S+ART

Be a part of the 2012 Folklife Festival

       

Demonstration of Peace Corps mud cloths, Photo from 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Themes in 2011 Festival included: Colombia, Peace Corps, and Rhythm and Blues.

 

Celebrating 46 years, the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival is bringing traditional performances, live music, authentic cuisine, crafts, story tellers and more from various communities and cultures to the National Mall (beginning on Wednesday, June 27- Sunday, July 1 and Wednesday, July 4 - Monday, July 8).  

What is this festival, you ask?

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a national and international exhibition of living cultural heritage, treasured and celebrated annually on the National Mall, taking place for two weeks every summer. Nearly every festival has drawn more than one million visitors. One great perk of the festival, is the free admission! The festival is typically organized into three focuses, featuring a nation, region, state, or theme. This year’s programs include three diverse ranges of cultural experiences:

Citified: Arts and Creativity East of the Anacostia River:

Presented in partnership with the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum, the program celebrates the art and creativity of schools, churches, community organizations, business and other residential and local venues of the neighborhoods in Anacostia. Identity is expressed through an eclectic range of arts and cultural activities, such as African dancing and drumming, storytellers, hip-hop dancing, comedians, demonstrations of tattoo art and much more!

 

AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall

 

Creativity and Crisis: Unfolding the AIDS Memorial Quilt:

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of The AIDS Memorial Quilt and 30 years of life with AIDS. This year’s program features the unfolding of the 47,000 hand-sewn panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, craft demonstrations, dance and musical performances, interactive discussions, and other activities that bring together individual and communities to remember loved ones. The quilt will be on display on the National Mall and at more than 40 other locations from July 21-25.

Campus and Community:

This year’s Folklife Festival celebrates the 150^th anniversary of the founding of land-grant universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which partners with communities putting research into action in the areas of agriculture and food, health care, sustainable living, and education. The events featured include hands-on activities, demonstrations, and discussions.

For more general info on the festival and to learn about past festivals go to:

http://www.festival.si.edu/visitor/general.aspx

http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/FolklifeFest.htm

Enjoy!

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 ~Margaret McClung

Pulling my Artomatic Show Together

 
  

Last time, I talked about how to increase your Artomatic presence based on the things I've learned in four previous participations.  Consider that the easy part.  Two weeks have passed since I wrote that post and in that time, I have chosen my space, and tossed around ideas, and, well, that's pretty much all I've done. 

 

It just so happened that my site selection time coinsided with that of a friend, photographer Julie Wolsztynski, and we were able to find a room for the two of us to share.  Due to our schedules last week, we were both unable to begin working on our space until over the weekend.  Imagine my surprise when I went to the building on Sunday to fill holes in the wall to find as many completely finished exhibits as there are.  With only ten available days left to have our room exhibit-ready, to realize that others have already completed theirs is slightly overwhelming.

 

I guess my point is that everyone works at their own pace and sense of urgency, and some just have more time than others.  Last night I spend several hours resizing my photos for printing, although I still need to narrow the list down to a reasonable number, and we picked out a paint color, which we will start to put on the walls tonight.  It helps to be completing this with a partner since the work is shared - this is valuable advice, so if you work well with others, consider partnering up with a friend in the future (I seem to do it each year, except for that first one).  Even if the space isn't shared, having someone in the same mindset to bounce ideas off will help you both, and perhaps some of the work, like printing labels, framing, cutting mats, or painting, can be shared.

 

Anyway, my spot is on the 9th floor so I hope you come by to visit once the show opens.  Where is your space?  How do you prepare?  Are you already finished? (-Would you like to paint my room? just kidding, but not really...)

 

Angela

Taking notes

 

Picture is Unrelated:  Kayakers on the Potomac River on a hot day.  Photo by Angela Kleis, 2009

 

I cleaned over the weekend and put away a few notebooks and pads of paper that were taking up space on my desk.  Last night, I spent over an hour looking for the one that contained data I needed to develop film.  I finally found it on a bookshelf, of all places (why didn't I look there first?).  But, I couldn't get started without it.

