Inspired Art Gala preview: Meet a pair of the artists

Photo taken by Emma McAlary

At the third annual Inspired Art Gala on May 17, guests will have the opportunity to browse approximately 30 pieces of art during a silent auction.

Seems pretty standard for a gala fundraiser, right?

Well, not exactly. That’s because the artwork is all inspired by the poetry of DC SCORES poet-athletes. When an artist signs up to contribute to the Gala, they are given a few poems to choose from. They then create their artwork based off the poem they choose.

Pretty cool, right?

Below, we’ll highlight a pair of artists who are excited to be a part of the Gala, which will be held from 6:30-9:30pm at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Don’t miss out on this truly unique event.

Sculpture created by Normon Greene

Emma McAlary
Emma is a Washington, DC photographer whose work is concentrated in portraiture and fine art photography. Emma inherited her love for taking photographs from her father, a journalist, and grandfather, a graphics artist, and considers art to be in her blood. She draws inspiration from shapes, forms, and stillness, and, in portraiture, the concept of age. Her eyes see only in composed frames.

By creating unconventional perspective, she transforms the most ordinary objects and minute details into photographs that are each a complete summary of the mystery of life in all its beauty. Emma's work is deliberate and bursting with soul. Emma is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and the Washington School of Photography in Bethesda. She is in the process of creating a business in portraiture photography.

Emma’s inspiration

An Ode to Moms
By Kelly Miller Middle School

M-O-M
I
L-U-V
U!!!!

I love my mom
One of a kind
She is the one
That makes me shine

Through thick and thin
She's always there
She is the one
Who always cares.

I love my mom,
You are my heart
I really hate to be apart

I love you mom
You help my mind
you are my sunshine.

M-O-M
I
L-U-V
U!!!!

Mama I love you dearly
You make me see stuff clearly
You never waste my time
Always a friend of mine

I love my mom
Always by my side
Always in my corner
She protects my pride

Mean in the kitchen
Makes good chicken and fries
I love her more than
anything this world could provide
She's a safe place for me
Does anything for me
I love her she's a star
And with her I'll go far

M-O-M
I
L-U-V
U!!!

Normon Greene
Normon is an artist, facilitator and instructor and the owner of Ra Studio. He teaches youth and adults in teambuilding and group interaction using the arts, communication, and activities to assist groups in being strong teams. He draws inspiration from a number of periods, including Cubism and Futurism, and greatly admires the expression of Marcel and Raymond Duchamp, Henry Moore, and Umberto Boccioni.

Normon, who graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a minor in Art Studio, strives to honor the human form through reflections on people’s relationships with themselves, each other and their environments. Over the last 20 years, his artwork has been displayed in over 90 festivals, schools, galleries, libraries, public recreational centers and public parks.

Normon’s inspiration

Smart is the New Swag
By Cesar Chavez Parkside

Smart is the new swag…(swag)
We gotta go to class (class)
Get the grades get the cash
Cause smart is the new swag

It takes a lot of heart to get so smart
We work so hard to get where we are
Give all we have to pass the DC-CAS
School is our path to achieve our swag
That’s why… (go to chorus)

Smart is the new swag…(swag)
We gotta go to class (class)
Get the grades get the cash
Cause smart is the new swag

Smart is what I am
Like Jay and Kanye I go ham
Like Lil Wayne said sorry for the wait
It’s a Chavez party the championship awaits