Here's what's on deck for the next 10 days:

TAKOMA PARK MOVES  Community Dance at the Dance Exchange in Takoma Park

Every week on thurs at 6:30pm, from Oct 11 'til May 30 @ Dance Exchange, 7117 Maple Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Takoma Park Moves! Dance with DX!

Professional Level Modern Dance Class  Join Us For Friday Class

Every week on fri at 9:30am, from Oct 12 'til May 31 @ Dance Exchange, 7117 Maple Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Fridays, 9:30-11:15 am. $12 per class or purchase 10 classes for $100 with class card! Dance with DX on Friday mornings during our professional level modern technique classes taught by a talented mix of Dance Exchange resident artists, adjuncts and guest teachers from the DC region. This class is open to all ages 18+.

ATMTC Announces the World Premiere Musical Big Nate  Based on the syndicated comic strip and NY Times Bestselling Book Series by Lincoln Peirce

Every week on sat and sun at 11:00am, from May 4 'til Jun 2 @ Adventure Theatre MTC, 7300 MacArthur Blvd, Glen Echo, MD 20816

Adventure Theatre MTC (ATMTC) announces a world premiere musical, Big Nate, May 3- June 2, 2013, based on the internationally syndicated daily and Sunday comic strip and best-selling book series by Lincoln Peirce and directed by Helen Hayes Award Winner for ATMTC’s A Year With Frog and Toad, Michael Baron. With the book by new Olney Theater Center Artistic Director and Off-Broadway playwright Jason Loewith and music by Helen Hayes Award Recipient Christopher Youstra, this world premiere musical show is as funny, heartwarming and touching as the Big Nate books which have spent 97 weeks (as of April 8) on the New York Times Bestseller List. Tickets are $19 each and can be purchased online at www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org or by calling 301.634.2270.

Japanese Language Tour of The Sant Ocean Hall  

Every month on the 4th at 1:30pm, from May 4 'til Jun 1 @ Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, 10th St NW & Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

Volunteer Ai Nonaka gives a Japanese language tour of the exhibition.

WINE DOWN: HAPPY HOUR ! FREE EVENT  Calling all Homeowners! FREE WINE, FREE APPETIZERS, FREE WORKSHOPS

Every day at 2:30pm, from May 16 'til May 30 @ Long Fence and Home, 10236 Southard Dr, Beltsville, MD 20705

WINE DOWN: Client Appreciation Happy Hour! Past, Present, and Future clients are invited! We are the premiere home improvement company in the DMV. No purchase necessary. Join us at our OPEN HOUSE! Thursday May 30th 5:30pm-8:00pm

WINE DOWN: Free Wine, Free Appetizers, Free Happy Hour  Enjoy contemporary JAZZ, good food, good wine, good folks

Every day at 5:30pm, from May 22 'til May 30 @ Long Fence and Home Showroom, 10236 Southard Dr, Beltsville, MD 20705

WINE DOWN: FREE HAPPY HOUR Enjoy yourself as you attend workshops about remodeling your home. Since 1945, we are #1 among DMV homeowners! Enjoy free wine sponsored by Old Line wine, spirits, and bistro

DanceAfrica, DC 2013  

Every day at 12:00pm, from May 28 'til Jun 2 @ Dance Place, 3225 8th St NE, Washington, DC 20017

See our full schedule online for all information on master classes, indoor and outdoor performances, and our open-air African Marketplace.

UNDISCOVERED COLOR : The Paintings of Benjamin Abramowitz (1960-1970)  Art Opening

6:00pm til 10:00pm, Wed May 29 @ ARCHER Modern, 1027 33rd St NW, Washington, DC 20007

OPENING MAY 29, 6-10 PM. ARCHER is proud to present an exhibition of many never-before-seen work by renowned Washington, D.C. artist Benjamin Abramowitz. More than 10 large-scale abstract canvases and smaller works of the period will be on view from May 29 through July 16th.

WINE DOWN: FREE WINE, FREE APPETIZERS  FREE HAPPY HOUR. Must be 25 to enter.

5:30pm til 8:00pm, Thu May 30 @ Long Fence and Home Showroom, 10236 Southard Dr, Beltsville, MD 20705

WINE DOWN: FREE HAPPY HOUR, FREE WINE, FREE APPETIZERS... sponsored by Old Line Wine, Spirits, and Bistro. Must be 25 to enter.