 

Maybe it's my ingrained thanks to my science background, but I tend to take notes and keep a pretty meticulous notebook on all the types of film and developer combinations I've processed.  It helps me understand which types of films can be combined in one tank with the same developer, which ones should never, ever be put together, and if a particular developer is not a good match for a specific film.  Sometimes there are temperature issues and those are logged, too, as well small details I may notice and think will be helpful in the future (some if it is also online). 

 

I have a second notebook for printing that catalogs the negative number, type of paper, which filters I tried (and, which one worked best), time, aperture, and any dodging and burning that was performed.  Though printing is not an automatic process and may vary based on paper and chemical lots and other things I can't necessarily control, it provides a starting point that saves time and materials (and, frustration).  I like consistency and standardizing my methods helps me make sure that the results will be as close as possible to those I have obtained in the past, even with all of the inherent variables throughout the processes.  

 

There are notebooks or pads of paper in each of my camera bags that are useful for logging the film number (there is also a Sharpie in every bag) so when I am looking at an overwhelming pile of film canisters that need processing and want to develop a specific one, I can easily find it.  I have found this process very useful when travelling to note the date, city, places visited, if pushed or pulled the ISO.  These details not only help me locate a roll of undeveloped film, but also to remind me of the places I went.  After all, how many piazzas and fountains are there in Rome?  It's impossible to know.

 

It may seem like information overload or tedious details that most people are able to remember, but I feel it's better to be prepared and save time later by taking a few minutes to write it down, now.  What kinds of methods do you use to document photographic information?  Please let us know in the comments!!

                                                         -Angela

Penn Camera Update

In January, we shared the news of local photography mainstay Penn Camera's bankruptcy announcement and closure of five stores, along with a list of other photographic resources, both local and online, to help fill the gap.  Last month, one of the online resources, Calumet Photographic, stepped in and the three remaining Penn Camera stores will remain open as a division of the company. 

 

The E Street (D.C.), Tysons Corner (VA), and Rockville (MD) Penn Camera locations will feature the best of Penn Camera, including the staff, with an expanded product line and range of services.  They will also honor all Penn Camera gift cards!!

 

The locations include:

 

E Street
840 E. Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202.347.5777)

Tysons Corner
8357-E Leesburg Pike
Vienna, VA 22102
(703.893.7366)

Rockville Federal Plaza
12266-F Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
(301.231.7366)

Have you been by one of the locations?  I can't wait to visit the E Street store.

 

-Angela

A Colorful Blast from the Past

                         

 Photograph of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry Warnecke Studio for The Daily News/The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. The Smithsonian Associates.

 

Survived from Harry Warnecke’s Studio and now on display at The National Portrait Gallery are 24 color photographic portraits of notable stars, athletes, military heroes, and historical leaders. The exhibit, In Vibrant Color: Vintage Celebrity Portraits from the Harry Warnecke Studio illustrates the dramatic shift from black and white to color photography during the last half- century.

Harry Warnecke (1900-1984) was assigned by The New York Daily News to photograph these American idols in a whole new way. Warnecke specifically took these color portrait photographs for the Sunday magazine, which at the time was viewed like everything else in the media, as vague images in black and white. Now characters we have been accustomed to seeing in monochromatic tones are brought back to life by Warnecke’s creation of the one-shot camera, designed for color reproduction. TV and movie stars like Lucille Ball and Irene Dunne shine in their portraits, sporting brightly colored attire and brilliant red lips. Other note worthy gems featured in the show include, military men: Dwight D. Eisenhower, George C. Marshall, and General Patton and other stars on the scene like Ted Williams, Edgar Bergen, and Dale Evans.  

