Friday, July 23, 2010

BLUE CRUSH


A Summer Celebration to Crush Colon Cancer!

July 27, 2010 7-10 pm at STROGA


Don't miss this beautiful event to raise money for Chris4Life, while being entertained by the following world class performers (in this order):


Evan Bliss
City Dance Ensemble
Low End String Quartet
City Dance Ensemble (again!)
Christylez Bacon
The Four Horseman
(Jam Session Finale)


Presented by Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation & The Pink Line Project

The evening will be filled with live music performances, an opportunity to purchase limited-edition prints commissioned from DC’s top artists, signature cocktails, savory bites, VIP reception, local DC celebrities and inspirational stories from notable colon cancer survivors. Performance line-up includes Grammy nominee hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon, contemporary classical group Low End String Quartet, indie-rock band The Four Horsemen, the City Dance Ensemble, and smoky blues singer Evan Bliss. This world-class performance event will celebrate colon cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers.


The Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation, in partnership with The Pink Line Project and Pamela’s Punch, will host the 1st Annual “Blue Crush” Summer Celebration to Crush Colon Cancer on Tuesday, July 27, from 7-10PM at the new and exquisite Adams Morgan space called STROGA. Chris4Life is dedicated to the power that art events provide by improving lives through various art related activities. For patients and caregivers, self-expression and enjoyment through the arts is proven to aid in the healing process and creates a sense of community and success during a time of hardship. Chris4Life is striving to find new and cutting edge ways of fundraising for this rapidly growing foundation – creating cultured programs and unique activities for people to help bring them into the fight against colon cancer.


Tickets are on sale online for only $35, after July 17th ticket price is $40 (online ticket sales only – no sales at the door). All proceeds from the event will benefit Chris4Life Patient, Treatment & Care Program.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for this event. For sponsorship information, contact Michael Sapienza, Executive Director at michael.sapienza@chris4life.org.

EVENT DETAILS

What: Blue Crush – A Summer Celebration to Crush Colon Cancer
Presented by: Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation, The Pink Line Project, Pamela’s Punch
When: July 27, 2010
Where: STROGA, 1808 Adams Mill Rd. NW (18th & Columbia) Adams Morgan, Washington, DC 20009
Time: 7-10PM
Phone: 773.551.5434
Website: www.chris4life.org
Event Tickets: http://chris4lifebluecrush.eventbrite.com


About Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation

The principal goal of Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation is to permanently eliminate the threat of colon cancer through discovery of a cure. As long as people are dying from this disease, we will be at the front lines of the fight. To this end, we will fund cutting edge research so that the brightest minds and best institutions are empowered to cure colon cancer for good. Until then, Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation is committed to significantly improving the treatment experience for patients and caregivers, and to dramatically raise awareness about colon cancer in general. Following the inspiration of Christine Sapienza, we will utilize the arts as a means of integrating the mind, body and spirit in our approach. Chris4Life is working together to build a culture of care and foster relationships with research institutions, advocacy groups, the health care community, and the general public. Chris4Life's core values are Compassion, Empowerment, Perseverance, and Life. www.chris4life.org

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Oh Canada, for shame.

It was an exciting day filled with the promise of travel and the expectation of escaping Arizona’s summer heat. On June 22, 2010, Mary Anne and James Davis headed up to Nova Scotia to live for the summer, the same as they had done for the last 17 years.

It came as a shock when the border guard denied entry to the elderly Mr. Davis, on the basis of two ancient misdemeanor charges. He and his wife were advised to leave the country immediately, on the very next flight, or risk detainment.

Why now and not before? The security regarding entry into Canada hasn't changed since 9/11. As many less famous people have experienced, the border guard they dealt with was on a power trip. As a result, after 14 hours of travel, they turned around and started the trek home.


