The upcoming community presentation on June 22nd at the Landon Park Recreation Center will provide a platform for Ward 5 residents to view and discuss the proposed design for the memorial. This event is not only a preview of the memorial but also an invitation for the community to contribute their voices to this landmark project.
The memorial aims to be a poignant reminder of the systemic racism and exploitation that have marred American history, while also celebrating the resilience and enduring legacy of those who were enslaved. Situated in the nation’s capital, this tribute will join the ranks of many other monuments and memorials, enriching the narrative with stories of those who have been historically marginalized. As the Nation’s capital, monuments and commemorative works have typically been focused on or reserved for commemoration to individuals or subjects of national importance within the monumental core, the original L’Enfant City, and mostly in Wards 1, 2, 3, and 6. Many of these subjects participated in slavery, systemic racism, and the mistreatment of, or took actions that suppressed equality for, persons of color, certain groups of people, and women.
In a historic move to acknowledge and honor the invaluable contributions of enslaved individuals who helped build the U.S. Capitol, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH), in collaboration with the DC Office of Planning (OP), has selected WGS Co-Director Michael Janis to design the Ward 5 Public Art Memorial. This significant project aims to shed light on the often-overlooked role of over 200 enslaved people whose labor laid the foundation for one of the most iconic symbols of democracy.
Janis, Co-Director of the Washington Glass School (WGS), has been actively engaging with the DC Ward 5 community to ensure that the memorial resonates with the local residents and accurately reflects the historical significance and human stories behind the Capitol’s construction. This community-centered approach underscores the importance of collective memory and inclusivity in public art.
DC’s Commemorative Works Program reviews proposals submitted by sponsors, but since the program was established in 2001 has received only a handful of applications for local subjects. OP’s Commemorate DC work includes technical assistance to community partners in Wards 4, 5, 7, and 8 to identify commemorative subjects and sites before supporting efforts in Wards 1, 2, 3, and 6. The Office of Planning’s partners are convening meetings with community groups and residents to discuss subjects to commemorate, appropriate sites, and concept designs of commemorative works. Concept designs will be reviewed by the Commemorative Works Committee who will make a recommendation on each proposal to the Mayor and District Council, who have final review and approval. A link to the 4 initial Commemorative projects here.
The DC Public Art Memorial is more than a work of art; it is a symbol of reconciliation, education, and recognition. It will invite all visitors to reflect on the past and encourage ongoing dialogue about equality and justice.
Join Michael Janis, the DC CAH & OP along with the Ward 5 community on June 22nd to participate in the outlining of a project that seeks to honor the past and inspire a future of inclusivity and acknowledgment. This is an important occasion for Washington, DC, and for the nation, as we begin this transformative initiative.
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) is commemorating the 60th anniversary of the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through Legacy: Civil Rights At 60. This juried exhibition explores how DC artists have been influenced by this landmark legislation, which aimed to prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. By visually depicting the material, personal, and direct-action work of the past 60 years, this exhibition is a call to continue pursuing equity and social justice both locally and nationally. The exhibition is a collaborative curation of the CAH and a jury panel including: Karen Baker, Artist and Curator; Fabiola Delgado, Curator and Creative Consultant; Maleke Glee, Executive Director, STABLE Arts; Andrew Johnson, Arts Writer and Editor, Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown University.
Michael Janis’ glass installation titled “How We Take Care of Each Other” is featured in Legacy.
Installed in the gallery are the works of:
Ann Bouie, Anna U Davis, Antarah Crawley, Anthony Le, Antonia Tricarico, Ashley William, Briget Hunnicutt, Connor Czora, Cooper Joslin, Darlene Taylor, Denise Wright, Esther Iverem, Gail Rebhan, Gail Shaw-Clemons, Imar Hutchins, Julio Valdez, Kandace Davis, Karen Ruckman, Kofi Tyus, Lauren Emeritz, Mark Kelner, Mary Belcher, Michael Janis, Paula Stern, Rickie Dean, Roderick Turner, and Sally Canzoneri
CAH is an independent agency in the District of Columbia government that evaluates and initiates action on matters relating to the arts and humanities and encourages programs and the development of programs that promote progress in the arts and humanities. As the designated state arts agency for the District of Columbia, CAH is supported primarily through District government funds and in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
With social injustice a common theme around the world, we are also currently witnessing the injustices committed against our natural environment. Like our ancestors, we sense nature’s vastness, yet we lack the same respect those indigenous peoples had for nature as a sentient being. We take the Earth’s vastness for granted. What we experience as nature pushing back is nature seeking balance.