Great links to slide shows, biographies and more:

NPG exhibit, "In Vibrant Color: Vintage Celebrity Portraits From the Harry Warnecke Studio"

NYTimes Slide Show of "In Vibrant Color"

NYTimes Article: "Adding a Colorful Gloss to a Black-and-White World"

Take a trip to the 1930’s where color photography became a whole new phenomenon!

The Portrait Gallery is open 11:30 am- 7pm daily

Located at 8^th and F St. NW ( Gallery Pl-Chinatown Metro )

 

Here’s something to look forward to:

The Smithsonian Associates presents Camera-Ready Color as a Mingle at the Museum featuring the exhibit ‘In Vibrant Color’. During the Event (scheduled to take place on June 6, 2012 from 7:30-10pm), DC based Artist, Alexa Meade  will be exploring the concepts of mixing color, portraiture, personality and photography in her compositions. Meade will be painting a pair of portraits with live models. The first one will be created in a black-and-white scene while the second portrait is created in a full-color set.

Keep a look out for the event, soon to be posted online at Resident Associates- Mingle at the Museum.

 

Facebook us @Smithsonian StudioArts

Follow us on Twitter @SmithsonianSA

~Margaret McClung

Photography, D.C.- Style

 
Fare Gates, 2012 DCist Exposed Photography Show Winner, Photograph by Jennifer Wade

 

The DCist Exposed Photography Show kicks off tonight for a two-week run at Long View Gallery.  Now in it's sixth year, the exhibit features 40 photographs by local photographers featuring life in and around the District beyond traditional monuments and suits commonly associated with the city. 

 

Last year, we highlighted the creative force behind the exhibit, Heather Goss.  She and her small team perform no small feat to pull together this annual collection of work that most photographers keep in mind year-round.  I had the opportunity to help hang the show over the weekend and was sad that my art-buying budget wasn't big enough for all my favorite pieces.  I'm also sad that I am no longer able to participate in the show since I write for DCist, but am thankful to have had four pieces accepted in the past.

 

 

FotoWeek DC Party, 2012 DCist Exposed Photography Show Winner, Photograph by Aziz Yazdani

 

Tickets for tonight and tomorrow's opening receptions are $10 online and $15 at the door, and it's always a full-house.  To ensure that everyone in attendance gets to see the art, a maximum of 500 tickets are available for each night, so don't wait.  The show is on view through April 1.  (Ticket prices include drinks and snacks, art, music, and friends and pays for the gallery rental and other associated costs).

 

Want to be involved next year?  Attend area events, take your camera everywhere, look for creative and fresh ways to convey people, places, things, and general life, upload them to Flickr (you'll need an account), and add them to the DCist pool.  Throughout the year, these photos are used to support DCist articles and the most coveted POTD (Photo of the Day), many of which go on to be accepted in Exposed.  The entry call is announced towards the end of the year (this year had over 650 submissions) which are then selected by the judges.

 

The opening receptions are March 21 and 22, 2012 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Long View Gallery, 1234 9th Street, NW, Washington, D.C., 20001.  Exposed will remain on view during normal gallery hours through April 1.

 

-Angela

 

The Best Cure for Spring Fever

 

          
           Photo by Margaret McClung

If you’re like me when spring time rolls around, then you must be itching to get outside and bask in the glorious sunshine. How about killing two birds with one stone? You can make your way to the National Mall to work on your tan and infuse your brain with the rich history of the cherry blossoms, the Enid A. Haupt Garden and much more.

Every year, falling between Mach- April  The National Cherry Blossom Festival  takes place. The festival celebrates the 1912 gift of the Cherry Trees from the Japanese Mayor Yukio Ozaki. The gift of the trees resembles one of the many principles of the United States, the significance of friendship between two countries. Today, millions of people travel to DC each year to marvel at the cherry blossoms and partake in the festivities.

