Who You Gonna Call?
There’s nothing like an 80′s classic to kickoff the week. And, folks, it doesn’t get more “I Love the 80′s” than Ghostbusters. This retro single from the film’s soundtrack is our subtle way of signaling the last #redlinedc event of the summer. Come Wednesday, we’ll be wrapping things up right, with an outdoor screening near New York Avenue metro station.
Before featuring that ghostly, cult comedy, our partners at NoMa will show a rough cut version of See Something, Say Something, the first installment of our two-part documentary. We can’t think of a better way to wind down our events and amp up our online fundraising than a screening that’s smack dab on the Red line.
So, come join us on the grass and get cozy … It’s nearly showtime.
The Blacker the Byrdie …
Thursday night’s event at Blackbyrd went off without a hitch! We’re, now, a little over $1700 on Indiegogo and feeling oh-so-good about ourselves. Still plenty of fundraising and post-production work ahead, but the closeout fundraising party gave us lots of motivation to keep up the momentum and keep having fun in the process.
Check out the photos from the event, compliments of our photo editor Yodith Dammlash. There are also a few aerial shots of the crowd, courtesy of Mr. Damu the Fudgemunk, himself. Dammlash’s P.O.V. works the crowd, while the talented musician offers his birds-eye view. Lots of memorable moments throughout. See for yourself …
(And don’t forget to join us for the very last #redlinedc event: An outdoor screening of See Something, Say Something by New York Ave. metro station on Wednesday, June 27th. Details TK!)
Thursday Night Lights
We can hardly wait for tomorrow! The long-awaited closeout fundraising party for Red Line D.C. is finally here and happening at Blackbyrd, Thursday night from 6-9 p.m. Though, this won’t be our last event in June, it will be the last cocktail-fueled occasion With one month left on our Indiegogo campaign, the contributions during and after our closeout party will be used to see us through the last phase of the documentary–post-production.
But to fund that final stretch, we need to familiarize more folks with the project. Which means, bring a friend or two, because tomorrow’s happiest of happy hours will be our final in-person push. Sample footage will be projected while His Dope-ness, Damu the Fudgemunk works the 1′s & 2′s. There’s no point even missing this, people!
So, before we go back into our dark and isolated editing cave for the rest of the summer, we want to see you and bask in the spotlight. Maybe even have a dance or two.
So, How Was Your Weekend?
This past Friday was a great success for Red Line D.C. The people were present, the music was thumping and #RasPunch was being poured in abundance. Our end-of-the-week happy hour offered, yet, another opportunity to generate interest in the project. As sneak peek footage from the documentary played in the background, filmmaker Saaret Yoseph mingled with the crowd and appealed to attendees to support the efforts they saw on-screen.
We raised nearly $600 that one night, thanks to small contributions and sales from our first batch of Red Line D.C. T-shirts. Check out the photos from the evening. And, in case you missed all the action at Ras, be sure to join us this Thursday night at our closeout party at Blackbyrd (6-9 p.m., 2005 14th St, NW). No doubt, this next event will be just as fun & fruitful as the last.
A Cure for the Mondays
Nothing starts the week off right like good news. And ours offers something to look forward to this Friday: A sneak peek of Red Line D.C. On June 15th, from 6-9 p.m., director and producer Saaret Yoseph will be screening footage, photos and snippets from the documentary at Ras Restaurant & Lounge. Join us for happy hour drinks and discussion. Find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for event updates and information.
Hope to see you then!
Main Event(s): Show Up & Show Love
Remember those promises we made about Red Line D.C. and summer fun? Well, summer is upon us, people, so set your sights–and synchronize your calendars–for all the fun in-store for you. In preparation for upcoming events, we just launched a seven-week long fundraising campaign to promote the project and pay for the costs & labor needed to make Red Line D.C. come to life. Please check out our campaign page and contribute what you can.
In the meantime, show some love at one (or ALL) of the events we have planned for June. Bring yourself, a few friends and a lot of enthusiasm. We’ll be expecting you …
UPCOMING RED LINE D.C. EVENTS:
Red Line D.C. Happy Hour & Sneak Peek Screening
Friday, June 15th
6-9 p.m.