Michael Janis: Transformation; cast glass, ceramic
With this exhibit, Fragile Beauty, 33 DC artists seek to bring a sense of balance to an array of environmental injustices. Their art and their vision advocate awareness, mindfulness, consciousness, and stewardship, offering pathways towards personal partnership with our planet. They tell their stories with painting, sculpture, prints, photography, and installations. They inform us of both the joyful and the sorrowful, the woeful and the hopeful. Their work will challenge, enlighten, and inform your sense of wonder for exploring the beauty, power, and magnificent mystery of our home planet. We thank these artists for their commitment to illuminating the importance of nurturing and protecting the fragile beauty of the place we all call home.
Fragile Beauty is the first juried art exhibition initiated by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The new Juried Exhibition Grant provides support for DC artists to exhibit their creative vision to the residents of Washington, DC.
-Jarvis Grant
Featured artists: Tammy Barnes, Jeffrey Berg, Monica Jahan Bose, Elizabeth Casqueiro, Gloria Chapa, Michèle Colburn, Chris Combs, Shaughn Cooper with Kelsye Adams, Frank Hallam Day, Anna U Davis, R.A. Dean, Julee Dickerson-Thompson, Cheryl D. Edwards, David Allen Harris, Michael Iacovone, Michael Janis, Noel Kassewitz, Sally Kauffman, Barry D. Lindley, Patrick McDonough, Regina Miele, Steven Muñoz, Werllayne Nunes, Chelsea Ritter-Soronen, Lisa K. Rosenstein, Carly Rounds, Amanda Sauer, Alexandra Silverthorne, Ira Tattelman, Roderick Turner, Jessica van Brakle, Dawn Whitmore, Bahar Yürükoğlu.
Fragile Beauty May 9 – July 1, 2022 Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm ET
Opening Reception Thu, May 12, 2022 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM EDT Masks are required
SYNERGY features visual arts applicants for the FY20 Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program (AHFP) general support grant. On display are pieces submitted by the artists that represent their individual style and body of work. This exhibition allows grant review panelists an opportunity to evaluate the applicants’ works in a gallery setting, while at the same time showcasing the broad scope of the District’s dynamic art scene to the public.
Free and open to the public. Reservations are not required.
GALLERY HOURS
Monday – Friday
9 am – 6 pm
CLOSING RECEPTION
Friday, July 19, 2019, 6 – 8 pm
I Street Galleries
200 I Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003
The Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program (AHFP) provides general funding support of up to $10,000 to individuals who demonstrate exceptional creativity. These grant funds are intended to encourage the creative contributions of the District’s established and emerging individual artists and humanities practitioners and further cultivate the District’s dynamic cultural sector. The works in this exhibit will be evaluated by a DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) review panel.
About CAH
Established in 1968, CAH supports programs that promote progress in the arts and humanities through grants, professional opportunities, and other services to individuals and nonprofit organizations in all communities within the District of Columbia. CAH is the designated state arts agency for the District of Columbia, and is supported primarily by District government funds and in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities (DCCAH) has selected our Michael Janis as a finalist in the “Excellence in the Arts” category for the 31st Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards. The Mayors Arts Awards are the most prestigious honors conferred by the city on individual artists, teachers, nonprofit organizations, and patrons of the arts.
This year, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities will present the 31st Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards Thursday, September 22, 2016, 7 pm at the Historic Lincoln Theatre.
Artists and Organizations will be recognized in six categories:
Excellence in the Arts
Excellence in the Humanities
Excellence in Creative Industries
Outstanding Student Award
Excellence in Arts Teaching
Outstanding New Artist
Special Awards will be given to individuals and organizations, recognizing their outstanding support to DC arts, humanities and creative industries.
Opening night at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities AHFP visual arts exhibition at the DCCAH Main Gallery.
