Category: news

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“things that make you go hmmmm…”

I was going through my normal Google Reader morning routine and the title of an entry from my boyJomo’s blog caught my attention. The title was The Whole Foods Conundrum, in the post, he was pondering the question whether he would continue to shop at Whole Foods because of the logical implications of the opinions of John Mackey’s op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Mackey is the CEO of Whole Foods.

In a nutshell, basically Mackey, using an interpretation of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, opines that “a careful reading of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter.”..WHOA!!
I am not a law student like my man Jomo, but something in Mackey’s analysis does not sit well with me.

Perhaps I am a little naive and ignorant of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, but “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” , establishing Justice, insuring domestic Tranquility, promoting “the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” , sound pretty comprehensive to me, surely health care, food or shelter fall in there somewhere, but again I am not serious student of the Constitutional Law so I could be wrong.

Perhaps even more disturbing is the question that Jomo raise on this blog poemusing, he quests

Based on the “historical background” surrounding the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, would Mackey support repeal of every amendment that granted “new” rights… to Blacks? to women? etc.?

In addition to my feelings about health care as a right, the line of questioning that Jomo poses is making me consider going down the same rabbit hole…I, too, would be interested in hearing more of Mackey’s opinons about the rights of African Americans, Women, etc as a function his “careful reading” that seeks to “to codify a pre-existing right, rather than to fashion a new one.”

Besides I already have a bone to pick to with Mackey for not putting a Whole Foods somewhere in DC east of the 14th Street NW or better yet east of North Capitol Street..;-)

Check out Jomo’s poemusing and then check out Mackey’s op-ed in the WSJ

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around my way: Summer Jamboree: Live Music and Art in Anacostia

Summer Jamboree: Live Music and Art in Anacostia

Vivid Solutions DC and Honfleur Gallery will host concurrent arts events this Friday night at 7pm. The closing receptions kick off at 7pm for Chandi Kelley’s solo exhibition Timelines and for Reincorporation Jamboree, a group show featuring emerging artists looking at societal rites of passage. Vivid Solutions DC and Honfleur Gallery are located in the historic district of Anacostia, just a four block walk from each other.

Reincorporation Jamboree at Honfleur Gallery: 7-9pm

Artists Seeking a Secular Coming of Age

Artists like Joseph Beuys have built catalogs of work looking at rites of passage. Reincorpartion Jamboree draws

from the work of five young artists who have emerged from what could be considered contemporary American rites of passage like: middle school dances, under employment, financing higher education and urban survival. Curator and DC artist Steven Frost examines this emergence with a group of young artists from several regions of the US. The work of Kristina Bilonick (Washington, DC), Ben Fino-Radin (Providence, RI), Hatnim Lee (Brooklyn, NY), Sean M. Johnson (Boston, MA), and Theo Knox (San Francisco, CA) premiers at Honfleur Gallery in this incisive body of contemporary study of reincorporation. www.honfleurgallery.com

Timelines at Vivid Solutions DC: 7-9pm

Solo Exhibition of works by Chandi Kelley

Exhibition dates: June 22nd – September 8th

Timelines, a collection of photographs inspired by the theme of memory and mystery, are constructed images of bookends, antique books and wallpaper. Methodically photographed, the spines of the books function as a timeline reading from left to right. The text and image combine in a striking, evocative collection. Ms. Kelley was awarded the Young Artist Program Grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for this body of work, and Timelines is the artist’s first solo show. www.vividsolutionsdc.com

The Bellevederes at Honfleur Gallery: 9pm-?

Baltimore-based soul music collective breathes “fresh air into vintage tracks.” Self described as “Baltimore boogaloo”, the 9-piece band is dedicated to the old-school soul and funk, and to playing it right. Drawing members from other popular regional bands (Caleb Stine and the Brakemen, The Red Vines etc), the Bellevederes have a fun, fresh sound not to be missed. Honfleur’s 2009 Concert Series is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts & The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities. www.thebellevederes.com.

Vivid Solutions and Honfleur Gallery are projects of ARCH Development Corporation, a community based not for profit in Historic Anacostia. ARCH has been a member of the Anacostia Community for over 20 years and believes that arts and culture play an important role in community revitalization & development.

Honfleur Gallery is a contemporary art space in Historic Anacostia, located at 1241 Good Hope Road SE.

Vivid Solutions is a fine art digital print lab and exhibition space, is located at 2208 MLK Jr. Ave SE.

