WNO Begins Community Culture Project 5/2, Documents & Preserves Original Art

On May 2, the Ward 7 Arts Collaborative (W7AC), the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. and Washington National Opera (WNO) will kick off a summer-long initiative, the Community Culture Project, to document and preserve the area's unique history through the creation of original art. The kick-off event, titled "A Community in Bloom: A Ward 7 Community Culture Day," will commence at 1:00 p.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Sanctuary, at the conclusion of a parade honoring of Ward 7 resident and civil rights leader Nannie Helen Burroughs. Both the parade and Community Culture Day are supported by Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander. Event details below, organizational information attached. 

Inspired by National Public Radio's StoryCorps, the Community Culture Project will bring together diverse members of the community to record and interpret experiences related to life, history and culture in Ward 7. At the May 2 event, "A Community in Bloom: Ward 7 Community Culture Day," residents will have the opportunity to record their stories at audio booths, staffed by storytellers and local historians. Activities will also include a community clean-up, barbeque, exhibits by local artists, and live performances by WNO and W7AC artists.

Throughout the summer, professional teaching artists from the Ward 7 Arts Collaborative and WNO will hold workshops with residents to transform their recorded stories into works of art, including dance, theater and music, as well as the visual arts and spoken word. The project concludes on September 12 (location TBD) with public performances and exhibitions of the works, which will be captured on DVD and distributed to residents, local teachers and public libraries throughout the District.

"The Community Culture Project addresses multiple needs within the Ward 7 community," stated Wanda Aiken, Executive Director of the Ward 7 Arts Collaborative. "First, the project provides residents an access point for high-quality arts and culture, and the tools necessary to create that art. Second, it addresses a deep community need to remember its past: So much of Ward 7's history is oral, and it's vital that we preserve it. Finally, because the project is intended for Ward 7 residents of all ages-kids, parents, grandparents-the Cultural Community Project allows for cross-generational communication. By celebrating our community through stories and art, we're also building up our community."

"For several years, Washington National Opera has had great success with in-school programs in Ward 7. This partnership is an ideal way to deepen existing ties in Ward 7 and use our artistic resources to reach across generations and respond to community needs," stated Michelle Krisel, Director of WNO's Center for Education and Training.

The Community Culture Project is open to all residents of Ward 7; residents simply need to arrive on May 2 ready to tell their stories. Confirmed participants will include students, teachers and families from school and organizations already partnering with WNO and W7AC, such as the Arts and Technology Public Charter School, Drew Elementary School, Neval Thomas Elementary School, River Terrace Elementary School, Smothers Elementary and the Planned Parenthood Ophelia Egypt Teen Center.

The Community Culture Project is a pilot program for the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C.'s Ward-Based Humanities Network. Programs such as the Community Culture Project utilize the arts and humanities as a vehicle to promote social good. The program is designed to foster community pride, facilitate cross-generational communication and preserve local histories. Additionally, the program maximizes resources by pairing a major nonprofit with a community-based nonprofit, drawing on the two organizations' strengths to create a new and unique program.

WHAT: A Community in Bloom: Ward 7 Community Culture Day

A chance for community members to record stories about life in Ward 7. Event also includes community clean-up, barbeque and live entertainment.

Saturday, May 2 at approximately 1:00 p.m., immediately following the Nannie

Helen Burroughs Parade

Martin Luther King, Jr. Sanctuary
(next to Lederer Youth Garden @ 49th and Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue)

Ward 7 residents, Ward 7 Arts Collaborative, Washington National Opera,

Humanities Council of Washington, D.C.

 

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