Learning Local: campers follow up time at National Gallery with visit to DC Arts Center

Edgar, eating the art-- I mean, bacon.

Written by Meredith Daniel
Communications Intern

As camp came to a close last week, Marie Reed wrapped up the summer with a visit to the Annual Wallmountables Exhibit at District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC) in Adams Morgan, a gallery that provides space for local emerging artists to showcase their work.

This visit to DCAC strategically piggybacked off of a previous field trip: the scavenger hunt at the National Gallery of Art.  

“We visited DCAC this week because I wanted to show the kids that good art isn’t only in a gallery, protected by guards, and worth millions of dollars,” said Nikki Allinson, Community Outreach Coordinator. “Their community, family members, and friends are also capable of creating impressive art. Sometimes, art can be really intimidating to create-- I wanted to help them shatter that illusion this summer.”

If campers’ reactions to DCAC mixed media pieces were any indication, they appreciated the contrast between the two types of galleries. Campers not only oohed and ahhed over eye-catching neon colors and $300 price tags, but also realized that DCAC’s approachable nature gave them a chance to interact with gallery art in new ways.

One camper, Edgar, discovered the power of forced perspective when he posed with a mounted photograph of a plate of bacon, a piece by Rebecca Gordon. His creativity generated a wave of laughter among other campers once they realized it looked like Edgar was actually eating the bacon strips right off the yellow plate!

Want to see the Wallmountables Exhibit for yourself? You still have time-- it runs until August 25.

Inspired Art Gala preview: Meet a pair of the silent auction artists!

We are just two days away from the third Annual Inspired Art Gala, and final preparations are being made around the office.

Among them is assembling the array of artwork inspired by the poetry of DC SCORES students. On Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, 28 professional pieces will be on display as the silent auction opens.

See all the artwork in this Flickr gallery. Then, if you haven’t, buy your ticket(s) to the Gala before 12 p.m. Thursday.

The art was created by a diverse collection of local and national artists interested in supporting the DC SCORES mission and the Gala. Many of them will be on hand Thursday to meet the children who inspired their works.

A couple weeks ago, we profiled a pair of artists. Today, we highlight two more who were kind enough to donate to our cause.

Kari Wojtanik (in her own words)
“I like to think of my work as a place where art and nature intersects. When I was young I loved playing in the dirt and making mud pies. Now I make art from them. There is nothing more satisfying to me than creating something from a lump of clay. For the past 30 years I have been evolving my ceramic style, form and function. I delight in creating just the right shape and combining just the right glazes. Attention to detail is very important to me. Each piece is one of a kind. Much of my inspiration comes from nature … its colors, textures and sounds. You would be surprised at what surrounds you on the city streets when you take the time to notice.

“While I spend every spare minute in my studio, I am a science geek by day. I have dedicated my career to promoting healthy lifestyles, particularly for our children. This is especially important in the District, where there are many underserved communities and growing health disparities. We must support our youth so that they can become healthy adults. DC SCORES offers an excellent opportunity to contribute to this ever-growing need.”

Rose Jaffe

Rose Jaffe is an illustrator and portrait artist from the District. She studied printmaking and drawing at the School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan, graduating in May 2012. She works part-time as an intern at Iona Senior Services, exploring the connection between art and healing. The rest of her time is spent teaching comic art and illustrating for freelance gigs across the country. Her work has been featured in Smith Magazine's six word memoirs, Consider Magazine, Gargoyle Humor Magazine, the Occupied Washington Times, and Hook Online Magazine.

To work with Rose on editorial illustration, comic illustration, children's books, commissioned portraits and more, contact her at jaffe.rose@gmail.com. Most of Rose’s work can be seen at www.rosejaffe.com, and the fun stuff is at www.rosejaffe.tumblr.com. Follow her on Twitter at @rozejaff.

Variety of artwork highlights Inspired Art Gala silent auction

Michael Washo

The Inspired Art Gala is just eight days away! 

If you haven't gotten your ticket(s) yet and need a final push, enjoy a serving size of the 27 pieces of artwork inspired by the poetry of DC SCORES students that will be featured in the night's silent auction.

And -- did I mention this yet? -- don't forget to get your ticket(s) to hang out with D.C. United coach Ben Olsen and DC SCORES' most outstanding poets during a night of inspiration. 

See a photo album of the silent auction items on our Flickr page. 

Normon Greene

Cathy Abramson

Barbara Stubbs

Jen Vallina

Myra Maslowsky

Vanessa Levesque

Kirstin Bruner

Emma McAlary

Rose Jaffe

Fran Scott

Janai Macklin

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