Forget muzak. We have something way better. Thanks to two wonderful fans-who-love-to-cook, our annual holiday show will feature not just the artwork you love and the gift items your friends love but also “food to shop by” (including fried chicken in honor of Eileen Schofield whose artwork you see here).

“Let it snow!”

Annual Holiday Show

The holiday spirit at its best!

 Saturday, December 3, 2011, 2 to 4 pm

2204 Rhode Island Ave NE, WDC 20018 

http://www.art-enables.org     free entrance    free parking

Mayor Vincent C. Gray is pleased to join the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) in announcing the 227 grants awarded to local artists and nonprofit arts organizations for fiscal year 2012. The awards total $3.7 million, stretching across all eight wards of the District.

The awards reflect eight of the nine grant programs DCCAH administers – Grants-In-Aid, Festivals and City Arts Projects, Arts Education Program, East of the River, Individual Artist Grant, Community Arts, UPSTART and Cultural Facilities Projects. The ninth program, Public Art Building Communities, which is available to individuals and organizations to create and install permanent or temporary public artwork that enhances District neighborhoods, has a rolling deadline and is not reflected in the $3.7 million total.

“We’re excited about the synergy that the arts have created in our communities despite economic challenges,” said Lionell Thomas, Executive Director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. He continued, “We feel it’s important to provide essential funding that benefits the city’s growing arts community and to also showcase the wealth of talent and cultural energy reflected in this year’s recipients.”

In September 2011, the DCCAH received 522 eligible applications requesting over $15 million in funding. The resulting funding rate of 43 percent of eligible applications reflects both the significant demand for support while reflecting the ongoing vitality of the nonprofit arts community in the face of current financial challenges.

Despite economic woes, the DCCAH was able to fund a broad spectrum of exciting projects. These projects will contribute to the District’s art community that provides an economic impact of over $746 million to the city.

Examples of projects funded are:

$5,000: KIPP DC is an organization that has the best interest of children and families at the heart of its mission. KIPP will receive funds to support the purchase of barres, mirrors and a dance floor for KIPP DC Community Arts Center located at 4837 Benning Road, SE where CityDance Ensemble will offer dance instruction to KIPP DC students and the broader Ward 7 community.

$7,000, Critical Exposure: Two photographers with backgrounds in education policy, teaching, and community organizing founded Critical Exposure in 2004. Critical Exposure’s mission is to teach youth to use the power of photography and their own voices to advocate for the opportunities and resources they need to succeed. Through partnerships with schools and youth-serving organizations, they empower youth to participate in the democratic process using an innovative and compelling approach that combines art and advocacy to facilitate youth empowerment, public engagement, and policy change.

$5,000, Henry VI Readings: By focusing on works with profound themes, complex characters and poetic language written by Shakespeare, his contemporaries and the playwrights he influenced, the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s (STC) artistic mission is unique among theatre companies: to present classic theatre of scope and size in an imaginative, skillful and accessible American style that honors the playwrights’ language and intentions while viewing their work through a 21st-century lens.

$12,500, Words Beats & Life: The Words Beats Life teach-in is a space for the development, presentation and preservation of a new level of emerging, but high quality, hip-hop arts (music, visual art, dance etc.), and scholarship. The events used to reach non-traditional arts audiences include: Bumrush the Boards: Hip-Hop Chess Tournament, now going into its sixth year.

Please see our complete listing of artists and organizations funded for FY 2012:

If you went to a rock and roll show in DC from 1953 to 1998 in Washington, DC, there’s a good chance you have a story about a great night at The Bayou and know why the place was more than super sound, flawless sight lines and cool staff. For nearly fifteen years, filmmaker David Lilling and company have been making a documentary film called “The Bayou: DC’s Killer Joint,” about this iconic venue. It’s nearly completed, and DC Music Salon is lucky enough to get a sneak peek.

When The Bayou closed in 1998, it was the longest continuously running rock club in DC. The old building, now the site of Loews Georgetown movie theater, hosted a staggering list of bands before they were household names (Bruce Springsteen, the Police, KISS, the Ramones, Joan Jett, etc.). U2’s first American club date, Billy Joel’s live album, and Eva Cassidy’s final performance were at The Bayou. Countless great DC bands gigged there often — Chuck Brown, Slickee Boys, Everything, Nighthawks, Tommy Keene, Nils Lofgren, and Dave Matthews Band come to mind.

In the many years when it was a jazz club, Rudy Vallee, Henry Fonda, Gary Cooper, John and Ted Kennedy, LBJ, and Bob Dole listened to jazz there — from Dixieland to Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Lester Young, and Coleman Hawkins. And we’ve not mentioned the strippers or the fact that Mr. T. was a bouncer! Supposedly Mickey Mantle and Robert Plant were both kicked out (not together)! The list of people and stories goes on and on. In addition to screening live footage and interviews, the filmmakers, owners, managers, patrons, and performers will be there to share stories. We hope you’ll join in the fun.