RAS Restaurant
4809 Georgia Ave, NW
(btw. Decatur St. & Delafield Pl.)
Red Line D.C. Closeout Party
Thursday, June 21st
6-9 p.m.
Blackbyrd
2005 14th St, NW
(btw. V & U st)
Walk a Little, Talk a Little Art
This weekend, Red Line D.C. went east of the river to attend a panel discussion, The Importance of Art in Public, at Anacostia Library. In a public building showing off its own aesthetic appeal, local residents gathered to hear what the artists, gatekeepers and administrators behind citywide public art projects had to say about their work’s significance. Moderating the panel was Phillip Kennicott, arts and culture writer for the Washington Post. Kennicott kicked things off by asking the panelists to consider how they defined public art and how that art “finishes a space; keeps a space present.” Though, all the participants made interesting points, standout quotes from the Saturday afternoon event came by way of Dierde Thayer Ehlen, public art manager for the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, and Wanda Aikens, executive director of Ward 7 Arts Collaborative. It was Ehlen’s belief, for example, that public art be “molded into the fabric of a community,” while Aikens thought it essential for a city to have “fertile ground for people to create.” Always ready to keep the red line relevant, we asked the panelists if they valued illegal public art, like metro graffiti. Talk of the Metro-Branch Trail and marginalized artworks ensued. (Excerpted video of their responses TK!)
After talking about public art at the panel, we wandered around Anacostia to find the real thing. A nearby MuralsDC site at Bread for the City (Good Hope Rd & 10th St, SE) had just been completed last week. And, not far from there, lead artist Bryan Conner and his apprentice artists were putting in work on a massive parking lot mural off Martin Luther King Blvd. Take a look at the flicks to see whats been done and what’s in-store to see for the future. To follow Aikens’ advice, public art productions, like these, are good for “waking up brain cells with color.”
MuralsDC Celebrates a Summer of Graffiti at the H Street Temporium
September 6, 2011: WBL's executive director Mazi Mutafa (r) and art director Cory Stowers (c) with D.C. councilmember and MuralsDC founder Jim Graham.
WBL’s “The Show,” which displays the work of MuralsDC’s lead and apprentice artists will be taking place at the Temporium (1300 H st, NE) until September 13th. Check it out while you can!
Come for the Grub, Stay for the Graffiti
Our last pre-fall hoorah has arrived! To wrap up a summer of art across the city, WBL will be hosting an exhibit and BBQ Tuesday night at 1300 H Street, NE. Besides graffiti talk and good grub, expect to find gallery pieces by lead artists and apprentice artists who have contributed to the latest crop of public art projects throughout the District. And keep a lookout for our project, as well. We’ll be bugging you to supply questions for future Red Line D.C. interviews and showing footage of MuralsDC leaving its mark on the red line. Click here, to find out more info. on tonight’s event. If you can’t make it or just can’t wait till then, enjoy a sneak peek below:
An Evening in Edgewood from citylovedc on Vimeo.
More video snippets can be seen here on our Vimeo page. Subscribe to our channel or keep checking back for new Red Line D.C. remixes and teasers.
August 11, 2011 | Participating artists of the most recent MuralsDC-commissioned public artwork on the Metro-Branch Trail (near Rhode Island Ave. metro station).
Last Writes of Summer: Art, Events, Etc.
