Friday, December 18, 2009

ADS vs. AIDS















Don't miss this important historical collection of ORIGINAL Advertisements from the 80's AIDS epidemic.

AIDS is still very much an ongoing battle. These images depict deeply impactful awareness-raising campaigns, from the beginning of the outbreak here in the U.S. The ideas presented here are still very relevant.

The condom-centric show features works like: "He Loves me, He loves me not" then "He Loves Me" printed next a beautiful huge condom; Sleep With A Lifeguard Tonight” and "Stops Transmission-Fluid Leaks" are other classics from the period.

Proceeds from the professionally framed images benefit Whitman-Walker Clinic and Food & Friends. -All images donated by Jeff McElhaney.

On view at Long View Gallery until December 31st
1234 ninth st nw | washington dc 20001 | 202.232.4788 | longviewgallery.com

Friday, October 23, 2009

Long View Gallery Grand Re-Opening

Friday October 23, 2009


Last night the DC arts scene witnessed a historic moment with the Grand Re-Opening of Long View gallery on 9th st.


With 5,000 square feet of ultra modern industrial space, Long View is THE event location to be in. Located directly across from the convention center, the front and back galleries are complimented by superb lighting and a relaxing outdoor rear patio.








Roughly a thousand people in the arts, events, fashion, & design communities were treated to a phenomenal collection of new works by artists:

Scott Brooks
Anna U. Davis
Steve Pyke
Dana Ellyn
Matt Sesow
Tony Savoie
Drew Ernst
Victor Ekpuk
Mike Weber
Billy Colbert
John Whipple
Stacie Albano
Chris Stephens

Attendees were greeted by the wizened and formidable visage of Sir Ian McKellen as shot by Steve Pyke, the original of which hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.



Scott Brooks, whose pieces are featured here, has been showing with Long View for a couple years now. He had a big solo show in May of ’08, and has another one coming up next year.



Anna Davis spent seven months on her largest piece, which pays homage to her Swedish heritage with a gorgeous depiction of the celebration known as Midsummer. (Midsummer is also sometimes referred to by Neopagans and others as "Litha".)

You MUST see the works while the show is in its present state of Spectacularity!!!

Long View Gallery
1234 9th street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202.232.4788

Open Wednesday - Sunday, 11 AM - 7 PM



Special Thanks to Drew, Suzi, and of course William for making it all possible. The guys at Dissident Display were in collaboration with DJ Yoko for a "Hypnagogic" music performance. Catering by Occassions was delectable! The martinis were sublime in Pear/Raspberry & Apple Cinnamon. Altogether an incredibly fulfilling event!!!!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Fashion Fights Poverty


This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Spectacular DC fashion show: Fashion Fights Poverty.

The ART of Fashion is taken to a deeper level by ethical & eco-friendly clothing designers, and businesses who create sustainable manufacturing & follow fair-trade in the production of their wares. This exciting show is an incredible, not-to-be-missed event!

Purchase tickets to this year’s fashion show:
www.fashionfightspoverty.org

The theme is RE. ~ reUSING, reCYCLING, reDEFINING. ~

reALLY timely, isn't it?!

About Fashion Fights Poverty (FFP)
"Fashion Fights Poverty is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that raises awareness for initiatives that
encourage and support creative, effective, and sustainable means of challenging poverty. We believe
that the industries of fashion, textiles, and design offer unique and effective opportunities for
designers, artisans, and consumers alike to contribute to the alleviation of poverty through trade, skillbuilding,
community empowerment and consumer awareness."

!! COMING UP !!

reTROSPECTIVE : THE LAUNCH
September 16, 7-10pm
L2 Lounge
Washington, DC

reDEFINE: THE FORUM
September 22, 6-9pm
DC Historial Society
Washington, DC


reFASHION : THE SHOW
Friday, September 25 6-10PM
Mayflower Hotel
1127 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, DC

reLEASE : THE AFTER PARTY
10pm- Close
Midtown and Midtown Loft
Hosted by Paul Wharton

Friday, August 14, 2009

GIRLS ROCK DC @ 9:30: SATURDAY, AUGUST 15th 11am-1pm





"Mission: With a base in music education, Girls Rock! DC aims to create a supportive, inclusive and creative space for girls to develop their self-confidence, build community, stand up and rock out!

Following in the footsteps of girls rock camps across the United States, Girls Rock! DC was founded in October 2007 by an all volunteer collective of DC Metro Area musicians, teachers, artists and community organizers. In August 2008, over 80 volunteers built upon their diverse musical backgrounds, connections to local youth and approaches to grassroots organizing to create a week-long day camp for Washington DC area girls ages 8-18. After a very successful first year, Girls Rock! DC is excited to be organizing a second camp this August 2009!

