Colorful Park Benches Public Art Project

Looking for a place to sit in Tivoli North? Local artist Sarah Tooley worked with neighbors and volunteers to paint and install seven benches in the park at the intersection of 14th, Oak and Ogden. The project, called Public Dialogues in Public Places, started with interviews of 60 community members about their feelings, thoughts and relationship to the park and community safety. Their words are transcribed on the benches.

Funding for the project came from a small projects grant from the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities. Has anyone else received a small projects grant for local works?

Sunny Saturday Perfect for Columbia Heights Day

I knew Columbia Heights Day was going to be big this year, I just didn't know it was going to be this big. The new Harriet Tubman Elementary Field was a great addition, as was the separate performance area with bleacher seating. And there were plenty of things to do, especially for families. But what I liked best was that much of the soccer field was open so people could just hang out. Or play with hula-hoops, which was my favorite.

The festival seemed to be a boon to local businesses, as well. As activities were winding down on the field, I stopped by Red Rocks, Room 11, and the Wonderland -- all of which were packed. And I have heard the same about The Heights (before they closed) and Pete's Apizza.

Check out our photos from Columbia Heights Day below. And did you hear a sheep escaped from the petting zoo? Someone caught it on video.



Sheep on the loose!


Also, we and a few others were tweeting from the festivities.



How did the after-dark events go? Let us know in the comments below.

Put on your dancing shoes

On Saturday, August 22, the Dance Institute of Washington will be hosting a community open house. The dance studio located at 14th and Monroe streets is planning an afternoon of free classes for children and adults, special performances, and informational sessions about its programs. Here’s the schedule of events:

12:15 pm — Free 30 minute classes: Ballet (youth), Hip Hop (youth), Pre-Dance

12:50 pm — Special presentation

1:10 pm — Free 30 minute classes: African (youth), Modern (adult), Pre-Dance

1:45 pm — Performance by DIW Pre-Professional students

2:05 pm — Free 30 minute classes: African (adult), Jazz (youth), Pre-Dance

2:40 pm — Performance by DIW Pre-Professional students

3 pm — Free 30 minute classes: Hip Hop (youth), Ballet (adult), Tap (youth)

3:35 pm — Closing performance by the Washington Reflections Dance Company

For more information, visit http://danceinstitute.org/.

Venture Down 14th Street for Sales this Weekend

Yes, this is all happening about 15 blocks south of Columbia Heights but it feels like home since 14th street is part of my daily commute ...

We already know it's going to be hazy, hot, and humid this weekend, so it's perfect weather for the annual Dog Days sidewalk sale along the 14th Street corridor, August 1-2. For 10 years, the MidCity Business Association has organized this sidewalk super sale, but it's more than just finding great deals, there are some pretty cool cultural and community events, too.

The Studio Theatre is holding its Annual Garage Sale on Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. Hundreds of items from this past season are for sale, including clothing, furniture, and home accessories. Also on Saturday, Washington Improv Theatre is holding its IMPROV-A-PALOOZA 2009. It begins at 2 pm and features 10 straight hours of improvisational comedy presented as individual 10 minute acts. And on Sunday don't miss Words Beats & Life Inc: DJ Workshop at Source Theatre's open house.

Here's a sampling of Dog Days deals from some of my favorite places:

• Cakelove (1506 U Street)- Buy 3 cupcakes get 1 free
• Nana (1528 U Street)- all clearance items are 50-80% off the original price
• Ruff and Ready Furnishings (1908 14th Street)- 25% off EVERYTHING, 50% off all items priced $127 or under. 75% off all basement items.
• Cork (1720 14th Street) and Cork Market (1805 14th Street) - A lemonade stand in front of the new space for Cork Market and Cork restaurant will open early
• Miss Pixies (1626 14th Street) - 20% off all items throughout the store plus free cookies!
• Redeem (1734 14th Street)- Take 25% off all summer merchandise, including an additional 25% off already marked down items.

More information is available here. And be sure you download your "Dog Days Bingo" card to win free gifts.

24 Hour Drawing Project on U Street

On Friday night, The Heights Life stopped by the Hamiltonian Gallery (14th and U) to check out the 24 Hour Drawing Project. (Click here for the local NBC coverage of it.) The 14th St. corridor is dotted with small galleries and on almost any weekend, one of these places has something going on.

At this event, six artists spent 24 hours in the Hamiltonian space creating new works of art. We showed up 12 hours in - they all seemed alert and apparently had no Red Bull on hand!

There was one woman building a house, several artists working around a table, and someone else manipulating blue dust on the floor (these descriptions are wholly inadequate and I will caveat that I am not an artist, an art critique, or remotely educated about art).

Leah White, my favorite of the participating artists, was using shadows of gallery visitors to create cut-outs which she displayed throughout the space. At first, I walked in and saw people hard at work, but I didn't see much in the way of results. But then I realized that Leah's work had truly permeated the space. Her shadows - done on black contact paper, I think - were embedded in the other artists' work, lining the floor, and slowly taking over the room. For a casual observer, her project was easy to grasp and appreciate.

The Hamiltonian Gallery's current exhibit remained on display during the 24 hour project. If you are a bibliophile, I hope you checked it out. The artists on display had manipulated books, words and language in a striking way. For more on that exhibit, click here. It was scheduled to end today.

Bloom Bars Blooming on Sunday

BloomBars will be hosting one of their very well-received events on Sunday. For more information you can visit them online, or head over to 11th just north of Kenyon between 7:30 and 9:30PM.

Details:

Continuing in the BloomBars’ tradition to nurture the growth of artists who use their gift to inspire service, build community, and establish meaningful human connections, Seed the Sound Sundays with Sitali will showcase musicians from a diversity of genres. Our featured cause for the evening: KUSH (visit their website kushworld.org). Also, we’re proud to announce that National Sound has come on board as a sponsor! Watch out, we might soon be one of the best acoustic venues in town.

Seed the Sound Sundays is the first project for Artist-In-Bloom resident Sitali Siyolwe. The singer, songwriter, and guitarist spent his childhood crisscrossing the globe with stops in Egypt, Russia, and England. At the age of 13, Sitali had his first recording session with veteran producer Glynn Johns (of Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones fame). After stints in New York and Seattle, Sitali settled in Washington DC, where he formed the band christened with his name in 2005. Their forthcoming release “Aluta Continua” will arrive in Spring 2009.

Nevin Kelly Gallery - Arting up the Heights

Back in January the Nevin Kelly Art Gallery moved from U Street to Columbia Heights. It now resides in 1400 Irving Street - the Highland Park building.

Between this gallery and BloomBars, Columbia Heights has seen a recent influx of art - both organic and more traditional.

Check out Nevin Kelly's blog here. And their website here.

We've written about BloomBars previously, and you can find them online here.