Why Everyone Should Volunteer An Hour
June 4th, 2008 ~ Foggy Bottom’s history can be traced to 1765 and has through its rich history adapted, and reduced, been stripped and homogenized of much of its distinctive features leaving a greatly reduced, but recognized historic district. A few blocks within FB were given historic designation and a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 – only blocks away from the White House, while much of the signature brick row houses have given way to large development, Yet, for residents, there is no provision for reducing traffic exhaust, competition for parking, or security issues that seem to rise as the density increases and the economy falls.
At the same time the fates of our last truly significant, nationally historic buildings, namely the Naval Hill Observatory and the Stevens School, are being cast behind closed doors. (See FBN 2/13/08 and FBN 3/26/08). A call or letter from many community voices can impact decisions. For Stevens School time is running out. Reach out to Mayor Fenty and join or volunteer one time or one hour a week, month or year, ad hoc or as a FBA officer. As Edmund Burke wrote, “nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” _FBN
Sculpture Exhibit Makes Fox Morning News!
May 14th, 2008 ~ Holly Morris and her crew from Fox 5 were stationed in Foggy Bottom last Tuesday at a very early 6:30 a.m. to shoot spots broadcast as segments throughout the morning news until 9 a.m. Holly who has a bubbly, inquisitive personality regardless of the early hour, interviewed Exhibit artists Pamela Burris, Craig Kraft and Craig Schaffer and Exhibit curator Shirley Koller. Morris also interviewed FBA Vice President and Exhibit Co-Director, Jackie Lemire, and participating homeowners Meggen Watt and Russ Conlan. Conlan is hosting a sculpture by Philippe Mougne called “Dance.” Over the course of the morning, many neighbors and friends stopped by design or happenstance to watch the media event at street level.
See the May 14th issue of the FBN for the entire story»
Huge Crowd for Inaugural Sculptor Tour
May 7th, 2008 ~ The Inaugural Tour and Reception for the Foogy Bottom Sculpture Exhibiton was huge. A hundred or more people joined the tours that stopped at each of the 12 residences where the each artist stood to discuss his/her respective sculpture. Sculptors include Alan Binstock, Pamela Burris, Robert Cole, Alonzo Davis, Nancy Frankel, Craig Kraft, Philippe Mougne, Sam Noto, Ethan Rochmis, Craig Schaffer, Garrett Strang, and Mike Shaffer. All of the artists live or have studios in metropolitan Washington area.
See the latest issue of the FBN for the entire story»
During the run of the exhibit, artist-led tours will be offered on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 11 a.m. Brochures may be picked up at each sculpture site for a self-guided tour -- they provide photos of sculptures on display with a corresponding map of the neighborhood. "We are so proud of the caliber of DC area artists on exhibit in our neighborhood," says Shirley Koller, curator of the exhibit and a Foggy Bottom resident. Ms. Koller has curated exhibits for the Art and Science program at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) at the DC Headquarters building for the past ten years. She has also curated sculpture shows for the Tri State's Sculptors Education Association at Washington Square in Washington, DC for the past 20 years.
"This exhibit brings sculpture to a much larger and more diverse segment of the viewing public than if it were in a museum or gallery," says sculptor Mike Shaffer. "I think people can relate more personally and intimately to modern sculpture when they see it against an interesting backdrop of historic homes and their surroundings."
Sculptors include Alan Binstock (first photo), Pamela Burris (second photo), Robert Cole, Alonzo Davis, Nancy Frankel, Craig Kraft, Philippe Mougne, Sam Noto, Ethan Rochmis, Craig Schaffer, Garrett Strang, and Mike Shaffer. All of the artists live or have studios in the metropolitan Washington area.
Educational programs and lectures will be announced during the span of the exhibit and special tours for groups will be available upon request. Please check the Arts in Foggy Bottom page for upcoming events to be announced in the coming weeks or contact arts@savefoggybottom.com for more information.
Marvelous Market Overdue Addition To FB
April 11th, 2008 ~What seems to be a long overdue addition to the FB neighborhood is the March 6th opening of the wonderful Marvelous Market (MM) located in the 2400 block of Pennsylvania Ave NW, just west of Washington Circle. Ty and Kim Owens, and sister-in law, Sharon Owens are MM owners and are very enthusiastic about the FB community. They’ve had a great response so far from neighbors, GW students, commuters and guests of the local hotels. Ty, who is getting a sense of the tastes of the clientele, says they in the process of adding an olive bar. He added that catering will be offered within a few weeks and wants to get the word out to FB businesses and organizations that MM will deliver for office-based meetings and lunches. By June, they plan to serve wine and provide outdoor seating.
The underlying concept of MM, which has been operating since 1990, is a gourmet convenience store. As a growing franchise, each of the locations in the metro area benefits from a highly evolved list of gourmet vendors, and a central location producing product and maintaining quality control. All product is delivered fresh each morning. Bread, pastries, desserts, sandwiches, soups, salads, sides, entrees, cheese, meat, snack foods, coffee, and gourmet grocery items make up the bulk of the menu. MM has a long list of awards to its credit, the most recent being named Washington’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookie company. Customers are very, very loyal and visit “their” neighborhood store several times per week. Walking into MM you’ll understand that comfortable feeling of community immediately. Check out MM for yourself. This reliably delicious haven for foodies takes the farmer’s market concept to the next level. And, by all means, introduce yourselves to Sharon, Kim and Ty. Marvelous Market opens daily at 7am. They close: Mon-Thurs@8pm, Fri-Sat@10pm, and Sun@7pm.
—FBN
askJoeStewart.com