James G. Davis is an American born artist, rather well known, and extraordinarily talented. A long time ago in younger, brasher days, James was arrested for disorderly conduct. Not all that shocking considering it was 1953. Those were the beatnik years; you were supposed to get arrested! (That’s how you graduated to beret status! First you stole a black sweater to get your white beret, hitchhiking across state lines gained you the privilege of sporting yellow. Only Black berets were allowed to hang out in public, as they were the masters; they could chain smoke a dozen hand rolled cigarettes in 10 minutes flat while reciting the latest from Ginsberg.) Seriously, decades later, after starting his family, James had 1 conviction for impaired driving. That was 26 years ago.



Artist Turner G. Davis, (who recently made it to the second try out for Bravo's "Work of Art" but, much to Bravo’s loss, was not accepted into the final) had this to say regarding the incident: "My father is 79 and doesn't even drive”.



According to other seasonal Canadian residents, the treatment by Canada’s border personnel has been nothing short of disgusting. They will often strip the cars of elderly couples, pulling everything out, then leave the mess for these folks to pick up, saying it's not their job to put it back. For many, the amount of work involved in packing everything back up in one day just isn't possible.

Most ironic is the attitude of some Canadians who responded to the Chronicle Herald article regarding the Davis matter.* Some are saying we Americans deserve this, arguing that our border guards do the same type of thing. We don't; I looked it up and you can too.** We don't deny entry for misdemeanor charges. (We also haven't recently stalked attractive women and used their passports to hit on them. The entire border guard could benefit from undergoing a review, and perhaps some training?) Many, and thankfully the majority, of responders to the previously mentioned article are astonished and upset by this incident. “The gallery {Studio 21} has been really REALLY outraged and supportive, as have been a TON of our Canadian brethren”, said Turner Davis.

Snowbirds fund a large portion of the tourism economy throughout Canada. According to Mary Anne Davis, they are Canadian taxpayers and own a home there. So why, dear neighbors to the north, are you turning away such a dependable economic resource?

Mr. James Davis was scheduled to show his work in Halifax, Nova Scotia next summer, bringing his gorgeous modern pieces to Studio 21 gallery and sharing culture, beauty, and thought provoking images with his beloved neighbors, friends, and the public. Bringing high quality art to the area benefits the entire community.

Too bad for you, Canada. We're more than happy to take him.




Painting: The Fisherman by James G. Davis
Photographed: Artists James G. and Turner Davis

Footnotes:
* (http://thechronicleherald.ca/Search/1188789.html)

** (http://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs....i=&p_topview=1 Customs.gov: At this time, driving under the influence, breaking and entering, disorderly conduct and simple assault are not considered crimes that make a person inadmissible to the U.S. )

CALL TO ARTISTS

CALL TO ARTISTS: Breast Cancer Art
Gallery: artdc. Curator: Deidree Bennett
Submissions: Dee@mishi.us
DEADLINE: August 30th, 2010.
Show Date: October 2-Nov 6th. Opening Reception October 9th 6-9PM

National Exhibition exploring Breast Cancer related Art. Paintings, Drawings, Sculpture.

Content of artwork should be a reflection upon, or expression about: survival, loss, healing; reacting to illness or fear of it, etc. Survivor artists especially requested, but not necessary. All 2-D and 3-D works (including video/ projections) are eligible. No size limitations. No hanging fees. Juried. Artist 40%, Gallery 30%, Charity 20%, Curator 10%. Breast Cancer Charity TBD. Electronic submission with an artist statement is required. Formats accepted are jpeg & tiff, please include images at least 1500pixels at the widest dimension. Attach artwork title, dimensions, materials, and year. Submission window July-August 2010, submit early for a better chance of being selected. Artists responsible for transporting artwork to and from the gallery on designated drop off date. Out of state works may be shipped ahead of time to curator. More details will be provided to artists whose work has been selected.

artdc gallery is located in The Lustine Center
5710 Baltimore Avenue
Hyattsville, MD 20781
Arts District Hyattsville

Gallery Information: http://artdc.com/art-space/
Reply to Dee@mishi.us