Steve Penley's "Reinventing The American Icon" at Fine Art & Artists Gallery in Georgetown

Since visiting Georgetown on Friday evening for the Georgetown BIDness Holiday Party that in the process of my ongoing Georgetown Windows and Windows of the World projects that I'd capture the windows of the Fine Arts & Artists Gallery at 2920 M Street, NW, Steve Penley's current exhibition "Reinventing the American Icon" has been on my mind.

The new collection of WDC inspired works by Atlanta based artist Steve Penley opened with a Saturday, 17 November 2007 reception and will be on display through Saturday, 22 December.

Five percent of all art sales made at the gallery from 17 November through the end of the year will be donated to the Duke Ellington School for the Arts. Here is the PDF document.

Located in Georgetown at 2920 M Street, NW, WDC, hours for the Fine Art & Artists Gallery are Tuesday through Saturdays from 11 am until 5 pm. For appointment and inquiries call 202-965-0780 or email info@faagallery.com.

Click the above photo to view my Fine Art & Artists Gallery photo set which features images from the Steve Penley "Reinventing the American Icon" exhibition.

Since my visit to Georgetown on Friday evening, Steve Penley's exhibit at Fine Art & Artists Gallery has been on my mind. Here is an excellent blog posting at Mother Pie entitled Rising from The South: Artist Steve Penley... that explains why.

And, so has the racism that I experienced in Georgetown on Friday evening ... been on my mind, as well. Which is why it took me a day or so more ... to write this blog posting.

I Gorman & One in Ten Holiday Party tomorrow evening

Join One In Ten and I Gorman Jewelers for an Holiday Party tomorrrow evening, Tuesday 11 December 2007 from 6:30 until 8:30 pm, at the I Gorman's new store - a modern and elegant design that uses the best of ”green” technology and gem-inspired materials.

Enjoy holiday cocktails, gourment food, and perhaps find that perfect gift for loved ones, friends and family.

Proceeds from the party support One in Ten's programming and operations for 2008.

I Gorman is located at 1133 20th Street, NW, between L and M Streets in WDC.

To RSVP, please email mmurray@oneinten.org

Holiday Gift Suggestion: Official 2007 National Cherry Blossom Festival T-Shirt on 'Holiday Sale'

The official 2007 National Cherry Blossom T-Shirt which usually goes for $15, is currently on sale online at $7, in celebration of the holiday season. Another gift idea may also be the official 2007 National Cherry Blossom Festival poster at $10.

While I do not have them all in frames, I have a collection of the National Cherry Blossom Festival posters that date back to the 80's. And, in recent years, have made a point to purchase a t-shirt or two during the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Here are the official store and store index links. As well as the National Cherry Blossom Festival website.

Click the image to purchase the 2007 National Cherry Blossom Festival t-shirt at the $7 holiday sale price.

Tickets Are Selling Fast for Jenifer Lewis & Keith Boykin Saturday Night Special Screening of "Dirty Laundry"

The 7:45 showtime of "Dirty Laundry" that Keith Boykin is hosting tonight, Friday, 07 December is already SOLD OUT!

Since many could not make it tonight, Boykin is happy to announce that he and cast member Jenifer Lewis will be hosting a special Saturday screening of the movie at 7:45 pm at the Clearview's Chelsea Theater at 260 West 23rd Street.

This time you have to move quickly to get your tickets because they will probably sell out early. But if you can't get tickets for that show either, never fear. Tickets are still available for the other showtimes.

A New York Times review of the movie today says the "cast spins ... comic gold."

3rd Annual Downtown Holiday Market opens TODAY at 12 noon

Beginning at 12 noon today, the Downtown DC BID and Diverse Markets Management will kick-off is 3rd annual Downtown Holiday Market.

For 17 exciting days from Noon to 8:00 pm, at Penn Quarter, the sidewalk on F Street between 7th and 8th in front of the Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture will be transformed into a marketplace of local artisans selling a diverse array of goods including: art, crafts, jewelry, textiles, photography, pottery, clothing, prepared food and other high quality gift items. Enjoy live entertainment and refreshing food and beverages while you shop.

Each year, the event gets better and better.

