It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Trap Bob!

Tenbeete Solomon, a.k.a. artist Trap Bob, has painted three tables in the Takoma Streetery outdoor dining area with her “Girl” characters, bold Black female superheroes who each have their own superpowers. Solomon painted the tables three years ago with different designs that faded over time so the City’s Arts and Humanities Division hired her to repaint the tables with new superheroes.

“We’re very excited to have Trap Bob back in town to revive these tables with her unique and colorful style,” the City’s Arts and Humanities Coordinator Brendan Smith said. “The tables have been very popular so we wanted to extend their artistic life while providing more outdoor seating in downtown Takoma Park.”

The tables are located outside Takoma Bev at 6917 Laurel Avenue. Solomon lives in D.C., and she shared some thoughts about this project and her own artistic journey.

What’s it like being back in Takoma Park three years after you first painted these tables?

It feels great to be back painting here and talking to people who have told me how much they enjoy the tables and are happy to see them being restored. I love that public art is so supported and celebrated in Takoma Park, and you can really feel it in the energy of the community.

What was the inspiration for your artist name Trap Bob?

It was a mix of a childhood nickname and being a super fan of trap music pioneer Gucci Mane! I also love how the name throws people off and forces them to let go of their expectations.

How did you develop these Black female superheroes and what do they represent for you? 

I created my “Girl” characters as an outlet to express the emotions of both myself and my community. They are all one person and every person. For me, they represent hope and determination. The biggest theme behind my work is that “art will save the world.” When my “Girls” show up as superheroes, they are fighting for what’s right and just, and they serve as reminders that we are all superheroes in our everyday lives through our work and our choices.

Did you grow up reading comic books or watching superhero films? 

I grew up very influenced by anime, cartoons, and video games so I’ve definitely leaned into character design as it has been my favorite way to communicate my message. Without realizing it, my “Girls” were born from me aiming to relate to my audience and bring people together in a digestible and approachable way.

What’s your background as an artist?

I got interested in art around the time I was graduating from college and studying business and marketing. I was stressed about my future and finding my passion so I started drawing to relieve stress as it was something I always enjoyed but never took seriously. I fell in love with art and completely committed myself to being a self-taught artist.

I started with painting and moved into illustration and digital art, and more recently murals and public art. Freelancing became a classroom for me and I explored different mediums through various clients and projects. I have worked with so many amazing individuals and organizations in the D.C. area and have expanded to nationwide projects and campaigns.

The Dawn of Time  Chamber Music Concert

Relic Ensemble

Friday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 pm 

Takoma Park Community Center

7500 Maple Avenue 

Baroque chamber orchestra Relic explores the beginning of time in five evocative chapters in a free concert at the Takoma Park Community Center.

The chapters include the emergence of the elements, separation of earth and the heavens, formation of storms and seas, creation of birds and beasts, and finally the birth of humankind. Inspired by ancient creation stories from across the world, this dramatic program features music by Rebel, Rameau, Biber, Vivaldi, and other composers.

No tickets or reservations are required for this free Takoma Park Arts event, and seating is first come first served. Formed in 2022 by alumni of the famed Juilliard School, Relic is a touring chamber ensemble featuring talented musicians who have performed with esteemed orchestras across the world.

Lauded as “stylish and innovative” by the New York Classical Review, Relic connects with audiences through intimate and imaginative programming, which uses narrative “chapters” to unite a variety of repertoire. You can learn more about them at relicensemble.org.

Relic has performed in 12 states at various venues, including the Indianapolis Early Music Festival, Electric Earth Concerts, and the Gotham Early Music Scene. Committed to sharing their passion for chamber music with students of all ages, Relic members also have led workshops, master classes and residencies at schools and universities

This concert is part of the Takoma Park Arts series organized by the City of Takoma Park’s Arts and Humanities Division, including free concerts, theater, dance, film screenings, art exhibitions, and other events at the Takoma Park Community Center. Some limited parking is available at the Takoma Park police station, Piney Branch Elementary School, and neighboring streets.

You can find more info and sign up for our e-newsletter at takomaparkmd.gov/arts. Join us and celebrate the arts!