RADICArt Exhibition Debut: May 31-June 2  RADICArt is pleased to announce their debut exhibition featuring original works by founding RADICArt artists, Marc Ginsberg (DC) and Jennifer Levy (NY), in addition to select works of art from Lafayette Elementary School in NW Washington, DC.

6:00pm til 9:00pm, Fri May 31 @ DCI Consulting, 1920 I St NW, Washington, DC 20006

RADICArt is pleased to announce their debut exhibition featuring original works by founding RADICArt artists, Marc Ginsberg (DC) and Jennifer Levy (NY), in addition to select works of art from Lafayette Elementary School in NW Washington, DC. This exhibition is being hosted by DCI Consulting at 1920 I (Eye) Street. Exhibition Opening hours will be from 6pm-9pm Friday, May 31-Sunday, June 2. Refreshments will be provided during each opening night. We hope you come out to see RADICArt in action and look forward to seeing you at the RADICArt debut on May 31st!

Luce Unplugged Community Showcase  Live music at the Smithsonian

6:00pm til 8:00pm, Fri May 31 @ Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th St NW & F St NW, Washington, DC 20004

Luce Center at the Smithsonian American Arts Museum often host a number of local music showcases that are pretty awesome. This Community Showcase will feature the music of America Hearts, Lyriciss, and More Humans.Drink

The Brandee Younger Jazz Harp Quartet  Performing at the historic Bohemian Caverns for DC Jazz Fest 2013

Every day at 8:30pm, from May 31 'til Jun 1 @ Bohemian Caverns, 2001 11th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

May 31 & June 1 8:30pm & 10:30pm Harpist Brandee Younger is known for sharing the stage with Jazz Royalty Jack Dejohnette & Ravi Coltrane, laying down tracks with Grammy-Winning Rapper Common and Artist and Producer Ryan Leslie, as well as bringing to life the Classic Impressionistic work of Maurice Ravel. Her ability to feature the Harp in genres of music where the instrument is often absent is a testament of her love for the instrument, and her cross-reaching ability as a musician.

Late Night @ Penn Social  Cakes & Kisses Returns...

10:00pm til 2:00am, Fri May 31 @ Penn Social, 20004, DC

Friday, May 31st, round out the Month and head into June with some excellent fun.Big crowd

Opening of the Ward 8 Farmers Market  Fresh Fruit, Vegetables, Bread and Meat.

9:00am til 2:00pm, Sat Jun 1 @ Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC), 1901 Mississippi Ave SE, Washington, DC 20020

Celebrate this year’s opening day at the Ward 8 Farmer’s Market at THEARC with a free Zumba lesson, tour of THEARC's Organic Teaching Garden's brand new Hoop House, shop for fresh fruits, veggies and meats from local vendors and much more! Free Admission!

30th Annual Dupont Kalorama Museum Walk June 1-2   Nine diverse museums will open their doors free of charge for this weekend long celebration in one of Washington, D.C.’s most beautiful neighborhoods.amily Fun… Free Admission…Shuttle Busses…Fun Scavenger Hunts for All!

10:00am til 4:00pm, Sat Jun 1 @ Dujpont Kalorama Museums Consortium, 20009, DC

Stretch your legs and your mind during the 30th Annual Dupont Kalorama Museum Walk (June 1 and 2, 2013). Nine diverse museums will open their doors free of charge for this weekend long celebration in one of Washington, D.C.’s most beautiful neighborhoods. Discover Anderson House, Dumbarton House, Fondo del Sol Visual Arts Center, Heurich House Museum, Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site, National Museum of American Jewish Military History, The Phillips Collection, The Textile Museum, and the Woodrow Wilson House free of charge.

Capitol Hill and Eastern Market  a walking tour

11:00am til 1:00pm, Sat Jun 1 @ Meet outside the Eastern Market Metro station, 701 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003

Although the outside world may associate the term Capitol Hill solely with the U.S. Congress, those who make the neighborhood their home conjure up a very different image.

35th Annual Celebration of Textiles  

10:00pm til 5:00pm, Sat Jun 1 @ The Textile Museum, 2320 S St NW, Washington, DC 20008

This free, annual two-day festival celebrates all things textile.

USA vs Germany Game Watch!  Come cheer for the hometeam...

2:00pm til 5:00pm, Sun Jun 2 @ Penn Social, 801 E St NW, Washington, DC 20004

If you love Soccer, the United States of America, Games & Beer, then Sunday June 2nd, Penn Social is the place for you.

