met in Anacostia a chance to say goodbye, have a last talk about my work and receive a badge or card to keep.  On the cards were icons I had made from photographs I had taken of themed trucks and stands from around Washington DC.

Student reporter for The Washington Post Mylon Medley, attended my card playing event and interviewed me about the residency, my art work and my views on Anacostia.  It was a really fun event!

Come play cards at The Hive. Wed 25th April

Come play cards at The Hive  (2027 Martin Luther King Jr Ave, SE)
Wednesday 25th of April 1-3pm or 6-8pm

Play a card game, exchange stories and receive a piece of art!

The Hive
2027 Martin Luther King Jr Ave, SE
Washington DC, 20020

FREE Event and all are welcome!

Photos of work for LUMEN8 Anacostia

Click this photo for more images

Old Anacostia Heritage Trail

I took part in the Old Anacostia Heritage Trail Outline meeting on 12th April at the Historic Anacostia Block Association’s regular monthly meeting. I met members of the group and assisted them in deciding the name and image for the Cultural Tourism DC’s Historic Anacostia trail.  We also heard from National Building Museum’s Scott Kratz about plans for the 11th Street Bridge.

Lumen8 Anacostia

LUMEN8Anacostia will inaugurate a series of creative spaces in the commercial corridor of Historic Anacostia from noon to midnight Saturday April 14.  The festival will include performances by visual artists, dancers and actors throughout the day and into the night.  While April 14 is the inaugural opening of many of the Arts and Culture Temporiums, many storefronts will continue to operate through May and June.

• I have window drawings at The Hive on 2027 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave
• I will be interacting with the public and giving out badges outside Honfleur Gallery on 1241 Good Hope Road from 2-4pm
• I have a wall drawing at Anacostia Design Center on 1231 Good Hope RD SE
• Drawing on the shutters of Ex Police Evidence Warehouse on 2235 Shannon Pl, SE.
• Other drawings over the next two months will appear around Anacostia, as projections, stickers and vinyls
• Wed 25th April 1-3pm & 6-8pm I will hold a card game at The Hive on 2027 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.  COME PLAY CARDS, share stories and receive a piece of art!

Photos from Streetplay Anacostia

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Moss Graffiti at The ARC

I assisted Habitat for Artists Artist, Matthew Slaats with a moss graffiti project at The ARC in Congress Heights.
http://www.the5x5project.com/bios/amy-lipton/habitat-for-artists/

Slaats was collecting words generating through his interactions with the local community.  These words were then moss graffitied on to the trees beside The ARC.  The two words that stood out for us about the District of Columbia were Bridge and River. [Click image for more photos]

I had previously ran a workshop in 2008 for ‘The Garden Project’ at Catalyst Arts Gallery, Belfast, N.Ireland.

Streetplay Anacostia- Thurs April 5th, 7-9pm, Old Evidence Warehouse, Anacostia

Engaging the complexity and richness of the streets of Anacostia, artists Johanna Leech and Matthew Slaats will present Streetplay Anacostia on Thursday April 5th from 7 – 9pm at the Old Evidence Warehouse in Anacostia – 2235 Shannon Pl, SE.  For the project they will be creating a participatory game using the facade of the Warehouse and projected historical images of the neighborhood to consider the past and present of the city.  The audience will be invited to play the game and keep their score with the winner being conferred the title of “Anacostia Champion”.  Interaction with participants will create discussions, lead to story telling, and even the possibility of playing other street games. The night will culminate with a chalk drawing of an image being drawing out on the surface of the building.

http://www.rollingonmybleedingheart.wordpress.com

http://freespaceproject.org

Image care of Smithsonian Institution Archives