D.C. Labor Chorus Sing-Along Concert 

Friday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 pm 

Takoma Park Community Center

7500 Maple Avenue 

Featuring singers from Takoma Park and other communities, the D.C. Labor Chorus will lead an audience sing-along of some favorite civil rights and peace and justice songs.
Led by founding director Elise Bryant, the chorus includes about 25 members of various ages, races, and faith traditions who have performed at concerts, rallies, demonstrations, and picket lines. Some of the singers are current or former union members, and they all actively support the principles of liberty and justice for all. And singing about it!
The concert is free and no tickets or reservations are required. Some limited parking is available at the Takoma Park Community Center, Piney Branch Elementary School, or on neighboring streets.
The D.C. Labor Chorus is one of the programs of the Labor Heritage Foundation, which also organizes the D.C. Labor Filmfest and Great Labor Arts Exchange. For more info, go to laborheritage.org.
This concert is part of the City of Takoma Park’s Takoma Park Arts series, which includes free concerts, theater, dance performances, art exhibitions, and other events at the Takoma Park Community Center. For more info about all of our upcoming events, sign up for our e-newsletter. Join us and celebrate the arts!

TAKOMA ARTERY GROUP EXHIBITION

Takoma Park Community Center 

7500 Maple Avenue 

On view until June 2025

A group exhibition featuring work by 20 talented artists from the Takoma ARTery group is on display in the Takoma Park Community Center.

Their artwork spans many mediums, including painting, drawing, photography, encaustic, etchings, hand-cut paper, and mixed media. The artists explore a variety of themes from the deeply personal to global perspectives. The power, beauty and increasing fragility of nature provides inspiration for some artists. Others revel in the fleeting messages of street art, heartfelt portraits, or the minute details of everyday life.

The featured artists include Marilyn Banner, Paige Billin-Frye, Kate Childs Graham, Magalee Cirpili, Sara Daines, Tuula Ehn Smith, Dinesh Godavarty, Susanna Goldman, Li Howard, Julius Kassovic, Renee Lachman, Eleanor Landstreet, Janice Levitt, Ellen Maidman-Tanner, Jake Muirhead, Norah Neale, Becky Snider, Jeff Weiss, Randall Williams, and John Yao.

The City of Takoma Park’s Arts and Humanities Coordinator Brendan Smith curated the exhibition. “Takoma Park is home for many innovative artists, and it’s a privilege to showcase their work,” he said.

The Takoma ARTery was founded by local artists Eleanor Landstreet and Tuula Ehn Smith during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide an outlet for artists’ work through storefront window displays. The group has expanded to include an online artist directory, local artist meet-ups, and other events. For more info, go to takomaartery.org.

This exhibition is part of the Takoma Park Arts series organized by the City’s Arts and Humanities Division, which includes free concerts, theater, dance performances, film screenings, and other events at the Takoma Park Community Center. No tickets or reservations are required. To receive more info about all of our upcoming events, you can sign up for our weekly e-newsletter here.

Artwork image credits clockwise from top left: Norah Neale, Dinesh Godavarty, Sara Daines, and Kate Childs Graham   

Juels Bland Concert    

Friday, June 14 at 7:30 pm

Takoma Park Community Center  

7500 Maple Avenue

Silver Spring native Juels Bland has honed his talents as a singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist in clubs and venues across the East Coast, and he’ll be performing close to home in a free concert at the Takoma Park Community Center on June 14.

His music and lyrics evoke rich soulful tones, and he was drawn to music at an early age.

“I would just sing along to songs I liked when I was a kid,” he said. “I started to pay attention to music in 2006 when I learned to play guitar and write my own songs.”

After leaving a band called Trees Have Cars in 2011, Bland wrote more songs, recorded some demos, and played solo at gigs and open mics before forming another band called The Darkest Timeline. His second album “Something to Run From” was released in 2018. You can hear some of his music at juelsbland.com.

No tickets or reservations are required, and donations will be accepted. Limited parking is available at the Community Center’s police station parking lot, the adjoining Piney Branch Elementary School lot, or on neighboring streets

This concert is part of the Takoma Park Arts series organized by the City’s Arts and Humanities Division, which includes free concerts, theater, dance, film screenings and art exhibitions at the Takoma Park Community Center. Sign up for our e-newsletter at takomaparkmd.gov/arts for more info about our upcoming events.

Call for Submissions for Takoma ARTery Exhibition 

Submission Deadline: June 9, 2024

Percussion Discussion Taps Into Happiness

Friday, April 26 at 7:30 pm

Takoma Park Community Center

7500 Maple Avenue

Free Performance

The Knock on Wood Tap Studio in downtown Takoma Park has redefined tap dancing for more than two decades, and the studio’s resident ensembles will share their talents in a free performance at the Takoma Park Community Center on April 26.