Situated in between the Smithsonian Castle and Independence Avenue and above The National Museum of African Art  , The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  and The S. Dillon Ripley Center   lies The Enid A. Haupt Garden. Enid Annenburg Haupt was a horticultural expert who passionately dedicated her life to funding gifts to build, restore and maintain gardens around the world. The Garden opened to the public in 1987 featuring various landscape components, such as the Parterre, Moongate Garden and the Fountain Garden.

The Victorian inspired Parterre  is a formal structured garden designed with elaborate colors, symmetrical patterns and designs. The specific layout of colorful planting on the Parterre fluctuates between seasons. In conjunction with the Asian inspired Sackler and Freer Galleries, the Moongate   Garden represents a similar design to the architecture and gardens of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China. In Chinese culture, the main two components of the garden, granite and water symbolize the body and spirit of the earth. The garden was successfully designed to be a place of relaxation and contemplation for its visitors. The Fountain Garden, located near the entrance to the National Museum of African Art is a representation of a 13^th century Moorish palace and fortress in Grenada, Spain. The Fountain Garden includes a central fountain and water channels, which symbolize the four rivers of paradise as described in the Koran.

 

Photo by Margaret McClung

Check out these sites for more information on the Cherry Blossom Festival and Smithsonian Gardens:

Smithsonian Garden Tours

Cherry Blossom Festival Events

2012 Bloom Watch

Enjoy!

 

Facebook us @Smithsonian StudioArts

Follow us on Twitter @SmithsonianSA

~Margaret McClung

Upcoming Studio Art Courses and an Evening Seminar

 

Can you believe it's already March 15?  I know!  And, in just one month, the Studio Arts department starts up a new round of courses in digital media, painting, drawing, photography, and more.  I think I'm interested in the Travels With a Digital Nomad evening seminar on May 3.  

 

 
Andrew Evans uploading an Australian water dragon to Twitter while on assignment in Queensland, Australia. (Photo by Brian Gratwicke)

 

In this two-hour seminar, National Geographic travel writer Andrew Evans, known as the Digital Nomad who has visited all seven continents, talks about travelling the world in an interactive way using social media.  Because, face it - your family and friends want to hear about your trip to Thailand and they don't want to wait until you get back.  Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites allow travellers to stay connected with folks back home even while swimming with sharks in the South Pacific or perusing a souk in Morocco.  Of course, you'll need to get out of the water first, but you know what I mean.  Besides, all those photos?  You're gonna want to share them right away.  We want to see them right away!

 

Evans will describe how he uses social media to share photos, create videos, and use your phone to document experiences while exploring far-away lands and penguin attacks.  Before you head off, learn more about how to share the adventure while still exploring. 

 

The seminar costs $40 ($30 for members) at the S. Dillon Ripley Center on May 3, 2012 from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. 

 

-Angela

In Tribute to Black History Month

Jacob Lawrence, Cabinet Makers, 1946. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1966

 

In celebration of Black History Month, I wanted to begin the post by giving a brief bio of a well known artist whose works are displayed here in town!

Artist Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), whose painting is featured above, was one of the prominent African American painters of the 20^th century. As depicted in his artwork and throughout his career as an artist, Lawrence placed great emphasis on the history and struggles endured by African Americans. Lawrence’s career skyrocketed at the young age of twenty-three when he completed the sixty-panel set of narrative paintings, called The Migration Series. The series marks the story of the migration of hundreds of thousands of African Americans from the South to the North after World War I. Visit The Phillips Collection, where even-numbered panels from The Migration series are on view or venture to the 3^rd floor at The Hirshhorn Museum to see other paintings by Jacob Lawrence.  

 

The big to-do’s around town worth checking out for Black History Month:

Smithsonian Black History Month 2012 Event Calendar : In Celebration of Black History Month there are several events taking place at various Smithsonian venues throughout the month of February. This site features heritage videos, kid’s activities, “Family Memory” storybooks and other related resources.

