DC Artists on Display

"For the first time the District will have a permanent collection of art to show off the talent of our local artists." -DCist

This permanent exhibit at the John A. Wilson building opens tonight.

Sunshine on a cloudy day

I was looking through old photos today, and found this one, which reminds me of how I feel sometimes on rainy days like today...trying to be cheerful, and to find a splash of color amidst the gray. Better not to fight it, I guess: here's wishing you a cozy evening inside, with warm things like red wine and a fire in the fireplace. (Or, the next best thing.)

Benefit to End Humorlessness in DC

A worthy cause indeed. Proceeds support an organization you know I love, Washington Improv Theater.

Check it out.

Fashion, schmashion

"Oh, never mind the fashion. When one has a style of one’s own, it is always twenty times better."
-Margaret Oliphant, British novelist

I am no fashionista, but even I know that Washingtonian's recent list of the area's 10 best-dressed women is a bunch of hooey. (I wish I could link to it, but the magazine's Web site seems to be very scaled back right now as they gear up for a relaunch over the weekend.) While I personally have never enjoyed shopping enough to really embrace fashion as a means of self expression, I admire people with a strong sense of style - and a strong sense of style is not what I saw in this spread. My heart actually sank as I flipped through the entire issue of the magazine, and thought, "this is how the rest of the world sees us" - and that is not the DC I know.

In the realm of fashion alone, DC is far more imaginative than so many mainstream depictions of it would have you believe. Take, for example, Unsung Designers, a group of independent fashion designers who sell their wares online and from a "speakeasy location" (their words, not mine) just off 18th Street, NW. The designers aren't all from DC - in fact, they're from all over the world - but the company is DC-based. For more information, and to browse their collection, visit their Web site. You can also follow their coverage of emerging trends in the Unsung Blog.

For more evidence of originality in the realm of fashion, DC-style, check out TranquiliT's annual holiday trunk show. The event, held at the Tranquil Space yoga studio on December 2, will showcase female designers and other artists. More info here.

Again, I'm no fashion guru, but I know that "best dressed" means having a unique sense of style, and while you may not see people with style on every DC street corner, they're here; and they're not featured in Washingtonian.

Applers, unite

"5 Things to Do With Apples" from today's Sunday Source includes ideas such as apple-as-candle-holder and, my personal favorite, dried-apple-as-shriveled-old-lady-face. More apple ideas available from, you guessed it, the U.S. Apple Association. Ah, D.C., the town where every animal, vegetable and mineral has an association to call its own.

Crosswalk

Last weekend I noticed this crosswalk at the corner of 14th and R Streets NW. Does anyone know the story behind it?

UPDATE 10.25.06
Thanks to a Creative DC reader for sharing that this is apparently a prototype of a concept that the DC Department of Transportation is trying out, as reported on DCist. (Oh, and apparently it's at 14th and S. My bad.)

The idea is that snazzy crosswalks will help draw more attention to said crosswalks, hence improving traffic safety. Plus, they're nice to look at. I applaud this creative (and aesthetically pleasing) solution to a chronic problem. Apparently the design is pressed into the asphalt with a giant waffle-iron-like contraption. I'd love to see that process.

I'm back

Hi everyone. Sorry for the unforeseen sabbatical... my mom actually had a heart attack, which kind of kills the blogging mood. She's recovering and I'm starting to feel like I can think about other things.

One happy distraction is the latest show from Washington Improv Theater, the iMusical (gee, that was an awkward segue - no way to really be graceful about it, though, is there?). I have to confess, if my husband and several friends weren't in the show, I might be inclined to skip it - musicals aren't really my thing - but it is really a zany, jolly blast of fun. Very playful, and when they really nail a song - when it sounds good, and rhymes, and makes sense for the story - it is truly a sight to behold. Even the songs that are a little rough around the edges are a ton of fun; in general, part of what makes improv so much fun to watch is knowing that the performers are out there without a net - I think this makes you inherently root for them as audience members, and that effect is amplified when they're ballsy enough to break into song.

For every person who's mortified at the thought of singing in front of other people, there's someone who dreams of being the next American Idol - and I think this is a show that will speak to both types.

More info and showtimes (there's a show tonight, 8pm, at the Flashpoint Theater)

Read the Post's review

Be back soon

Hi folks,

I had to head out of town unexpectedly, and have spotty Internet access- I'll be back in the next couple of days.

