Posts Tagged ‘Lights’
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
By Willona Sloan
Courtesy of David Holloway
As the lead singer for the now-defunct indie rock group The Dismemberment Plan, a wildly popular NoVa quartet with fans from Springfield to Japan, Travis Morrison developed a knack for creating energetic, eclectic songs with quirky lyrics. Now, the frontman for Travis Morrison Hellfighters adds to his original musical blend by taking inspiration from wherever it finds him. While Saturday nights he may be rocking crowds with toe-tapping Hellfighter beats, Sunday mornings he belts out heavenly hymns as a member of the Washington National Cathedral Choir. For Morrison, the volunteer gig is a great way to brush up on technique and develop new ways of constructing melodies. “It has really opened up my ear,” he said.
Morrison and his band of merry Hellfighters deliver the kind of rock music that makes you want to get up and shimmy (in a cool, sort of indie way, that is). “I like music that has motion and unexpected rhythms,” said Morrison, who would like to one day create a collaborative work with a dance troupe. “And, I like to make music that has a pulse to it.” To listen to tunes from the band’s second release, “All Y’all,” go to www.travismorrison.com.
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
Online Art Portals Open the Way for Discovery
By Caroline Small
Courtesy of Jane Haslem Gallery
Whether you’re looking for local galleries to haunt or trying to hang a local artist’s work in your living room, the Metro D.C. arts community is online to help you navigate the scene.
For dealer Jane Haslem of Washington, D.C.’s Jane Haslem Gallery, the Internet is the “perfect vehicle to cut through all the ‘big city art hype.’” Haslem’s site, Artlineplus.com (a regional spinoff of her international site, Artline.com), lists Mid-Atlantic dealers, artists, galleries and organizations, and also hosts the online version of Galleries Magazine, which has a calendar of local openings. Haslem’s gallery has been open since 1969, but “more people have visited my site in one month than in all 48 years that I have been a dealer,” she said.
Artist Jesse Cohen founded Artdc.org to give local emerging artists a visible public forum to talk to each other and to galleries, but Cohen said non-artists use the site, too, “to search for artists and ask questions about buying, collecting art, pricing and more.”
Get in-the-know news—and the best sidebar of links to all the sites we don’t have room to mention here—from artist and critic F. Lennox Campello at his Mid-Atlantic Art News blog, www.dcartnews.blogspot.com.
(March 2008)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
Area Theater Companies Vote for Helen Hayes Faves
By Alexis Gray Andrews
Karen Peakes as Isabella and Tony Nam (puppeteer) as Francisca in Folger Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure,” which earned a Helen Hayes Award in 2007. Courtesy of Folger Theatre/Carol Pratt
“Not only do the Helen Hayes Awards honor those in the D.C.-area theater community for their artistic excellence and service, but it is also the one time a year when we get to recognize the diverse and large theater community we are fortunate enough to be a part of,” said Michael Baron, associate director for Arlington’s Signature Theatre.
Since 1983, the Helen Hayes Awards have gathered local theater companies to compete for numerous honors, including recognition for directing, acting and stage design. Baron said the awards bring a sense of history to each year’s celebration, as they are named after one of the leading ladies of stage.
The awards’ namesake was a Washington, D.C. native who enjoyed an acting career that spanned almost 70 years. Her diligence earned her a reputation as the First Lady of the American Theater. In addition to two Academy Awards, the hardworking Hayes also won an Emmy, a Grammy and a Tony Award. Hayes was one of the program’s original collaborators, and served as an organizer until her death in 1993.
Though most nominees attend the ceremony with a good-natured hunger for competition, many theater companies are known to offer support and respect to their rivaling organizations.
“I always root for Adventure Theatre because they do children’s plays, and we don’t,” Baron said. Signature has been honored with 212 Helen Hayes Award nominations and 54 Helen Hayes Awards since 1992, he added.
Janet Griffin, artistic producer for D.C.’s Folger Theatre, said she loves rooting for the artists—both actors and designers—who she especially admires. “Thanks to the growing theater scene in Washington, certainly aided and supported by Helen Hayes, these artists tend to work all over town, and so I readily cheer for many constituencies. It’s a big family.” In 2007, Folger received several awards, including Outstanding Resident Play for “Measure for Measure.”
Will Dockery, of the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, Md., expressed support for James Kronzer, Olney’s resident scenic designer, who won the 2007 Outstanding Set Design award for his work with the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of “The Beaux’ Strategem,” not for his work on Olney’s production of “The Foreigner,” for which he was also nominated. “While it would have been nice if ‘The Foreigner’ had won, we were still very excited for James and his accomplishment,” Dockery said.
No matter who wins, Griffin said, the awards, set for April 28, help to raise the public profiles of the work each theater does year-round, while building camaraderie for this “friendly competition.”
“Ultimately, the awards encourage each of us to not only honor the past season, but look toward the possibilities of exciting seasons to come,” Baron said.
(March 2008)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
Slave museum fights to shake off financial shackles
By Willona Sloan
Construction on the United States National Slavery Museum is slated to begin in 2009. Courtesy of the United States National Slavery Museum
Former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder first conceived the idea for the United States National Slavery Museum (USNSM) after a trip to Senegal in 1992. Though it has been years in the making, the interactive museum, designed by Chien Chung Pei, is still more dream than reality.
Funds permitting, construction will take place along the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg beginning in 2009, but that date has yet to be set in concrete. Despite the passionate efforts of Wilder and board members such as Bill Cosby, fundraising efforts have stalled.
“Hurricane Katrina has posed quite a challenge to our fundraising,” said Dr. Vonita Foster, executive director. USNSM has raised about $50 million towards the $200 million goal.