 

Black History Month at the National Museum of African Art: Features the performance of  Haitian-American musician, Daniel Roumain, on Saturday, February 25. The Museum will also be hosting their 2012 African Art House Film Festival , on every Thursday evening in February. Also, stay tuned for this months after hours, Africa Underground on February 24, 2012!

 

On view at the National Museum of American History is the exhibit, Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello:Paradox of Liberty from The National Museum of African American History and Culture. The exhibit recognizes six slave families living at Jefferson’s estate, Monticello. The exhibit takes a deeper look into slavery along with the family’s ties to religion, literacy and struggle for freedom. The exhibit remains open till October 14, 2012 at.

 

African Voices  at The Museum of Natural History is a permanent exhibit that examines various themes in the life of Africa’s peoples and cultures. The exhibit includes historical and contemporary objects, interactive stations, and various personal testimonies.

 

Anacostia Community Museum - On view in the permanent collection, Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia highlights the history of baseball in Washington, D.C. from Reconstruction to the second half of the 20^th century.

 

In addition, here’s an online source worth exploring:

Smithsoniain.com-Black History & Heritage Month : If you can’t make it to any of the featured exhibits/events, here’s the site for you. This online dedication hub to Black History Heritage Month consists of articles rich with history and stories of legendary African American leaders and role models in the country. The site also includes personal testimonies from President Barack Obama, poet Rita Dove, and legendary dancer, Maurice Hines.

 

If you know of any other Black History Month related events or exhibits on view please fill us in! Thanks!

 

~ Margaret

Post Suggestions

Christmas Card, Photo by Angela Kleis

 

Last week I asked for your help in compiling a list of topics you, the reader, would like me to cover in the upcoming months.  I am keeping the survey open through the end of the month to give everyone the opportunity to offer suggestions on subjects, people, techniques, and anything photography-related that you would like to learn more about.  The topic is wide-open - anything and everything to do with photography is welcome so don't hold back.

 

In the meantime, there are so many cool things to do around town right now that reading my posts shouldn't be at the top of your priorities list - hopefully there will be plenty of snow days (or at least really cold days) to stay in and do that over the coming months (fingers crossed!).  For example, the National Christmas Tree display (complete with trains!! and trees representing each state, territory, and disenfranchised locality), the Capitol Christmas Tree (it's 65-feet tall, so bring the wide-angle), and the National Menorah on the Ellipse (set to start on December 20) are three local holiday lighting displays just waiting for your long exposures and creative processing.  While you're out there, redirect your focus to the crowd for always interesting people-watching - and, I bet enough ugly holiday sweaters to keep you occupied for hours.

 

Ice skating has returned to the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden - a great opportunity to practice some of the tips I covered last year for shooting on ice and other bright, reflective surfaces.

 

When it gets cold, head inside.  The National Gallery of Art is photography-heavy with Warhol: Headlines - feating photography and other mediums exploring the sensationalism of contemporary media using news headlines, Harry Callahan at 100 - one of the most innovative and influential photographers of the 20th century, and The Solemnity of Shadows: Juan Laurent's Vision of Spain - a preeminent figure in the history of Spanish photography.  And, that's just the one museum - there are so many more.

 

At home, there are even more once-a-year holiday photo opportunities you won't want to miss, like lights and ornaments, tables of food, that burning turkey deep-fryer in the backyard, more ugly holiday sweaters, the Griswold's eye-searing display next door, family and friends, and that Santa hat you bought on clearance last year for your cat (you know you have one (I do!)).  Pay attention to the background; rather than lining up on the sofa with a distracting painting behind their heads, have kids gather around the tree and sit on the floor.  Open the aperture up as wide as it will go (F1.4. for example), for that sweet, sweet light bokeh background. 

 

This is also my last post of 2011, as it's been a very busy year and I need a writing vacation.  Please take a few minutes and let me know what you'd like me to write about in 2012 and I'll see you in January!  Happy holidays!!

 

~Angela