Join The “Photo Op” for Rockville

>Contributed by Judith Heartsong.

As a professional artist living in Rockville with a studio at VisArts in our wonderful town center, I keep my ear to the ground for great artistic opportunities and projects. Recently a wonderful project came to my attention from Art House Co-op (we build art projects and communities) called “A Million Little Pictures”. Art House is known for creating open call exhibits that are inclusive and community building, and this one is no exception.

“A Million Little Pictures” is a show that will document some aspect of people’s lives as they choose with a disposable camera provided by Art House with your paid registration fee. Twenty-four frames of film, developed into 4 x 6 pictures, and returned by the postmark deadline of September 1st. The exhibit will open in Atlanta on September 21st, and will then travel to the city with the most participants.

The exciting thing here is that you need not be a professional artist or photographer to participate and you choose what aspect of your life to document. I am choosing to document my daily life as a professional artist, living and working in Rockville. You can document your work, your favorite hobby, your pets, your garden, your antique car, your collection of teapots, your favorite vacation spot or coffee shop. The sky’s the limit and the possibilities are endless. It’s all up to you.

I have been encouraging the artists and staff of VisArts to participate, and then I thought about the fact that lots of people in Rockville might be interested as well. The pictures will tell the story you choose to tell, whether the story is about the weather or your favorite ice cream flavor. And once the show opens thousands of people will see your pictures. Doesn’t that sound intriguing? You know you want to join in…..

To get all the details visit Art House at http://www.arthousecoop.com/ and stop by VisArts, our wonderful 28,000 square foot art center right here in town center, to see what the artists are up to!

Judith has also written about the project on her an artsy blog.

Graphic from arthousecoop.com

Summer Smiles and Lemonade

The first thing to catch my eye was the waving. Kids were jumping up and down with big arrows and pointing at a table. It could only be a summer lemonade stand! The offerings also included Kool Aid and bottled water. Quite a selection!>

As we know, I was wondering what the kids in my neighborhood would do when the Summer Madness playground program ended in July. They decided to earn some money the good old capitalist way.

Their aspirations reach beyond beverages. As smart business planners they are surveying customers about other possible products such as brownies, cookies, or cake. Their teachers at Ritchie Park Elementary would be happy to see them tallying the answers and plotting the results. If they add nail painting, I’ll be first in line. They’re really thinking!

Standing among their smiling faces, I found myself remembering the lemonade stands of my youth in New Jersey. All the kids on my block would meet down in the empty lot. Our gimmick was beating a drum set. You always need something to draw attention. The best part was being together with your friends on those long days of summer.

Business was booming. If you’re thirsty near the intersection of Mt. Vernon and Blandford Street, keep your eye out for this little business enterprise.

A Neighborhood’s Best Friend

Anyone who saw “>I Am Legend,” the top box office draw this past weekend, knows a beloved dog plays a pivotal role. Ironically, she is the humanizing glue in a story about humanity hanging on by a thread. Writers of these post-apocalyptic stories often offer dogs as a small sign of hope – think “Terminator” and “The Day After Tomorrow.” Perhaps it’s because they live in neighborhoods, as I do, where neighbors might not know each other’s names but they know the names of each other’s dogs, as we discovered at last summer’s neighborhood block party.

One thing that makes my West End neighborhood particularly dog and people friendly is that it’s walkable thanks to sidewalks. Even on the coldest days our dogs draw us out of our houses. They glue us together in ways we might not be aware of – I silently mourned the loss of a neighbor’s lab after the dog was noticeably absent from her daily walks. They may even make you do something you’d never do otherwise. As I struggled to carry my injured 40 pound mutt up Nelson one summer afternoon a woman passing offered me a ride home. We knew without the dog in the mix neither of us would ever have offered or accepted a ride to/from a stranger.

In a world that sometimes feels on the verge of apocalypse I’m grateful our neighborhood has gone to the dogs – MacGregor, Porky, Maisy, Molly, Peanut, Mocha, Java, and Trixie to name a few.

Share your favorite Rockville dog walking routes, groomers, boarding and shelter services here, in the comments section of this post.