Hello! I'm Vincent Gallegos, co-founder of VGDA Design in Washington, DC. Enjoy my stories about art, technology and creative living. More >
Good morning! We hope you enjoyed this truly unique and fun weekend in the District snow! And, wow--was not expecting this kind of reception from reporters regarding the 14th and U St snowball fight. The (inter)national media & local blog coverage:
Finally, I want to show you Meridian Hill Park during the snowstorm compared to earlier this year: busy & golden; changing colors for the fall.
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Sort of. We don't party crash and yet we feel their presence. On Wednesday, Obama visited Martha's Table in our neighborhood, and yesterday, I took touristy photos with my visiting family in front of the White House just before Lady Obama welcomed her new Christmas tree (can you see it in the photo? One of the last I took before the area was cleared).
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"Quick," starts Bill Moyers, "recall the last time you heard a celebrity journalist... grill a politician on what campaign contributors get for their generosity." So starts Bill Moyers's foreword of Amy Goodman's new book, Breaking the Sound Barrier, a distinct set of essays on government transparency (and the willingness to stand up for truth), the transformation of corporate media (and the challenges facing "nonprofit journalism"), and a discussion of our "Organizer in Chief" (and how our actions as groups can provoke change).
I'm pleased to see that Amy will be stopping by a true community space tomorrow to discuss her book. She will be at Busboys and Poets (14th & V St. NW) starting at 7 p.m. To quote Bill Moyers once again:Amy knows the critical question for journalists is how close they are to the truth, not how close they are to power.
To me, this is what distinguishes Amy from other book-touring figures right now. Amy has "gone rogue" for the right reasons: for truth, not power, and she's been at it for a while. Come see her tomorrow!
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At Project 4, Laurel Lukazewski’s Sakura is the signature piece of her new show, “Once.” It’s an installation of 3,020 delicate porcelain cherry blossoms—the number coincides with how many trees were given to our city by Japan—covering the two-story walls of the gallery. By the baseboards, petals are strewn about, for even though these flowers look newly blossomed, Lukazewski won’t let us forget that natural beauty is fleeting—a message that, when cemented in porcelain, seems somewhat contradictory, as delicate as its medium. It’s as though Lukazewski takes us through the seasons: flowers in summer, piles of leaves in fall, the swirls of snow in the winter, and a waterfall-like cascade of rain in the spring; all four a reminder to be more deliberate, thoughtful, and grateful.
A beautiful piece in the City Paper. I hope you get to see Laurel's installation.
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I just spotted this article -- "Revenge of the Nerds" by Hays Sibley -- in November's issue of DC Magazine by Modern Luxury. The issue spotlights DC tech talent-- very nice! Personalities and events mentioned in this particular article include Jason Garber's Refresh DC, BarcampDC 3, Accessibility Camp's John F Croston III, She's Geeky, and Frank Gruber's TECH Cocktail.
Peter Corbett, of iStrategyLabs fame, is mentioned for TechArts. We also know him for his contribution to recent unconferences such as PubCamp and Barcamp. Yesterday, Peter spoke at an arts and technology panel moderated by Philippa Hughes of the Pink Line Project. DC Tech Events's Ross Karchner also mentioned. Good job, guys!
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Last night, I met a stellar group of talented PR professionals -- DC PR Flacks on Meetup (#DCFlacks on Twitter) -- thanks to my good friend Joe Flood. Joe re-introduced me to Margie Newman, founder of the monthly meetup, and Dave Newman, a talented web guy (and Wordpress expert).
I enjoyed chatting with Lauren Woeber. Like me, she finds the group welcoming. Member Jon Riethmaier says: "I came for the $2.50 beers and stayed for the conversation. This is great group with quality practitioners in a very relaxed environment." So come on out next month!
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See the ReadysetDC post from this morning--including the menu!--before visiting tonight's official opening! My who's who in just a bit.