Swann in Love  France/West Germany, 1984, 110 min., Director: Volker Schlöndorff; French, English, German with English Subtitles

6:30am til 9:00am, Mon Jun 3 @ Goethe Institut, 812 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

This movie is part of the film series "50 Years French-German Friendship"

Create Your Own Tap Dance: A Choreography Workshop with Heidi Schultz  Presented by Joy of Motion Dance Center

9:30pm til 10:30pm, Mon Jun 3 @ Joy of Motion Dance Center Bethesda, 7315 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814

Spend six weeks this summer creating your own tap dance!

Venice Biennale: Trends in International Art  Discussion

12:30pm til 1:30pm, Tue Jun 4 @ Goethe- Institut Washington, 812 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Art Professionals in Conversation About this Year’s Theme, The Encyclopedic Palace

Phillips after 5  Jazz and Swing in the 1930s

5:00pm til 8:30pm, Thu Jun 6 @ The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St NW, Washington, DC 20009

Join us for a Phillips after 5 inspired by the era of the Georges Braque exhibition.

Dance Exchange Summer Institute- Registration Discount!  Save 10% When You Register May 1-5th, 2013

8:00am til 12:00pm, Fri Jun 7 @ Dance Exchange, 7117 Maple Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Dance Exchange will host its annual Summer Institute in Takoma Park MD June 7-16, 2013 and we can’t wait for you to join in on the action! Come dance with us. Save 10% on the registration cost when you sign up May 1-5th, 2013. Use discount code DX10.

SUPERNOVA Performance Art Festival  

10:00am til 6:00pm, Fri Jun 7 @ Rosslyn, 1101 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22209

SUPERNOVA Performance Art Festival will bring together performance artists from DC and all over the world to make art and commotion in office lobbies, warehouses, rooftops, parks, and public spaces throughout Rosslyn. The festival will provide artists, participants, and passersby the opportunity to interact with contemporary art in a setting unusual for art, but usual in every other way. With events like Art Sports, a competitive rethinking of famous performance art acts for teams of friends, SUPERNOVA will offer summertime fun for all audiences, exposure to the frontiers of artistic expression, and a creative reinvention of Rosslyn’s spaces.Big crowd

Opening Reception for The Fridge exhibit It Was Written featuring Aniekan Udofia and HKS 181  

7:00pm til 11:00pm, Fri Jun 7 @ The Fridge DC, 516 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003

For It Was Written, opening June 7, 7 – 11pm, see the latest from the greatest DC street artists and muralists HKS 181 and Aniekan Udofia. Hip hop’s guiding principle of chronicling the culture of urban Americans has been replaced by an egocentric bravado rooted in fantasy. The paintings in It Was Written are born out of the artists' desire to document the importance of the commonly shared narrative to hip hop music. HKS and Aniekan borrow lyrics from the likes of Outkast, A Tribe Called Quest and The Last Emperor to create inventive paintings that re-imagine these classic songs in the visual art arena. DJ Nick tha 1da will spin at the opening.

Storytelling Boot Camp  A one-day crash course in the art of telling a story

9:30am til 4:30pm, Sat Jun 8 @ Mount Vernon Place Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001

Saturday, June 8, 2013 9:30am-4:30pm (with 45 min lunch) Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church 900 Massachusetts Ave, Washington, DC 20001 $165 thru midnight on Sunday May 26 thereafter it will be $185 18 students max with three instructors Insturctors: Stephanie Garibaldi, Vijai Nathan and Adam Ruben

Capitol Hill Photo Tour  Come for the history, leave with great photos

10:00am til 1:00pm, Sat Jun 8 @ U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC

The U.S. Capitol is more than the center of power. It's a great collection of art, history and outdoor gardens. See it with a licensed guide and photographer.

Family Garden Day - June 8  Garden, harvest, and cook with your loved ones at the Washington Youth Garden in the US National Arboretum!

10:00am til 12:30pm, Sat Jun 8 @ Washington Youth Garden, 3501 New York Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002

Join the talented Washington Youth Garden staff out in their one-acre organic demonstration garden from 10am-12:30pm for a fun and affordable family activity. Bring your kids and everyone can get your hands dirty, learn about gardening, harvest ripe produce and then prepare a healthy, seasonal dish with a local chef or nutrition expert.