During the week, campers receive small group instruction on electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, turntables or vocals, form bands, collaborate to write an original song and ROCK out the stage. Campers learn about the history of women in rock, gender and cultural identity, band merchandise and promotion, conflict resolution and other skills young women need to take over the world of rock!"

Girls Rock! DC is a member of the Girls Rock Camp Alliance

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Edgewood Mural Jam


Check out this cool public art event!!

Saturday, August 15th
10:00 AM to sunset.

"Over 100 muralists, artists, and the public painting a wall larger than a football field in the Edgewood neighborhood in Northeast".

All ages with children's activities, DJ's, food available, and "a community area for everyone who comes to pick up a brush and paint".

The Edgewood Mural Jam is sponsored by the public art non-profit Albus Cavus and the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities, the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program, Liquitex, Beacon House, District Department of Transportation, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and the Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center.


What: Edgewood Mural Jam
Who: 100 public artists and the community painting a wall bigger than a football field
Where: Rhode Island Avenue Shopping Center, 680 Rhode Island Ave NE (behind the stores), next to Rhode Island WMATA Station on Red Line
When: Saturday, August 15, 10:00 am to 8:00 PM

"The DC community is invited to participate in the largest interactive public art event of the summer by meeting the artists, watching them work, and picking up a paintbrush to join in."

"*" Props to Albus Cavus for the verbage

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Capital FRINGE Festival is On Now!




Between the Mt Vernon Square and Penn Quarter neighborhoods of DC
is where you'll find hundreds of live
Theatre, Dance, and Music
performances by innovative artists
from now until July 26th.

CAPITAL FRINGE SCHEDULE, MAPS, etc.

"A new partnership with Sasha Bruce Youth Work has expanded the Fringe Training Factory to include at-risk youth programs with the intention of monitoring and cultivating young artists, voices and leaders that will join and shape the DC performing arts community."

Don't miss out on this unique experience! Grab your (one time purchase $5) button & $15 to enter a show, and make sure to visit the Baldacchino Gypsy Tent Bar for the SIX taps, a vegan wrap, or a Ginger-Teriyaki Turkey Burger with grilled pineapple. Ah, Summer~

Monday, June 29, 2009

Compression









An Exhibit on Living with Lymphedema.

Showing at Artomatic until July 5th 2009. www.artomatic.org







~Compression~

I just thought I had fat legs.

All my life, the same questions and exclamations: “Your calf is as big as my thigh!”
All the women in my family were built the same, so I thought it was genetic, and it was: hereditary Primary Lymphedema.

After diagnosis last November it was difficult to find help:
the few doctors who knew what it was had little to no idea where and what the treatments were.

Adventist Rehabilitation at Shady Grove Hospital has a wonderful Lymphedema treatment center complete with stalwart Wellness Warriors.
They proceeded to teach me the compression and massage techniques that will keep my legs from swelling up every day. At its worst my calves would swell 2 inches during the day, then shrink back up at night. The discomfort was extreme and quite debilitating.



Intense treatment stage was just that, and composed of hardcore, brilliant bandaging techniques designed to drain lymph fluid manually. The small images you see are of those bandaging stages, and the resulting challenge of trying to find something to wear over their girth. Every day I would go in for re-bandaging and training.
I lost several centimeters off my legs during these two weeks.




The compression stockings I must wear every day are very tight and create limitations for my fashionista nature. They don’t look so hot under jeans, yet are very hot to wear, especially now that the DC summer is upon us. On the upside, the garters which hold them up are, as you can see, wonderfully SEXY.



Focusing on the positive facts that I have found a management solution, and my legs do not swell as long as I stick to my routine of wearing the proper garments, is what gets me through each day. I have been forced to make a lot of changes, yet through these changes have become a better person.
Also, an unimaginable wish has been fulfilled: I get to wear pretty little dresses!


These stockings you see are emblematic of how a solution may not be all that you want, it may even be problematic, but the change can open possibilities previously undreamt.










National Lymphedema Network

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Art Buzz












DC Arts & Humanities Education Collaborative

Presents


Art Buzz


Enjoy a night of appetizers, fine wines, a music soundscape provided by DJ Will Eastman and the chance to preview the newest photographic works of DC's most dedicated photographers.