Watha T. Daniel, Shaw Library

DC Music Salon?
Salon, noun, “a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine their taste and increase their knowledge through conversation.”

DC Music Salon is a free film & book series about music, featuring discussions with expert guests. We show films and speak with musicians, filmmakers, authors and other fellow music lovers. These aren’t lectures, and all are welcome to attend and join the conversation. Most meetings start with a quick introduction of a guest or topic, then show appropriate footage; we may discuss a relevant book and likely ask questions of our experts.

Upcoming Salons: February 8 – Sonny Stitt, April 11 — bluegrass, June 13 — Phil Ochs, all from 7-9pm at the beautiful Watha T. Daniel Library in Shaw, 1630 7th St NW. Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116135141822147, is the best way to learn more about DC Music Salon and upcoming events.

Washington, DC has a musical heritage second to none and our salon celebrates it. Spread the word and see you there!

Debut performance of the extraordinary stories of seven veterans serving in World War II and the Korean War

 Audiences can experience the breathtaking stories of seven extraordinary veterans when the Double Nickels Theatre Company presents, “Scattered Pictures” at The Atlas Performing Arts Center on Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 3:00 PM.

Their heroic stories have never been celebrated.  These stories tell of a courageous man declared dead and later found to be a prisoner of war.  Another recounts an officer who served in Asia as part of the majority African-American troops who built the 1,000 mile Ledo Road between India, Burma and China. We are also transported into the lives of the oldest living African-American West Point graduate and a boy who became a Boy Scout, a Boy Scout who became a general and a general who became a successful businessman. We experience the phenomenal story of a fighter pilot and his escort, a Tuskegee Airman, who met for the first time decades after their mission when they were 75 years old. And all these remarkable men are alive today to help us tell and relive their stories.

Tickets for “Scattered Pictures” are $30 and are available at atlasarts.org.

A reception to host several of these veterans immediately follows the performance.

What: “Scattered Pictures”

When: Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 3 PM.

Where: Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street, NE Washington, DC 20002

For more information, log onto: www.atlasarts.org

Today, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) announced the 32 artists whose artworks will be added to its Art Bank Collection. The artwork of the 32 artists chosen will be purchased and added to the DCCAH’s collection that is loaned to District Government agencies for display in public areas.

Close to 2,000 works were submitted for consideration for the Art Bank Collection. A panel of local artists, arts administrators and patrons vetted the artworks. The total budget for the collection was $150,000.

The Art Bank Collection is a growing collection of moveable works funded through the DC Creates! Public Art program. Art Bank was founded to support visual artists and galleries throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area. Currently, there are over 2,500 works of art in the Art Bank collection, installed in more than 150 District Government agencies.

“The Art Bank Collection is one example of how we are supporting working artists in D.C. It’s important to this agency to highlight the tremendous talent that we have here,” said Lionell Thomas, Executive Director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Mr. Thomas continued, “The works that have been added to the collection this year will be displayed on the walls of buildings that are visited by thousands of people every year. This not only adds beauty to these buildings, but exposes local artists to a wide audience.”

The artists chosen for the 2012 Art Bank are Anne Albagli, Daniel Altshuler, Joseph Barbaccia, Joan Belmar, Natalie Chung, Wesley Clark, Charles Cohan, Billy Colbert, Robert Cole, Cynthia Connolly, Michael Crossett, Mary Early, Lisa Farrell, Michael Farrell, Claudia Gibson-Hunter, Greg Hannan, Ryan Hoover, Ellington Robinson, Katherine Mann, Bruce McNeil, Michael Platt, Beverly Ress, Preston Sampson, Michael Enn Sirvet, Di Stovall, Lou Stovall, Lynn Sures, Jessica Van Brakle, Kirk Waldroff, Yvette Watson, Roy Woelfer, and Denise Wright.

JANEL AND ANTHONY are a Washington D.C. based duo whose elegant experimental music has been featured on NPR and the BBC, and have gained the attention of some of the worlds most important improvisers and musicians. Established in 2005 in Vienna, Virginia, they recorded their debut album “Janel and Anthony” in 2006 and have sold thousands of copies at the countless shows they’ve played since. After exhilarating and exhausting years on the move-touring, collaborating and recording-the pair has finished their second album “Where is Home,” an ethereal effort soaked in the apprehension and excitement of wanderlust.

For a preview:
janelandanthony.com and yeveto.bandcamp.com

@ Honfleur Gallery 1241 Good Hope Rd. SE Washington DC, 20020

This concert is funded by the NEA.

