Map of Art Venues in DC

CommunityWalk Map - Washington, DC Art

I just came across this map of arts venues in the DC area, and wanted to pass it along. To add a venue to the map, you just need to register with the CommunityWalk website (it takes 2 minutes). I noticed that no one had posted any performing arts spaces, so I added the Source Theater, and plan to add additional theaters as well.

I like the democratic, community-generated nature of this - the only problem is that it doesn't allow you to represent online arts spaces that are run out of DC, or that explore DC somehow. Maybe the map needs a layer that you can turn on or off, that lets you see "virtual DC," as well.

Enjoy...

Creative DC's Best of 2007

Like the amp in Spinal Tap, this list goes to 11.

1. Candidates answering questions from voters, not just journalists (refreshing for the quality of many of the questions, and for the fact that candidates were held more accountable than usual for answering questions directly).

2. Marching in my first anti-war protest.

3. Getting involved with the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL), which by the way helped find homes for 1,100 dogs this year (150% increase over 2006)...such a great organization. (Fun fact: WARL was founded in 1914, when it mostly took care of horses).

4. Food, glorious food: Eating the best meal of my life at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA. Various sushi orgasms dinners. Coconut donuts at Heller's Bakery in Mount Pleasant. Juice from Green (at MINT).

5. Travel: Playing with Cosmo in the snow in Central Park. Playing house in New York. Wine country hedonism. Overnight in Chincoteague: ocean, sunset over a corn field, all-you-can-eat shrimp.

6. Artistic works from years past that I discovered in '07: I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (thank you, Netflix). Upright Citizens Brigade on Comedy Central. Regina Spektor's "Begin to Hope."

7. Yoga with Jordan.

8. Michelle moved to town.

9. Improv high points: Performing with The Shower at the Del Close Improv Marathon. Building the new JINX. Seeing NoGoodnicks at IO Chicago.

10. SNL digital shorts, especially this one.

11. Someone telling me they started taking improv classes because of this blog.

I know I've been spotty about writing for the past couple of months. One of my new year's resolutions is to begin posting more regularly again. I'm typically cynical about resolutions - I prefer to set intentions - but this is a specific goal that I want to commit to. This renewed commitment is mostly due to #11 above, and other feedback I've gotten lately that reminds me why I started Creative DC: to help inspire even one person in this city; to help activate their creativity.

What are your resolutions, or intentions, as you head into '08? What creative projects or life changes is it time to move off the back burner? Carve out some time for yourself to reflect on these questions, even if it's only 10 minutes. Brainstorm. You may be surprised by what comes to you.

I'd also love to hear YOUR "best of 2007" lists. What art/event/person/idea captured your attention or made a big impact on you in the past year?

Wishing you a 2008 that goes to 11*.

*I realize this constitutes one too many references to this for one post. But I couldn't resist.

Festivus Party at Tonic Tonight

In the "creative holiday celebrations" category: tonight, Tonic Restaurant in Mount Pleasant is hosting a Festivus celebration:

"We'll be observing all of the Festivus rights this year. Sign up for the "Feats of strength" starting at 8:30, then the Wii boxing tournament will begin at 9:00. Gather around the Festivus pole with us, and at 10:00 we'll be giving everyone a chance to partake in the "Airing of Grievances" over the PA system."

Meanwhile, across town, I'll be visiting Temperance Hall for the first time, as part of my husband's office's holiday party. How did I not know about this place until now, when it's about to close?

...Ironically, I started watching Seinfeld when it was in re-runs.

But hey, you can totally trust me to tell you about cool stuff ahead of time.

TOTALLY.

"Pecha Kucha" is Japanese for "the sound of conversation"

A friend just told me about Pecha Kucha Night, an event that happens in cities around the globe and that's happening in DC tonight (sorry about the, uh, last-minute notice...sign up for their email alerts, and go next time!).

Here's an explanation of the event, from the official website:

Pecha Kucha Night...was conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. (Admittedly, it was also a way to get more people to visit SuperDeluxe - their then newly opened multimedia event space in Tokyo).

But as we all know, give a mike to a designer (especially an architect) and you'll be trapped for hours. The key to Pecha Kucha Night is its patented system for avoiding this fate. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each - giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show.

Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation) has tapped into a demand for a forum in which creative work can be easily and informally shown, without having to rent a gallery or chat up a magazine editor. This is a demand that seems to be global - as Pecha Kucha Night, without any pushing, has spread virally to over 80 cities across the world.

I love it.