Studio Time  Hands-on art lesson from contemporary artist Mequitta Ahuja

10:15am til 12:00pm, Sat Jun 8 @ Smithsonian Institution, National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC

Studio Time is a new program presented by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery that offers adults the chance to take an art lesson from an artist whose work is featured in the Portrait Gallery. Participants will learn about Mequitta Ahuja’s unique techniques as they create their own mixed-media artwork.Artsy

RUG & TEXTILE APPRECIATION MORNING  Textiles from the South Balkans

10:30am til 12:00pm, Sat Jun 8 @ The Textile Museum, 2320 S St NW, Washington, DC 20008

Collectors Tim and Penny Hays show and discuss the kilims, rugs, and other textiles of western Anatolia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Macedonia made by a variety of ethnic groups, including Christians, Muhajir, and Pomaks. Free; no reservations required.

Penn Quarter  a walking tour

11:00am til 1:00pm, Sat Jun 8 @ Meet outside Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Metro station, 701 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004

”Penn Quarter” describes downtown's Seventh Street corridor, where the 19th-century meets the 21st.

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Guest Post: When Everything Is Not Enough

I am a big believer in the power of the arts to do good.  The following is a story I was asked to share on my blog by someone who has struggled with drug addiction but has been able to turn around her life with the help of art therapy... 

When Everything Is Not Enough

My own experience with drug addiction deeply affected my family, and it is something I regret to this day. My children were very young – two daughters aged 6 and 8 – and I cannot pretend that they were not damaged by the events of two years ago. It is only with the passage of time that I am able to begin to come to terms with what I did to them, and how I can live with myself for the upset I caused.

My Story

My addiction was to heroin. You may wonder how a mother to two children, with a middle-class upbringing, ended up with a heroin habit. I have often wondered myself. I had always been a ‘wild child’ and even though motherhood calmed me down a great deal I felt I needed to express that side of myself too. I stayed in touch with friends who I had known as a teenager, some of whom had never grown up and settled down. My husband had been one of that group, but my friends were shocked at how conventional he became when the kids arrived. They encouraged me to go out drinking with them, and it was a great release for me from the pressures of being a parent, and a dutiful wife. These expectations of me were incredibly hard for me to live up to. I felt like a failure for not always being on top of the laundry, the housework, looking clean and smart and thin like the other mothers. I would miss school events, forget to take the clothes to the cleaners and burn the dinner. I felt useless and my self-esteem plummeted. The only time I felt alive was when I was out with my old friends. I felt young again and carefree, and not judged.

Addiction

We had smoked weed ever since we’d been at school. It was routine to spark up when we met, and one of my husband’s main gripes with me going out with my friends was the fact I always came home stoned. He began to forbid me from meeting up more than once a fortnight. I rebelled, and asked for some harder drugs from the man that supplied us from weed. I loved cocaine, as it brought me even more to life. I would return home flushed and excited and chatted into the small hours, either to my husband or friends on the phone. He became increasingly unhappy about the situation, and eventually he left. “You have everything,” he’d yell at me, “why isn’t it enough?”

He cited drug abuse as the reason he should have custody of the girls and won when I tested positive for cocaine. From that moment I spiraled downwards, until I asked for my dealer for heroin, just to find some release from reality. I think I hoped it might kill me, but it didn’t. It just left me with a desire for more and more and more. The bliss I discovered made me forget about my children, parents, loved ones. Before long I was totally addicted and dangerously ill.

Treatment

Luckily, the same friends who had facilitated my downfall came to my aid. After an overdose they got me to hospital and didn’t leave until they’d researched local treatment centers and secured a place for me. To be honest the first few days were a blur as I was sedated while my body adjusted to being without the drug. I remember pain and fear and deep, deep sadness. After a few days I was well enough to take part in some activities. I was finally eating again and felt strong enough to mix with others. My self-esteem was non-existent at this time, and I felt sure I would never have my children back, whatever I did. My suicidal thoughts never went away. That is until I started the art therapy classes that the treatment center laid on for us. Every day, between 3pm and 4.30 we could go to the studio and paint, sculpt or sew. I chose to paint, because I had always enjoyed that subject best when I was at High School. The art therapist was wonderful, and never interfered unless we wanted help. It was a peaceful time, and allowed me to rest from the psychotherapy I was undergoing the rest of the time.