From DCist: ”Extraordinary”- “Janel & Anthony are a cello and guitar duo that have added fantastic touches to anyone with whom they’ve collaborated but are a special brand of mesmerizing when they play their own songs. Too off-center to be either classical, folk or jazz compositions, Janel & Anthony’s experimentalism is a must-see event.”

Community Historians to Display Work at John Eaton Elementary School

Who: Washingtonians interested in neighborhood history, preservation, and culture.

What: A demonstration of projects funded as part of the DC Community Heritage Project.

When: Thursday, December 8th, 2011 6:30PM-9PM

Where: John Eaton Elementary School, Cleveland Park, 3301 Lowell Street, NW Washington, DC 20008

Join the Humanities Council of Washington, DC and the DC Historic Preservation Office at John Eaton Elementary school in Cleveland Park as this year’s DC Community Heritage Project grantees showcase their efforts to research, interpret, and publicize the history of their communities. You are guaranteed to learn something new about Washington, DC!

This year’s projects include: Voices on Fourteenth Street: Columbia Heights in the Sixties, an oral history project exploring urban policy changes in one of DC’s fastest changing neighborhoods; DC Authors’ Houses: a Web Exhibit, an online tour combining history, architecture, and literature; Preserving LeDroit Park: An Historical Community in Washington, DC, a film documenting an important part of DC’s African American history and an iconic neighborhood; and many more (check our blog hcwdc.blogspot.com for a full listing)! Light catered refreshments will be served during the exhibition portion of the event.

Funds for the DC Community Heritage Project are provided by a partnership of the Humanities Council of Washington, DC and the DC Historic Preservation Office, which supports people who want to tell stories of their neighborhoods and communities by providing information, training and financial resources. This DC Community Heritage Project has been also funded in part by the US Department of the Interior, the National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund grant funds, administered by the DC Historic Preservation Office and by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

This is a free event. Please register by visiting dcchp.eventbrite.com.

Life as a Collage (Trailer)

Pablo Picasso Still Life with Chair Caning,1912

1912 marks the 100th year anniversary of collage as an art form. In celebration of this momentous occasion Hillyer Art Space will be collaborating with Meridian Hill Pictures and Sitar Arts Space to screen the new, youth-made documentary Life as a Collage. Please join us on Monday, November 21, 2011 from 6-9pm for an evening of local film and art appreciation.   

Created while artist and longtime Sitar volunteer Tim Gabel was struggling with liver cancer, the film captures one teacher’s dedication to his students and art, as he reflects during the final stages of his life.

Following the screening, Hillyer will host a panel discussion with Brandon and Lance Kramer, executive producers of Life as a Collage and co-founders of Meridian Hill Pictures; and Forrest Penrod, student director of the film.  Pablo Picasso’s Still Life with Chair Caning was completed in 1912 and is widely considered by art historians to be the first collage; the 100th anniversary and our celebration of collage is fast approaching!

Monday, November 21, 2011

6-8pm

Runtime: 24 minutes

$5 Suggested Donations

Proceeds go to IA&A and submission fees to show Life as a Collage at film festivals.

For more information contact: gallery@artsandartists.org

Axum Etthiopian Restaurant
(near 9th St. + U St. NW, U Street Metro)
Friday, November 18th
Doors @ 9  -  $10 Cover
_______________________________________

Blessings Fans of PartyAxe,
We’re back with our latest edition of Axe’ (ah-SHAY)
Come move your body to the infectious sounds of
live African Drumming and Brazilian Percussion.
Get a FREE African dance lesson starting at 9pm.

Free Ethiopian Buffet starts @ 8pm
$5 Ethiopian Honey Wine until 10pm!
$5 Heineken until 12am

RSVP to Friday’s party on Facebook.
You can also sign up to get PartyAxé updates and
info on ticket, music, and merchandise giveaways.

DJ UNDERDOG
Spinning Brazilian sounds and African rhythms

FARAFINA KAN (www.farafinakan.com)
Live African drumming from the djembe orchestra

Roberto BERIMBAU
Live Batucada and Afro-Brazilian percussion

FREE AFRICAN DANCE CLASS @ 9pm
Instructed by the dancers of Farafina Kan

We’re hosting our weekly book writing field trip that morning, so a class room of elementary students come in and collectively write 3/4 of a story together, and then each student writes and illustrates their own ending. We print and bind the books that morning so each student goes home with a printed copy of a book that they authored.

While the kids are coming up with their story as a group, the illustrator draws pictures for the book as the story is being written. The volunteer illustrator doesn’t have to be a professional artist by any means, just someone who can draw quickly and would enjoy a creative project and a quirky morning with elementary school kids.
Would you or anyone you know be interested in helping out this Friday?

Please contact me if you have any questions or are available.

Dillon Babington
dillon@826dc.org