Word on the Street: Red Line Riders Speak Out!
This site is in need of some fresh multimedia! A little audio inspiration is exactly what we need to pickup momentum on discussion about red line aesthetics and history. Straight from the Red Line D.C. vault and submitted for your approval, a quickie interview with a willing red line commuter named Ellen. As we work with WordPress (and on our ever-growing technical skills), we’ll do our best to share more of these conversational gems with you. Hopefully, this recorded fodder will inspire you to share your own experiences on the red line. Hear what one commuter has to say and sound off with your own opinion at citylovedc@gmail.com or down below in the comments section.
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.”
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.