Cure

Over the weeks that followed, those art classes saved me, I am quite sure. My ability increased as the kind therapist, who encouraged me to develop and experiment, taught me every day. I tried cartoons, pen and ink drawing, pastels, oils and acrylics. I liked working in chalks most, as there was something very bold about marking the paper with assured lines and it felt like I was making a statement of confidence every time I did it. It took a while to find that confidence, but all the ability I had had as a young teenager came back to me. I realized that I should have studied art back then, instead of running wild and marrying young. Art gave me the ability to go back in time and put right the things I had messed up. By the time I left the rehabilitation center I had turned my life around. I understood that by drawing and painting I could have something in my life I felt good about, a way of rebelling if I wished to, and a form of self-expression that was uniquely my own.

Hindsight

Looking back two years to the painful early days at the treatment center is not easy. But I can now say that I am proud of what I achieved. I have been clean of drugs ever since, and have thrown myself into creating art every day. The discipline of working at my easel every morning has given me a structure with which to rebuild my life. I now have my children back and am training to be an art therapist myself. Seeing how art helped to turn my life around has left me with a burning desire to help others. As soon as I qualify, I hope I will be doing just that.

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Wild Art Events!

My painting "Bo the Bulldog" is currently on display at Gallery Underground in Crystal City (Arlington, VA) along with the juried animal-themed artwork of a number of other extraordinary artists.

Please join me at the opening reception - and fundraiser benefitting The Animal Welfare League of Arlington - THIS FRIDAY, April 12th, from 5 to 8 pm.

Gallery Underground
2100 Crystal Drive Arlington, Virginia 22202

Free parking is available in the 20th Street garage (located between Jefferson Davis Highway and Crystal Drive); when you pull in, the gate will be up and in front of you, you will see a ramp with double glass doors. Enter through those doors and make a right after you go through the doors; the gallery is on the right just after Au Bon Pain.

(If you are unable to make the reception the exhibit will be on display through May 4th.)

but that's not all...

THIS SATURDAY is Yuri's Night - A celebration of Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's historic first manned space flight with an out-of-this-world party with LIVE BANDS, BURLESQUE, DANCE PARTY, AND MORE!!  Plus: Lots of fun art on sale including a number of my robot paintings!

Artisphere 

1101 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22209

For details, click here!

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Sean Hennessey

It's the end of another busy week and I'd like to take a moment to write about another amazing artist I know: Sean Hennessey

This is an example of the unusual artwork Sean creates:

See my last post for a photo of Sean being awarded the Bowling Pin of Excellence Award. Many things make me think of Sean... lightbulbs, plugs, doors, locks, lost coffee and good cognac to name a few.  

I forget the first time I met Sean but it was probably at Artomatic or an artdc.org event.  However, shortly after I became a full-time freelance artist in the summer of 2006 I had the opportunity to work with Sean on a large faux finishing project he needed an extra hand with. He showed me how to create faux stone and how to apply gold leaf in a classic damask pattern. Using these techniques we transformed the bare walls of a newly built mansion in Potomac, MD into a truly elegant home. It was not only a great opportunity to learn new artistic techniques but also a chance to get to know Sean better. 

Many artists are on the wild and bohemian side but Sean is the antithesis of this stereotype. He is professional and dependable and has a zen-like calm. Sean is a soft-spoken guy who has strong opinions but prefers to listen rather then preach. However, he is quick to offer good advice and encouragement and has an earnest appreciation for many different kinds of art.    

Sean is an explorer. He experiments with new mediums and incorporates the skills he has mastered as a set designer and faux finisher into his artwork. I have watched his sculptures evolve to incorporate a growing number of materials including concrete, steel, glass, paint, even LED lighting!  I have no idea what he'll do next but I am certain that it will be fascinating and I look forward to being surprised.  

See more of Sean's artwork at: 

http://dcsean.com

And, follow his blog at:

http://www.wheresmycoffee.com

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Whodoneit closing party

The Whodunit exhibit closing was much fun.  One of the paintings I had on display I created in the style of Dana Ellyn and she enjoyed seeing it... 

 
I'm always bad at remembering how to pronounce Dana's name and she once told me to think "Dana Banana" so now I do.

Also at the party Roger Cutler awarded Sean Hennessey with the infamous Bowling Pin of Excellence award...



The bowling match to determine the winner was very close and David Hagen came in 2nd place. I always enjoy hanging out with the Washington DC artist community!

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