Wednesday, May 27th
6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The Source Theatre

1835 14th St NW
Washington, DC

‎ $15 admission includes appetizers and fine wines and supports the DC Collaborative

Participating artists include:
Patrick Ryan - http://www.ryanphoto.com/
Kelly Thornton - http://kellymthorntonphotography.com/
Viet Chu - http://www.dcafam.com/
Nicole Wolf - http://www.sotadzine.com/
Ernesto Santalla - http://www.studiosantalla.com/
Liliane Blom - http://www.lilianeblom.com/
Katharine Hauschka - http://www.alpinemoonphotography.com/
Mary Clark Gaston - http://maryclarkgaston.com/

30% of all photographs sold that night by these amazing photographers will go to the DC Collaborative. The installation will be housed at Source, a vibrant,multi-user performing arts space located in the heart of Washington DC's 14th Street arts district.

The 5th Installation of Art Buzz is presented by The Dunes, LLC., Senate Realty, DC This Week Blog, and benefiting the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative.



The DC Collaborative believes that the arts—inclusive of music, visual arts, theater, dance, and literary arts—are central to the education of every student. A community-based partnership organization, now 80 members strong, the DC Collaborative works to promote quality arts and humanities education for all DC public and chartered public schools for the growth of the whole child. Working with our partners, the DC Collaborative produces such exemplary programs as Arts for Every Student, Professional Development, and the recently launched Arts Education Initiative.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Makeover Mom musings

I won a Makeover!!!

What is it about winning a contest that gets people so excited? Squealing in a voice you've never made before but you're pretty sure you've heard it on TV, in a pitch similar to your neighbor's 2 year old's WORST tantrum. Specifically, there is nothing like a MAKEOVER to thrill complete strangers and make your friends jump up and down. The Before and After! The Big Reveal! The possibility of what could happen, and the momentous end result, are deep reaching hooks into the psyche.

Is it that we all secretly desire huge changes to occur, but don't actually want to deal with it ourselves?

Change is HARD; logistically it takes time and effort that we just can't invest at the moment. It's just habit, and it's easier, to live your life with the haircut you know and the clothes you are accustomed to. To take the same route, and park in the same spot makes it easier to, say, not get horribly lost. No one wants to walk around a parking lot for 10 minutes with a "Now, where did I misplace that One TON object again?" look on their face. Better to look decent in old jeans than to accidentally show up at the grocery store in a tunic you "didn't realize was see-through in fluorescent light", and on the day you decided to "feel free" and wear a thong. Do we not only seek safety in routine, but the appearance of sanity as well?


Like a living cliche, the older I get, the more resistant I am to change; which is why entering a makeover contest was a serious test of bravery. I LOVED my long hair, it was if not all then a massive part of my femininity, my self, a statement of my sexy nature, and I DID NOT want to cut it. I submitted to the DC Moms Like Me makeover contest because I wanted people to know about an incredible positive transformation that had happened to me, because it can and should happen to so many others afflicted with this disease.

In November of 2008 I was diagnosed with Lymphedema, a failure (for various reasons) of the Lymphatic system that causes swelling of the limbs. People would stare and say to me "Your legs are huge" and "They don't fit your body". The curious would ask "What's wrong with your legs?", while the cruel would simply mutter "Freak". Learning that what I had was actually treatable, and having the swelling greatly reduced with Manual Lymph Drainage has opened up new worlds I never thought I would visit: worlds of pretty little dresses in so many adorable styles, and shorts in the summertime! Pain reduced worlds where my disease ceases to hold me back.

The MAKEOVER was, of course, AMAZING!!! Change is Good, in so many ways.

New worlds can open up to you when you address the issues that are causing you the most discomfort in your life. Seek out information, follow up on new leads, and take charge of your own health and happiness. You don't need a crew to make you over (although that makes it fun and significantly faster!), because YOU KNOW what you need to do to create Positive Change.

With a gratefulness that makes every cell in my body swell, up I give hearty virtual hugs to:

Traci Levine, Lymphedema Therapist, and all the wellness warriors at Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital;
Peggy Fox: WUSA9's brainchild of the Mom's makeover;
Terrance Noonan, the ebulliently joyous Mom's Style Guy, tv producer and Stylist Extraordinaire who I had a Blast shopping with!
Niki of
DC Moms Like Me, who sponsored the contest (She footed the bill y'all! Serious credit here!);
Erwin Gomez (makeup) and Valerie Lafaye (hair), Stunning artists of Erwin Gomez Salon & Spa in Georgetown;
The Four Seasons;
WUSA's A+ crew;
Girlfriends:
Artist Lucy Foronda Dirksen ,
Designer Margo Schlossberg
and Blogger Barbara Saylor for coming to the studio so early in the morning;
And of course my tirelessly supportive Family.

I look forward to taking the moms in our family to brunch, and celebrating change!


;~D


For more information on Lymphedema, visit the National Lymphedema Network at http://www.lymphnet.org


Watch the makeover on WUSA9!