Second Installment of the Columbia Heights Salon Series Sat.

Photo by PoPville flickr user caroline.angelo

This sounds awesome:

“Who: CHARTS (Columbia Heights Arts Foundation) is a budding organization serves to unite the different communities that live in Columbia Heights through the medium of art — by extending outreach to all corners of the neighborhood for constructing dialogue on the arts, cultivating talent through community-based art projects, and allowing outlets of expression that are universal in their audience.

What: Join hundreds of your friends and neighbors for an evening of fine arts presented by local artists, musicians, poets, and actors — it’s the inaugural event for the Columbia Heights Salon Series, powered by the new Columbia Heights Arts Foundation (CHARTS).

Back in the Victorian era, salons were the gathering places for people of high society to mix, mingle, and mull over topics of discussion like politics, as well as come together for the arts. CHARTS is bringing that concept to Columbia Heights once a season, beginning this January, by having four “salons” to visit (allowing roughly 30 minutes per house), where people can peruse the neighborhood and experience different thematic elements of art in a relaxed social setting — and allow them the opportunity to meet their very creative neighbors.

When: Saturday, May 22nd 6:00-10:00 pm

Powered by CHARTS (the Columbia Heights Arts Foundation), here are the four Salons, all within the same one-block radius. Feel free to join each one at your leisure:

Descriptions and locations after the jump.

♥ “Performing Arts Place” (1316 Kenyon Street NW) — highlighting select scenes by our friends at Third Beat improv; routines by comedians Mike Blejer, Reggie Melbrough, and Mike Curran; a vocal performance by the a capella group SongRise; an acoustic set by singer/songwriter Spencer Thanhouser; and many, many more performance artists to be confirmed.
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♥ “Casa de Canvas” (3209 13th Street NW) — featuring work by artist Jennifer Droblyen; portaiture by painter Jennryn Wetzler; mixed-media pieces by artist Claire Briggs; charcoal sketches by artist Xi Chen; plus a special exhibition of oil paintings on loan from the private Kormendi Collection, curated exclusively for the Columbia Heights Salon Series by CHARTS founder Josef Palermo.
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♥ “Digital Media Den” (3016 13th Street NW) — showcasing work by local photographers Ben Droz, Deena Delfosse, and Shara Riesz; short films by visual artist Casey Girard; and much more.
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♥ “Installation Station” (3209 13th Street NW, basement) — occupied by mixed-media sculpture from artist Serinity Knight and constructed pieces by installation artist Evan Howell.

Additionally, with springtime “in bloom”, we’re collaborating with our friends at BloomBars (3222 11th Street NW) to host the “Creative Collaborations Courtyard” featuring artistic collaborations by local artists, including:
– an interactive installation by conceptual artist J9 and photographer Omar Qazi;
– a dramatic live performance featuring the writing of poet Taylor Ahlstrom as interpreted by a series of actors from the Third Beat improv conservatory project;
– a musical set by tap dancer Melissa Frakman providing percussion to guitarist/composer & BloomBars artist-in-residence Gary Prince; and
a special closing show featuring local folk-rock phenom Phillips Saylor.

Metro: Columbia Heights, walk up 14th St to Park, right on Park, left on Holmead”