Even though it hasn’t been built yet, organizers are clear about the mission. “The museum is founded on the ideals of quality and justice,” said Foster. “We want to design the exhibits for young people to help them to embrace and learn as much as they can about American history.”
While visitors may have a long wait for the museum’s grand opening, the USNSM opened an exhibit garden in June 2007 that is available year-round, so be sure to see this bit of history-in-the-making.
Visit www.usnationalslaverymuseum.org or call 540-548-8818.
(February 2008)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
National Opera Initiative Reaches Out to New Audiences
By Willona Sloan
Washington National Opera brought their production of “La Bohème” to 32 high schools nationwide via live simulcasts. Courtesy of Washington National Opera
With legendary Plácido Domingo at the helm, Washington National Opera (WNO) has secured its base of traditional fans peeking through opera glasses to catch the onstage action. Last fall WNO revolutionized the opera experience. In an effort to reach new audiences, the company’s unconventional performance of Puccini’s “La Bohème” was brought to the National Mall and to 32 high schools, colleges and universities, from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco via live simulcasts. The successful event was just one of the many innovative ideas WNO has implemented to cultivate a new crop of opera lovers.
“We are going around the country to attract young viewers to the world of opera,” said WNO president Kenneth Feinberg. “We must find ways to attract young audiences to opera and show them that it doesn’t have to be something that is stuffy.”
Despite its dusty image, opera is an art form that can actually speak to the iGeneration. To bridge the gap, WNO offers local schools several opportunities to both expose young students to the beauty of opera and assist educators who want to infuse the complex art form into their curricula. The Student Dress Rehearsal Program gives middle and high school-aged youth a chance to peek into final dress rehearsals of WNO’s main stage productions. In addition to free access to top-rate performances, students receive a CD and resource information to help them better understand the production. For younger children (grades 3-6) there is the “Opera Look-In” program, featuring a performance and an up-close look at how operas are put together, including demos of technical special effects.
WNO offers a diverse array of activities to meet the needs of different educational programs. “We send docents to high schools, public and private schools, charter schools and even home-schools,” said Rebecca Kirk, associate, Education & Community Programs. “We have really reached out to students nationally and locally.” WNO also works with local libraries and even helps Brownie and Junior Girl Scout troops to earn an “Art of Opera” patch. WNO hasn’t forgotten about the young professionals (i.e., emerging donors). Generation O is a social org for 18- to 35-year-old fans who gain access to exclusive performances by the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists and behind-the-scenes adventures.
Through all its outreach, WNO wants to spread a simple message that even a kid can understand: Opera really can be fun.
Educators interested in integrating opera into the curriculum should call 202-448-3465 or email education@dc-opera.org. Visit www.dc-opera.org for information about WNO.
(February 2008)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
Captured wrath aims to inspire
By Maureen Horcher
Courtesy of Anna Fine Foer
Ominous clouds and agitated waves predict an inevitable storm. Swimming seismographs warn of the tsunami to come, and land maps show where the worst of the fury will materialize.
The described piece, “Terremoto Sumatra,” is not typical artwork. Instead, it’s a collage of maps and seismograph readings used to illustrate a tsunami. Artist Anna Fine Foer’s map collages combine text, abstraction, imaginary landscapes and spiritual themes, all with the aim of adding a fourth dimension of the spiritual realm to a three-dimensional world.
“My artwork is collage, integrating maps and text that offer the viewer a combination of conceptual art and spiritual themes,” she wrote on her website, www.annafineart.com. “My focus on the secular and the sacred explores the ways in which they may be combined.” The maps suggest multiple meanings and enhance the piece’s political or religious significance.
(January 2008)
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
Purcellville Center Promises a Stage for All Things Arts
By Trudi Van Dyke
Courtesy of Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center
Conjure up Loudoun County—back country roads, solitary farms, meandering stone fences and a long drive to D.C. for a culture fix. Not so for long. The Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center is bursting onto the scene.
Sculptor Cindy Lowther, 64, has long given back to her community as an activist for the arts. Last February she was elected to serve as president of the Friends of Franklin Park board and is working diligently with her committees to coordinate the nuts and bolts of moving forward to opening day. This non-profit group is busy coordinating with the county to provide a series of opening activities. They will be spearheading events to thank all the donors and garner input for programming.
“We are reaching out into the community and asking questions and listening, listening, listening to what the county’s art groups and artists would like to see happen in the inaugural year,” Lowther stated. The advantage of drawing so many folks into the initial planning structure means that there will be strong opportunities for media cross-pollination. This intimate center will not be able to meet all the needs of this expanding community, but it is the first and only dedicated home for the arts in Loudoun. Its success will help pave the way for strengthening the area’s arts infrastructure.
The Franklin Farm property was donated to the county, and forward-thinking citizens began raising money for the timber-framed construction of the center. As a result, enthusiastic community members raised not only funds, but also awareness. Wisely, the county stepped forward with a bond issue that is completing the multi-million dollar build out. The well-rounded 13,500-square-foot facility will be a showcase for all the arts in Loudoun County. It will include a 200-seat performance hall, a visual arts gallery and classroom space.
County staff will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the center. Jeff Stern, 40, has taken the helm at full speed and is enthusiastic about the potential impact the facility will have on residents and the arts in Loudoun. Stern remarked, “When the center is in full operation, the community will have the opportunity to enjoy the work of so many talented artists who make Loudoun their home and contribute to making it such a vibrant place to live and work.”
“Search the website for programs and events, or better yet, come and visit,” Stern and Lowther invited. Visit www.franklinparkartscenter.org.
(January 2008)