My, how the summer flew by! Without realizing, we went from the legal graffiti of Long Island, NYC to the writing on medina walls in Morocco and, now back to the streets of D.C. during the peak of mural season. The weeks of public art on-display and in discussion have been productive for Red Line D.C. The ‘Art of Vandalism’ panel held at the end of July gave us the chance to collect some small donations and, more importantly, to raise awareness about the project. We had the same opportunity to spread the word last night during another MuralsDC event hosted by WBL. Back again at the U st. corridor location of Bus Boys & Poets, this time with the work of Jamila Okubo, an upcoming artist and soon-to-be college freshman who was showing in her first solo exhibit. The night’s main event was a screening of the documentary Chocolate City Burning which followed the story of local graffiti crew, DotCom. Afterwards, the filmmaker Nicholas Smith took questions. Saaret Yoseph, the director and producer of Red Line D.C. spoke briefly about her project as well. You can be sure there was also a donation bucket in-tow and a trailer on-hand. Just sayin’ …
Of course, the nighttime events haven’t been the only thing keeping us busy. Last week Red Line D.C. wrapped an interview with local artist/writer Tim Conlon and we’ve gotten a chance to squeeze in a couple man-on-the-street interviews with graffiti writers–and readers, as well. Mural-crashing has been the main cause of this. As WBL is in full-force painting murals across the city, Red Line D.C. has captured some of the action. We documented a production in Northeast D.C., directly across from the Rhode Island Ave. metro station. This latest addition to the Metro Branch Trail was led by Austin-based artist/writer Drew Liverman. As he and his apprentices put the finishing touches on their grand-scale aerosol art, many pedestrians and bikers accessing the trail offered kudos. Stay tuned for a snippet of what one local resident had to say, plus other flicks and video from this graffiti-filled summer. It’s definitely been a blur, so far. Here’s a look at the haze of public art and events in photos:
Back to D.C., Back on the Grind!
It’s manic Monday and we’re starting the week off with a bang! Tomorrow’s “Art of Vandalism” event is guaranteed to be a good time and a great discussion. (Have you RSVP’ed, yet?) So, as we get in gear for Tuesday night, featured panelist, graffiti writer and guest blogger Tim Conlon recounts his personal history with the spray can-sport. Check it out …
As of this year, I have been painting graffiti for over half of my life. It may seem fleeting to have spent so much time on such temporary work, but graffiti has held a permanent design in the person I am, my life experiences, and the people that I keep close to me. I started painting in Baltimore in the early 90′s and it quickly consumed all other interests — like any addiction. I spent countless hours in dangerous neighborhoods and train yards in some of the worst parts of that city. Besides carrying my paint cans, I carried a singular goal: to put aside day-to-day anxieties and just paint. It didn’t matter to me if it was a tag or a piece. The end result was having the satisfaction that I created something for myself in adverse conditions. To me, graffiti is all about problem solving: “How do I get to that particular spot to paint, how should I chose my colors this time, how do I make this particular letter connection work for this piece, and how do I get myself out of this situation?”
Taking a break from real world problems gave me time to think through those issues, while I was quietly painting in the dark. I have risked my life quite a few times to paint graffiti, but the twisted truth is that that graffiti has consistently been my lifesaver.
– Tim Conlon
Let’s Give ‘Em Something to Talk About …
Illegal art in D.C. is a subject worth addressing from many angles and Red Line D.C. isn’t the only place to do it. If you’re as obsessed with all-things-graffiti as we are, make sure to check out “The Art of Vandalism,” a panel discussion taking place next week (Tuesday, July 26th at 6 p.m.) at Bus Boys & Poets (14th & V st, NW). Words, Beats, & Life, Inc. will be hosting the event as a kickoff to this year’s MuralsDC program and we’re eagerly anticipating their all-inclusive look at the impact of graffiti on our city. Here’s an excerpt from the event page on Facebook:
How do you feel about the graffiti in your neighborhood? Is there a place for it in DC? What is your impression of the people who illegally tag?
Obviously, these questions are right up our alley and, hopefully, the same is true for you. But if that teaser wasn’t juicy enough, keep in mind that attending the event will give you a chance to learn more about Red Line D.C. in-person. You’ll also get a chance to meet Saaret Yoseph — back from her Moroccan adventures — and the other fabulous panelists:
Cory Stowers: Graffiti Writer | Art Director, WBL | Co-owner, Art Under Pressure
Philippa Hughes: Chief Creative Contrarian, The Pink Line Project
Nancee Lyons: Public Affairs Specialist | D.C. Department of Public Works
Tim Conlon: Graffiti Writer | Media Lab Consultant, D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities
To learn more about the event or RSVP, check out WBL’s event page here.