Their close proximity to 395, Capitol Hill and to the Anacostia Green Line Metro make them easily accessible from downtown DC. For further inquiries, please contact Amy Cavanaugh, Honfleur Gallery Director, at 202-580-5972. The Summer Jamboree events are free and open to the public. High-resolution images available upon request.

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around my way: art

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The Pink Line Project’s Picture Equality comes back to Anacostia check it out here

As part of the Anacostia Art Walk for the Anacostia Cherry Blossom Festival a couple weeks ago, The Pink Line Project produced an awesome art exhibit celebrating youth making art for social change, with the curating assistance of Chanel Compton. It’s a really special exhibit so we decided to open it up again so more people can experience the work of these remarkable young artists.

Picture Equality
Graffiti, Turntables, and Documentary Photography

Friday, May 1
9pm – 12am
@ 2204 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, SE
Awesome Anacostia!

View pictures of the opening and the exhibit here and here.

About: Critical Exposure and Words Beats & Life are Washington DC based youth arts organizations that empower their students to be the leaders of today. The featured works, graffiti and photograph were created by students and supporters in order to promote social change and to share their creative vision.

Special thanks to Red Bull for their support of this project.
Click here here for more info

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Lyrical City writing workshop series

City as Memory: A Lyrical City Writing Workshop
Whether we were born in Washington, DC or migrated here, the city functions as a living repository, holding memories of people, places and events in our lives. What happens to our memories as the city evolves and changes, as landmarks disappear and new sparkling edifices take their place? How do we write about the places and people that have shaped us? What have you been a witness to? How do we look into the mirror at ourselves?

E. Ethelbert Miller kicks off the Lyrical City writing workshop series with a class on memoir. In addition to the workshop on Sunday, all are invited to attend his presentation “No Women, Two Books, One Man: An examination of memoirs and family” the day before at the Washington Historical Society (details below).

Bio
E. Ethelbert Miller is a literary activist. In addition to several volumes of poetry, he is the author of two memoirs, Fathering Words, and most recently, The 5th Inning. He is the board chairperson of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), a board member of The Writer’s Center and editor of Poet Lore magazine. Since 1974, he has been the director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University. Mr. Miller is the former chair of the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. and a former core faculty member of the Bennington Writing Seminars at Bennington College.

About Lyrical City
Lyrical City is a six-part writing workshop series facilitated by outstanding writers with a strong DC connection. The workshops focus on the African-American poetry tradition in DC and various cultural aspects of the city. The workshops are open to all. There is also at least one slot reserved in each workshop for an emerging youth writer (age 16-25).

Participation is limited to 12 people. The cost of each workshop is $25. Some partial scholarships are available. (To request a scholarship, please include a 2-3 sentences briefly explaining your financial needs.) Residents of the Mt. Vernon neighborhood receive a discounted rate. To apply for the workshop, please send an email with your name, a brief paragraph (50-150 words) explaining what you hope to get out of the workshop and one poem. Accepted applicants will be notified on how to make advance payment (online or via snail mail).

The first workshop will take place on Sunday May 3 from 4-6:30pm at Busboys & Poets, 5th & K, in the Cullen Room.

Upcoming workshops will be facilitated by Reuben Jackson, Thomas Sayers Ellis,Toni Asante Lightfoot and Sharan Strange.
This workshop is funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts

The Historical Society of Washington, DC presents:
“No Women, Two Books, One Man: An examination of memoirs and family”
Saturday, May 2, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
801 K Street, NW at Mount Vernon Square, Washington, DC 20001
Ethelbert Miller discusses his two memoirs—Fathering Words and his new book,
The 5th Inning. This discussion is an opportunity to talk about love, divorce, marriage, and family life. Are all the stories true? Come and find out. The author writes in his new book, “This book is a riff on middle-age, marriage, fatherhood, and failure. In baseball the fifth inning can represent a complete game. The structure of this book consists of balls and strikes. As a writer I might now and then throw the reader a curve.”
(Ages 12 to Adults) RSVP@historydc.org or 202-383-1828. FREE

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Gerard Caliste Opening in Saturday, Santa Monica April 4th

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If you happen to be in Southern Cal this weekend an artist whose work i came across is going to be showing at the Lois Lambert Gallery (http://www.loislambertgallery.com/) in Santa Monica April 4th – May10th. His name is Gerard Caliste and his website is http://www.gerardcalisteart.com. check it out!