-Amanda

Ideas for a Rainy Friday Night

1. Go to the movies. In particular, see "This Film is Not Yet Rated." When you learn how the MPAA makes its decisions (and who makes its decisions), you will be rightly pissed. (I don't want to give away too much, but let me just say that when I learned who comprises the MPAA appeals board, which filmmakers face when they want to challenge the rating their film has been assigned -- I was surprised that in this cynical world, I could still be be quite so shocked by anything anymore.)

Tip: Bring the City Paper so you have something to do during all the pre-movie ads. Booo, pre-movie ads.

2. Watch a movie at home. Best thing I've seen lately is Hustle and Flow. But given the weather forecast, this would also be a good weekend for a marathon - watch all 3 Godfathers, or a slew of classic musicals... etc.

Tip: Wear pajamas. Eat cookies.

3. Park yourself and a few people whose company you genuinely enjoy at a favorite coffee house, tea house or bar. Go somewhere you can actually talk. Luxuriate there all evening.

Tip: Turn off your cell phone.

4. Make art. Turn on some good music, haul out those art supplies, and go to town.

Tip: Do this more often.

On Uncomfortable Shoes, Notecards, Comic Books and Bottle Caps

Last night I decided to walk home from a class I'm taking downtown. This was a mistake, since it was humid out and I wasn't wearing good walking shoes. I arrived back in Adams Morgan sweaty and blistery, and decided to stop in at Idle Time Books for a little browsing before completing the trek home.

I found a few notecards I liked (raise your hand if you love notecards - I got one for my office that says, "Life is easier than you'd think; all that is necessary is to accept the impossible and bear the intolerable"-Kathleen Norris), and as I was checking out, I noticed a neon orange flyer for the upcoming Small Press Expo, aka SPX2006. What is the SPX2006, you ask? Well, according to their Web site, it's, "the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent." As someone who knows zero about comic books, this event still looks incredibly interesting - probably because it will offer a window into a world I know so little about. It's coming up October 13-14 at the Bethesda Marriott. Official event poster at left.

As I browsed the SPX site, I started thinking about American Splendor, a film about comic artist Harvey Pekar that I adore. I adore it because of how it portrays a burning, churning, not always pretty drive to create. And for those of you who think creative people are an elite group with exclusive membership, note that this guy was a working class file clerk; he just couldn't hold it in. As a bottle cap I found once proudly proclaims:

"The Urge to Create Is Always Great."

Art for Life

Art Auction
benefiting the Latino Services
of Whitman-Walker Clinic

"Art for Life is a reception and live/silent auction that raises money to help Whitman-Walker Clinic serve Latinos living in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. This annual art auction is made possible by local, national and international artists who donate their works to the auction and our sponsors and individual donors."

When: Friday, Nov. 17, 2006 at 6 p.m.

Where: Organization of American States,
17th St. and Constitution Ave., N.W.

Learn more, buy tickets and view the auction catalogue on the Whitman-Walker Web site.

Leaping in the Dark

"Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next, or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark."

-Agnes de Mille

(Or, as Nike says: JUST DO IT - whatever "it" may be for you; the thing you've wondered about and worried about and thought maybe you'd like to try, maybe it's meant for you. Just do it.)

Crafty Bastards Photos

This photo captures the feeling of yesterday's Crafty Bastards craft fair. It was taken by LollyKnit, a local craftswoman and blogger. Find more photos of the event on Flickr, including a few (unremarkable) shots mixed in from yours truly.

Crafty Bastards

I'm tired so these aren't very profound, but a few reflections on today's Crafty Bastards craft fair:

1. I think I have OD'd on cute and/or ironic tshirts.

2. I am a sucker for bath and body products. My friends were buying buttons and tshirts and patches for their backpacks; I bought bath salts and lip balm.

3. Lamps made from cocktail umbrellas are cool.

4. It was exciting to see the fruits of so many people's labors, and to think about all the passion they put into their work. I heard one craftswoman saying she drove down from Chicago with her parents and they wouldn't let her stop for food, so all she'd eaten were stale corn chips. She was selling bibs, including one with a picture of bacon on it, which she promised was soy bacon.

5. The cookies from Sticky Fingers bakery were delicious.

I'll post some photos later this week.