All-weather large-screen monitors running continuous, looped programming with sound are a new and exciting addition to this year’s Market. Additionally, several food and beverage vendors will offer a variety of interesting savory, sweet and seasonal treats.

Taken during the 2006 Downtown Holiday Market the above image is in included in my December 2006 Photographs Never Before Seen (December 2007) project and Downtown Holiday Market 2006 collection. And here are images from the 2005 event.

Opening at 12 noon TODAY which is Friday, 07 December 2007, the event will take place every day, from 12 noon until 8 pm, thru Sunday 23 December.

Friday's Photo of the Week . 07 December 2007

Man Reading the News Paper . L'Enfant Plaza WMATA Station

SW WDC . Thursday evening, 06 December 2007

2007 Friday's Photo of the Week

Artist Robin Carol Blum 'Makes A Bold Statement'

By trade a newspaper artist with a master’s degree in illustration, Robin Carol Blum’s vibrant collection utilizes photos converted onto acrylic film, while everyday objects such as leaves, mesh, wire & fabric are intertwined.

The introduction of found street objects such as license plates & red light switch plates generate a bold urban composition. The smaller pieces are collages created with original cover letters & stamps from across history & the world.

All of the artist’s one-of-a-kind art will liven up your home & are perfect for small city walls. Your own photographs can be added to make the art more personal.

On 01 November 2007, the Zack's Taverna Art Gallery introduced the unique artwork of Capitol Hill resident Robin Carol Blum with a 5:30 - 8 pm opening reception. Located at 305 Pennsylvania Avenue in SE WDC, a second special viewing and reception will be held on 20 December 2007, from 7 until 10 pm.

Formerly the Taverna The Greek Islands, Zack's Taverna, serves Greek and mediterranean food and is a popular restaurant/bar for the Capitol Hill crowd.

Should you visit Zack's Taverna for lunch or dinner before the 20th December event, be sure to take the time to view Robin Carol Blum's 'Bold Statement' exhibition. Zack's Taverna is opened from 11 am until 11 pm, daily. Telephone at 202-547-8360.

Contact Robin Carol Blum at 202-547-1942 or Blum50@comcast.net .

Saint At Large & Masterbeat 2008's 'After The Ball' New Year's Eve Party

For its 8th year, Masterbeat New Year's Eve will become a global celebration. Host cities, Los Angeles and Miami promise multiple spectacular events over the weekend.

Get tickets here for the Masterbeat 2008 event happening in a city near you.

On New Year's Eve, Masterbeat will introduce you to the Future of Dance! Celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of 2008 at the largest New Year's event in the world!

In NYC, the 'Saint At Large' & Masterbeat 2008 will host an "After The Ball New Year's Eve Circuit Party at the The Nokia Theatre in Times Square. Featuring DJ Manny Lehman and special guests Les Go-Go Bleu de Montreal, the celebration will began at 12:30 am and will last until 8 am.

WDC Ranked #1 In Walkability

A Brookings Institution survey ranks the 30 biggest metropolitan areas according to the number of "walkable urban places" relative to the area's population. The WDC area is ranked as #1.

As one who, over the years, has embarked photo walks I could not agree more.

Click photo to view my Pedestrian 2007 and ongoing pedestrians project.

One of the reasons that I have always enjoyed WDC and NYC is due to their walkability.

WORK Holiday Party (NYC) - 8 December 2007

Georgetown BID's Holiday Open House . Friday, 7 December 2007 . 4:30 - 7:30 pm

The Georgetown BID will host its 3-hour Holiday Open House on Friday evening, 7 December 2007 from 4:30 until 7:30 pm at 1055 Thomas Jefferson Street, Suite L-11.

RSVP at jbell@georgetowndc.com or telephone 202.298.9222.

Here is a larger version of the flyer.

Here is my ongoing Georgetown flickr photo set and recent Downtown DC BID 10th Anniversary Celebration blog posting.

AT&T to Disconnect Pay-Phone Business After 129 Years

Dec. 3 (Bloomberg) -- AT&T Inc., the biggest U.S. phone company, plans to leave the pay-phone business after 129 years as more people use wireless handsets to make calls on the go.