The Washington, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities opened its exhibit of visual artists applying for the FY 2017 Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program (AHFP) on Friday, July 29, 2016.Each artist had submitted a piece that represents their body of work and artistic perspective. The new Deputy Director – Michael Bigley – commented on the broad scope of the District’s dynamic art scene.
DCCAH Curator Zoma Wallace and DCCAH Deputy Director Michael Bigley.
Some familiar faces from the DC visual arts scene were to be found on opening night.
DC Commission on Arts and Humanities
Main Gallery 200 I (Eye) Street, SE Washington, DC 20003
Exhibition closes August 31 Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
featuring applicants of DCCAH 2016 Artist Fellowship Program
This exhibition presents some of the District’s finest visual artists applying for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities’ FY16 Artist Fellowship Program (AFP) grant. Each artist has submitted a piece that represents their body of work and artistic perspective.
The gathering of these artworks in the District’s first operated public gallery captures the broad scope of the dynamic art scene and provides an opportunity for artists to express their visions directly to the panel of peer reviewers evaluating their applications and to the public.
The arts and culture are the hallmark of any great city. The Washington, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) has granted over $7.4 million in FY 2014 to local organizations and individuals as well as provided numerous professional opportunities, educational enrichment, and other services to those serving the creative sector. The DCCAH aids the grantees in their efforts to elevate their work and, thus, the District of Columbia.
District of Creativity: A Year in the Arts and Humanities is a celebration for and by local artists and organizations. Performances and remarks will review and highlight the accomplishments of those arts and humanities organizations and individuals funded by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities in FY 2014.
Following the production, the DCCAH will be hosting a Networking Social at Lost Society for DCCAH grantees and local funder, philanthropies, and DC VIPs.
District of Creativity: The Arts and Humanities in 2014
Looking for a big hit of Art tonight? Where you are can determine what you should see. August 1, 2014 has many great options!
In Washington DC? The DC Commission on the Arts + Humanities opens its exhibit of artwork by DC artists that are up for a Fellowship Grant. AFP 15in the Gallery at 200 I Street. The collection of these artworks captures the broad scope of DC’s dynamic art scene and provides an opportunity for artists to express their visions to the public. The Washington Glass School is represented with works by Sean Hennessey, Michael Janis and Tim Tate. The exhibit runs through September 1, 2014. The Gallery at 200 i Street; Opening Reception Aug 1, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
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In the Norfolk, VA area? Virginia’s Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center (near Norfolk’s Chrysler Museum) joins with the TCC Visual Art Center to host a series of glass exhibits and programming that celebrate the studio glass movement. PACC, 400 High Street, Portsmouth, VA ; Opening Reception Aug 1, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
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In Asheville, NC? Asheville’s Bender Gallery is hosting Artifacts and Contraptions, a two person exhibition featuring glass and mixed media sculptures by artists Peter Wright and Audrey Wilson. Opening Reception Aug 1, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm in conjunction with downtown Asheville’s First Friday Art Walk.
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Out West? Check out Habatat Galleries space at ArtAspen in Colorado! This is the fifth edition of ArtAspen, thru Aug. 3 at the Aspen Ice Garden and the fair is expanding its reach into other cultural disciplines, in efforts to attract first time art buyers and to surpass last year’s record art sales and attendance. On Friday Night, 5-7pm, ArtAspen celebrates the Golden Anniversary of the Aspen Ice Garden. Fair organizers will provide open wine bar and celebratory birthday cake for all attendees.
There is a quick roundup of tonight’s events – get your LBD on (or jeans…. whatever) and get going!
The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities (DCCAH) supportsDistrict-based artists with grants thru the Artist Fellowship Program (AFP). The AFP offers awards to individual artists who make a significant contribution to the arts and substantively impact the lives of District of Columbia residents through their artistic excellence. For fiscal year 2015 the visual artists competing have submitted a piece that represents their body of work and artistic perspective.
The DCCAH presents AFP15 in the Gallery at 200 I Street. The collection of these artworks captures the broad scope of DC’s dynamic art scene and provides an opportunity for artists to express their visions to the public. The Washington Glass School is represented with works by Sean Hennessey, Michael Janis and Tim Tate. The exhibit runs through September 1, 2014.
AFP16 Visual Arts Exhibition
Event Details