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This story cross-posted at ReadysetDC: "Streetfront: Cork Market"
I'm excited to see these guys work on Cork Market, because for a while there we couldn't see construction. They are getting ready for business, as you can see from the permits. The place is located at 1805 14th Street NW (b/w Home Rule and Pulp DC), on what used to be El Paraiso Market. One of the guys loved getting his picture taken; another one busy painting. Pella logos all over the exterior for now--nothing distinctly Cork.
Metrocurean's Amanda McClements has a "before" shot of the place, and the complete scoop on Cork's new space. I met Amanda at Passenger DC's media party. (She's the girl on the left in this photo). You guys know I don't do food stuff, hah, so follow this awesome district foodie on Twitter.
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As we explore possibilities for Tell Me DC, I am reminded of Corey Greeneltch's discussion at Refresh DC August. Corey illustrates the fundamental connections between art history and web design. At the meetup, we reviewed works of fine art (the old and venerable kind) and websites to discuss ideas of creation, inspiration and innovation.
Too often, we work without looking at the root of our curiosities and interests. We spend too much time "idea shopping" at CSS galleries. Corey has nothing against inspiration-seeking. What he suggests is not that we slow down our systems of capturing but that we "learn the basics" of what makes design worth clipping in the first place.
We are natural clippers, so while we can't force inspiration, we can prepare for its arrival.
The challenge is this. We strive for flow: the mental context within which our best ideas are explored, measured and perfected. Flow is extremely valuable because it is hard to achieve. Between e-mail and client meetings, we lose sight of innovation and learning.
Luckily, many of us have had the privilege to connect disciplines--Corey, for instance, coming from a studio and liberal arts background. The truth is that artists, philosophers and violists make really good web people. A "right oriented" brain is simply a more connected brain.
Corey remind us that every critique we've had in school serves a purpose today. We appreciate them now, because we realize how much stronger our work becomes after suggestion (the extra set of eyes; Nielsen's 5-person usability testing).
I hope you join my friends at Tell Me DC, who are seeking to showcase design talent as perceived from our design community. Follow @tellmedc and tell them you want to contribute (the group blog is powered by Tumblr, the super easy way to post just about anything). Only a few days old, so be nice! See more photos from Corey's Refresh DC session >Comments [0]
One of the best DC parks to visit on Sunday. See more of Meridian Park, fall edition.
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I think we've started a movement! - @bloch_party
Update: Thanks, DCist, for the mention! Check out the ReadysetDC tweed ride wrapup. An awesome day for our team.
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Check out preview photos of tonight's show — kudos to Laurel and Project 4 Gallery.
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“Flight Patterns” are not just for the birds. Though the title of Phil Nesmith’s show at Irvine Contemporary is quite literal for his glass-plate images of birds and insects, flight unites his show with the concurrent exhibition by Oliver Vernon. Both are characterized by movement through air, but with completely divergent approaches. Nesmith, whose medium is photograms (a method in which exposures are made directly on photosensitive black glass plates), captures delicate, subtle movements. Vernon, on the other hand, creates futuristic abstract landscapes that look as tenuous as Jupiter’s—stormy gases and debris, rotating and swirling together in orbit. Nesmith’s birds and insects are restricted in their flight by the glass jars in which he’s ensnared his subjects. Vernon’s paintings and a 3-D installation explode into space, bound by nothing.
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I loved sharing Baked & Wired quotes over the summer. I haven't spotted any lately--it's getting to that time of year, perhaps--or maybe I'm just missing them altogether! Follow this sweet bakery & coffee house on Twitter.
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More at ReadysetDC! Looking forward to Thanksgiving -- Tweetsgiving, anyone?
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One of reasons why we love U Street corridor. We stopped by the 14th Street Farmers' Market to find a costume contest, for both kids and adults, organized by a collection of DC food bloggers (see the invite: Adventures in Shaw). Among the prizes: Biago Chocolate and Saint Ex gift certificates. Fun!
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"Two shots of espresso with chocolate topped with whip cream and an orange peel" - a great way to start Halloween! The Busboys staff made my morning--wearing really unique costumes! Tonight, a costume contest at 8pm -- good prizes, check it out! :).
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