Percussion Discussion includes three groups at different age and experience levels. Capitol Tap features youth tap dancers, Monumental Tap includes intermediate-level adult dancers, and District Tap highlights advanced adult performers. Each ensemble has their own repertoire, and they will collaborate in an intergenerational performance.

This event in the Takoma Park Arts series is free, and no tickets or reservations are required. Limited parking is available at the Takoma Park police station and the adjoining Piney Branch Elementary School parking lot.

Lisa Swenton-Eppard founded Capitol Tap in 2010, followed by District Tap and Monumental Tap. She grew up in her mother’s dance studio in southern Maryland where she learned to tap dance at an early age and started teaching when she was 15 years old.

“Tap was the one genre that spoke to me the most, and it’s been a mainstay in my life,” she said. “I’m now in my 38th year as a tap dance educator, not just for my own companies but also for other dance studios in the area.”

Percussion Discussion incorporates both historical and contemporary tap dance and has performed at the Kennedy Center, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Wolf Trap, and other venues.

“My dancers talk about the sense of connection and community they feel when creating music and dance together,” Swenton-Eppard said. “Performing is a form of communication and finding common ground with others through a range of emotions.”

The origins of tap dance are rooted in the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina in 1739 where enslaved Africans used weapons and drums in an unsuccessful uprising that led to a law being passed a year later that prohibited enslaved people from playing musical instruments.  This is believed to be the precursor that moved rhythmic patterns of West African step dances from the drum solely to the body, with tap dance evolving over centuries from various cultural influences.

Tap dance took off in the mid-1800s at dance competitions and minstrel shows, and then later in nightclubs, musicals, and vaudeville shows. Metal taps on the bottom of shoes didn’t appear until the early 1900s, replacing wooden-soled shoes and other footwear.

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson gained worldwide fame for his tap dancing in the early 1900s despite discrimination against Black performers. Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly helped develop the Broadway style of tap featured in musicals such as 42^nd Street and Anything Goes. Tap dancing reemerged in the 1980s with new dance styles fueled by funk and hip hop and has continued to grow in popularity.

This performance is part of the City of Takoma Park’s Takoma Park Arts series, which includes free concerts, theater, dance, art exhibitions, and film screenings at the Takoma Park Community Center. You can sign up for our e-newsletter to get more info about all of our upcoming events.

Interfaith Comedy Stand-Up Show

Thursday, March 14 at 7:30 pm 

Takoma Park Community Center

7500 Maple Avenue

Free Event  

In an age of polarization and angry debate, the comedians of Interfaith Comedy are sharing laughs with a side of understanding about various religions.
Five comedians from different religious backgrounds will share their talents in a free stand-up show on March 14 at the Takoma Park Community Center as part of the Takoma Park Arts series. No tickets or reservations are required, and donations will be accepted.
Comedian and producer Carmiya Weinraub, who is a modern Orthodox Jew, created the group to reduce prejudice through laughter. The comedians make lighthearted jokes only about their own religion.
“I wanted to create a space to amplify performers whose voices aren’t often heard in the wider community, including Muslim and Orthodox Jewish comedians, and put these voices in front of audiences that might not hear them otherwise,” Weinraub said. “Our group has both observant and non-observant members of different religions so we highlight many aspects of living a life influenced by religion, whether you were just raised that way or currently practice.”
The stand-up sets are followed by a Q&A where the comedians and audience members can share stories or anecdotes about their religious experiences. You can learn more about the group at interfaithcomedy.com.
Weinraub will be performing with PT Bratton (Baptist and Pentecostal), Riva Riley (raised Hindu and currently atheist), Shahryar Rizvi (Muslim), and Fish Stark (Unitarian Universalist).
“Interfaith Comedy is making a difference,” Weinraub said. “In today’s world, audiences really appreciate a show filled with positivity and connection, and that’s what we give them.”
Some limited parking is available at the Community Center, the adjacent Piney Branch Elementary School, or on neighborhood streets. The City of Takoma Park’s Arts and Humanities Division organizes the Takoma Park Arts series, including free concerts, film screenings, poetry readings, dance performances, and other events at the Takoma Park Community Center. You can sign up for our e-newsletter for news about all of our events. Join us and celebrate the arts!