The first pay phone, installed in 1878, had an attendant who took callers' money, AT&T spokesman Michael Coe said. Inventor William Gray set up the first coin-operated phone in 1889 at a bank in Hartford, Connecticut. Both devices were operated by AT&T predecessor companies.

Verizon Communications Inc., the second-biggest U.S. carrier, still operates about 250,000 pay phones and has no plans to exit the business, spokesman Jim Smith said. The company will shut down an unprofitable line unless the location pays a fee to keep it operating, he said.

"There are people who still need them, and so we still sell them,'' Smith said.

To contact the reporter of this story, email Crayton Harrison in Dallas at tharrison5@bloomberg.net.

Click the above 3 December 2007 photo of AT&T service technician Larry Wimberley working on a pay phone in Chicago IL by photographer Tim Boyle/Bloomberg News to read the complete article.

As a result of the increasing use of cell phones, in recent years, and not unlike my interest in call boxes, I have embarked on several ongoing pay phone and phone booth projects. So when searching the internet for information pertaining to this blog posting I was delighted to learn of the Pay Phone Project.

Friday's Photo of the Week . 30 November 2007

Fort Lauderdale Drawbridge . Las Olas Riverfront

Railroad Crossing . Old Fort Lauderdale . FL

Wednesday afternoon, 21 November 2007

Georgetown's 2nd Annual Tree Lighting - 2 December

Georgetown's 2nd annul holiday tree lighting kicks-off the holiday season with free photos with Santa, cookie decorating, snowflake making, and hot cocoa from Starbucks! Free and open to the public the event will take place on Sunday evening, 2 December 2007, from 4 till 6 pm at the Georgetown' Washington Harbour at 3000 K Street, NW, WDC

The Georgetowner Annual Holiday Store Window Competition

Though the Windows - Georgetown image to the left was taken as part of my Fall Fashion 2007 series I'm sure I'll revisit Georgetown over the holiday to capture The Georgetowner Annual Holiday Store Window Competition which I learned of via the Georgetown BIDness Newsletter dated 21 November 2007.

Deadline to participate is Monday, 3 December. In addition to a $50 reward the winner will be featured in an upcoming issue of The Georgetowner. For more information email adra@georgetowner.com or telephone 202.338.4833.

Click the image to my ongoing Windows of the World collection.

Ed Bailey & John Guggenmos unveils "Town Danceboutique" tomorrow night

Mark Lee and associates from ATLAS Events, in a Special Courtesy Announcement, passes on the information that Ed Bailey & John Guggenmos will unveil their new gay dance club, "Town Danceboutique", TOMORROW NIGHT, 17 November 2007.

Here is an excerpt from Lee's courtesy announcement:

On Saturday, Nov. 17th, you are invited to attend the opening night of Town's weekly Saturday night party.

Every Saturday, Town offers the classic, Saturday night, wave your hands in the air, take your shirt off, dance all night, meet the man of your dreams, party experience that our city so desperately needs and we are calling the night UPTOWN.

Music will be by resident DJ David Knapp weekly and will feature special guest djs on a rotating basis. Throughout the night, don't miss the special performances by dance troupe X-Faction, and go-go boys and the region's most alluring performance artists (starting in December).

Every evening starts with a bang when the legendary Ella Fitzgerald hosts the premiere drag shows starting at 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Doors open at 9pm. Music by David Knapp and Wess. Performances by X-Faction. 21 and over. Cover charge is $12. Admission stops at 3am. Alcohol service stops at 3am. Party continues until 5am.

Here is an online at Renew Shaw. To learn more about the club which is located at 2009 8th Street, NW, at the corner of 8th and U Streets ... visit their website.

Friday's Photo of the Week . 16 November 2007

Reflections . Old Executive Office

17th Street between F & G, NW, WDC

Lafayette Square Historic District

11 November 2007

2007 Fridays' Photos of the Week

Tribute to Leander Barnes - 1995 Million Man March "Rise Up" Video

Between the 20 October and Thanksgiving of each year, since 1995, I have created artistic tributes to my nephew Leander Barnes who was killed in a car accident on 20 October 1995. Just days after the 1995 Million Man March.

