Remember the Pottery Sale I mentioned? It was pretty sweet. And the house where it was held was unbelievably dope sky. There were a number of potters featured as well as a few paintings. If you missed this one you have to check out the next one for sure. Lots of photos of the pottery and super cool house after the jump. (more…)
You have to admit this is pretty funny.
It’s official – 11th Street is the coolest street in the city. Forget about Columbia Heights Coffee, Wonderland, Red Rocks and the soon to be Meridian Pint – First Bloom of Bloom – the new “spontaneous, underground, music, art and inspiration in the heart of Columbia Heights” is ridiculously awesome! I was sitting with a friend at Red Rocks drinking a couple of beers and relaxing after the Parade and a guy named Jon Chambers comes over to us to talk about his new spot. (And when I came home I had quite a few emails from folks also telling me about this new space.) Well, it is exactly like it sounds – art and music and lots of good vibes. I should say that this awesome spot is located at 3222 11th St, NW right between Wonderland and El Rinconcito. It is in one of those buildings that we’ve been wondering what will become of it. And I don’t think it would be possible for anything cooler than this to arrive.
I was given a tour during the day and got to see much of the cool art located on two levels. I then returned around 11:30 that evening to listen to some phenomenal music. The event was free although you could give a $5 donation but it wasn’t mandatory. I was a little hesitant when I heard a lot of talk about love and peace. The New Yorker in me came out and I thought I may have entered some sort of cult headquarters. But I couldn’t have been further off base. These folks are simply socially conscious people who are trying to bring the community together. The hope seems to be that all sorts of folks, white, black, latino, young, old, etc, will use this space as a community center. Pictured above is Jason Jasper who had an incredible voice and sang acapella. You can also see to the right of the photo that there was an artist painting a piece throughout the evening inspired by the music being played. Sat. night was the last night of a three night stand but I’ll be sure to post info for upcoming shows/events as they become available. I realized it was a super cool evening when famed WJLA anchor, Maureen Bunyan, arrived (see photo below). It seems like this space is really going to evolve into something great. Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)
From a reader:
IN
Dirty Hands Potters
present
2008 Pottery Show and Sale
3928 Illinois Avenue NW
(a private home, near the intersection of 4th and Shepherd streets NW)
Saturday and Sunday
28 and 29 June
11 am to 4 pm
including functional pots, plates, bowls and other handmade stoneware works by
* Mark Brown
* Sara Goldhawk
* Lynn Murphy
* Lisa Swanson
and work on canvas by
* Tom Drymon
Refreshments available while browsing
for any further information please call Lisa at 202 368 7427″
This house was wild. It had clever numbers on the garage, garbage can, and the front of the house. The funny thing was that I walked around for about a half hour before I reached the front of the house and thought wow those are cool numbers and then realized that it was the same house I had seen in the alley. Ok, now writing that I realize that is a pretty boring story but trust me it kind a bugged me out a bit. I really have to stay away from glue… More photos of the different house numbers after the jump. (more…)
Sorry for the grainy photo but this was one of the most unusual tattoos I’ve ever come across. It is of telephone poles. Absolutely wild. The owner is Jenny Miller who really liked the image that an artist friend had drawn. I think it is one of the coolest tattoos I’ve seen yet.
Run by Smith Farm this super cool gallery opened on May 9th and is located at 1632 U Street. The Smith Farm Center is a really terrific center that “serves individuals, families and communities affected by cancer and other serious illness.” In addition to the art gallery other programs featured include Yoga, Book Clubs, Drumming Circles, Healthy Cooking and more. The current show at the art gallery features works by Elizabeth Berger but you have to hurry if you want to check it out because it closes June 27th. Fear not though the next exhibition begins July 11th – August 28 featuring the art of Billy Colbert, Paul Andrew Wandless and Michael Janis. The opening reception is July 11th from 5:30 – 8 PM. Definitely check out their Web site if you want to learn more about this amazing Center. A couple of photos after the jump. (more…)
Well, this isn’t exactly a mural but I don’t know what to call it. They’re pretty funny though. I don’t know why but I can’t look at this photo without laughing. Well, I have been sniffing glue…
I don’t know if anyone had the opportunity to check out Artomatic over in NOMA the last few weeks but there was some really good stuff. I particularly likes the lion above. But there was great sculpture, photography, painting and some bizarre stuff as well. Did anyone have a chance to check it out? What’d you think? I did come across one sad note that said the artist would love it if the thief who took their guest book would return it. There are some odd people in this world. Who would steal a guest book? It was kind of cool that the note was written on penny rolling papers which was kind of artistic in its own right. On a brighter side there was also a fantastic band on the first floor. They had this one song that basically consisted of the chorus “Africa we go go” sung over and over again with tons of music solos that was simply phenomenal. Photo of the note and the band after the jump. (more…)
I thought Redeem the clothing store at 1734 14th Street had a very clever window display. I was intrigued by the letters suspended in the window. I spoke briefly with owner Lori Parkerson to ask her how she got the idea. Parkerson explained that she saw an old post box at an antique store and immediately realized she could do a window with them. The letters themselves are pretty cool as well. Many of the letters are replications of old Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Ralph Waldo Emerson correspondences. Check it out next time you’re walking down 14th Street. (more…)