In connection with my ongoing documentary project "Thanksgiving Does Not Mean To Me, A Black Man ..." this November 2007 "Rise Up Black Men - 1995 Million Man March - Tribute to Leander Barnes" photo monatage is sampled with the dance mix "I'll Rise" by Christopher Peyton from DJ Julian Marsh's continuous mix compilation Pride 05. Peyton's "I'll Rise" is an adaptation of Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise".

All images are the work of Elvert Xavier Barnes. This production is a "THIS IS FOR THE BLACK MEN" Elvert Xavier Barnes Projections project.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection Exhibit at the Department of Interior Museum

When preparing last weeks blog article announcing the launching of the 2007 Veterans Day Commeoration at The Wall that I learned of the planned 13 November 2007 unveiling of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection at the Department of Interior though I, then, planned to conclude my 2007 Veterans Day Commemoration with an attendance at the 13 November evening event after the Downtown DC BID 10th Anniversary Vision Event on Tuesday morning at the Sidney Harman Hall I was not able to make to the Interior Museum's "The Vietnam Veterans Memorial: America Responds" opening.

However, since today was, perhaps, the last day before the weather changes and hoping to get a few shots of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection Exhibit at the Interior Museum which since 1993 I have refered to as Writings On The Wall I hurried over to the Interior Museum at 1849 C Street in NW WDC.

Only to learn that PHOTOGRAPHY IS NOT PERMITTED inside the Interior Museum. While I could have gone inside to view the exhibit I was in no mood for the racism that I would have to confront. While I, of course, WOULD NOT PHOTOGRAPH inside the museum ... a black with three cameras would arouse so much suspicion that I decided to return at some later date to view the exhibit which will be on display through 31 May 2008.

Instead and hoping to get a photo or two of an 'artifact at the wall' so that I could use as an image for this posting I took a stroll over to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Where, once again but as always, my photography of artifacts, flowers and writings on the wall ... aroused so much suspicion that I left 'mad as hell!'. Due, partly to the fact, that when photographing the 11 November 2007 Veterans Day Observance the shutter in one of my cameras jammed in the same way that the shutters of both my cameras jammed during my 01 April 2006 Cherry Blossom Festival Tidal Basin photo walk.

Since The Vietnam Veterans Memorial: America Responds exhibit will be on display at the Department of Interior Museum until 31 May 2008 I'll return at some later date ... without my cameras.

Located on the first floor of 1849 C Street, NW, WDC, though the Interior Museum posted hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, except for Federal holidays and the third Saturday of the month you may should call (202) 208-4743, to confirm times. Admission is free.

Downtown DC BID launches 10th Anniversary VISion Campaign

Catered by Occasions Caterers, earlier today, Downtown DC BID launched its 10th Anniversary VISions Celebration & Campaign at the newly opened Shakespeare Theatre / Sidney Harman Hall at 610 F Street, NW, WDC.

Opening with an 8:30 am breakfast on the second floor at the Orchestra Terrace 1 with a spectacular view overlooking the 600 block of F Street and situated directly across the street from the Verizon Center a crowd of 200 or more was in attendance.

Including Michael Berman of Diverse Markets Management who inquired if, and as I did in 2005 and 2006, would be photographing the 3rd Annual Downtown Holiday Market which in partnership with Downtown DC BID will take place from 7 - 23 December 2007.

Though my 2006 Downtown Holiday Market photo collection is still under construction, and as I told Michael Berman, I certainly will be at the 2007 event.

Also, in attendance was Dennis Sobin of Prisons Foundation who I promised to visit before Saturday to pick up some holiday cards.

Visions of Jazz provided music for the breakfast reception. They are one of many entertainment acts that may be booked through the Calpro Group.

Shortly after 10 am, the crowd was invited into the auditorium for the anniversary program launching the Downtown DC BID 10th Anniversary VISIONS Campaign. Mayor Adrien Fenty was amongst its speakers.

Click the above photo to view my Downtown DC BID 10th Anniversary VISIONS - Sidney Harman Hall - WDC - 13 November 2007 and F Street (Downtown) WDC photo sets.