CELEBRATING SLIGO CREEK  Art Exhibition

Takoma Park Community Center

7500 Maple Avenue 

On view until Sept. 7 

Sligo Creek is a lifeblood for wildlife in Takoma Park, an important tributary in our watershed, and a source of creativity and inspiration for local artists.
Two photographers and a mixed-media artist will share their work inspired by the creek and its environs in the Celebrating Sligo Creek exhibition at the Takoma Park Community Center, with a free opening reception on June 15. The exhibition, which will be on view until Sept. 7, features work by Julius Kassovic, Lynn Alleva Lilley, and Steven Robinson.
Julius Kassovic is a fine-art photographer based in Silver Spring. Since 2005, Sligo Creek has been his major muse and the subject of his Intimate Waterscapes series.
While working around the world in staff positions with the Peace Corps, he used color negative film to document Peace Corps projects. His work has been exhibited in galleries in the D.C. area and in other states and countries.
“I have been intensively shooting photos in Sligo Creek, and I keep finding new expressions of its beauty,” he said. ”I wade into the creek to capture dreamlike images reflecting through the shallow water that appear to be double exposures but are true representations of the creek’s beauty.”
Lynn Alleva Lilley’s photography centers on personal connections to nature and place, which is inspired by poetry, music, painting, and science. Her photos of Sligo Creek and other locales will be featured in the upcoming photo book The Nest. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.
“Eight years ago, I walked into the woods of Sligo Creek and was struck by how the bright winter light fell on brambles in the early evening, creating masses of shimmering silver and red lines,” she said. “These lines in nature felt like possibility, a way to question and to weave a life from fragility, fracture, and chaos into a shifting, shimmering beauty.”
Steven Robinson majored in art in college and has worked as an advertising artist for various advertising firms. Using his photos of Sligo Creek as inspiration, he cuts and molds mixed-media work embellished with glass and minerals that represent the vast diversity of nature, including butterflies, insects, reptiles, and amphibians.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a strong awareness of the natural world, especially the small details of shapes, textures, and colors,” he said. “Using my photography and technical skills, I enjoy producing a unique perspective of our beautiful, complex, and perfect natural world.”

WELLSPRING OF POETRY Poetry Reading

Free Event 

Thursday, June 1 at 7:30 pm 

Takoma Park Community Center

7500 Maple Avenue 

Please join us for our next Takoma Park Arts poetry reading where four local poets will share their original work about healing, growth, and enlightenment in various forms. The featured poets include Claudia Gary, Brendan Kennedy, Neha Misra, and Pamela Murray Winters.

Claudia Gary teaches poetry workshops at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda and is the author of several chapbooks and a full-length collection of poetry titled Humor Me. She also is a health science writer, a visual artist, and a composer of tonal chamber music and art songs.

Brendan Edward Kennedy is a poet, voiceover artist, and actor who studied poetry at the University of Maryland.  He also is a company member of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore.

Neha Misra is a first-generation immigrant poet, contemporary eco-folk artist, and award-winning climate justice advocate. Her multi-disciplinary Earth wisdom-centered creative studio uses the transformative power of art to build bridges between our private, collective, and planetary healing.

Pamela Murray Winters is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and she has received two Maryland State Arts Council artist awards. Her first book The Unbeckonable Bird was published in 2018.

The Takoma Park Arts series includes free poetry readings, art exhibitions, film screenings, concerts, theater, and dance performances at the Takoma Park Community Center at 7500 Maple Avenue. Please go to takomaparkmd.gov/arts for more info and to sign up for our e-newsletter.

MEETING THE MUSE IN MAY

Free Poetry Reading

Thursday, May 18 at 7:30 pm 

Takoma Park Community Center

7500 Maple Avenue 

Please join us for the Meeting the Muse in May poetry reading where three local poets will share their diverse range of work. The featured poets include Ryan E. Holman, Carol Jennings, and Melanie Weldon-Soiset.

Ryan E. Holman ‘s poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Maryland Literary Review, Corvid Queen, Quail Bell Magazine, and other publications. She enjoys writing about mundane and fantastic life through the lens of the elements.

Carol Jennings is a retired lawyer who worked for the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection for more than 30 years. She has two published poetry collections, including The Dead Spirits at the Piano and The Sustain Pedal.

Melanie Weldon-Soiset is a #ChurchToo survivor, contemplative prayer leader, and poetry editor at Geez Magazine. She also is a highly sensitive person who struggles with insomnia, yet values insights gained through dreaming. She loves to write poetry that creates safe refuge for sleep and connects with beauty that rings true.

The Takoma Park Arts series includes free poetry readings, art exhibitions, film screenings, concerts, theater, and dance performances at the Takoma Park Community Center. Please go to takomaparkmd.gov/arts for more info and to sign up for our e-newsletter.

SHORTS NIGHT FILM SCREENING

Friday, April 28 at 7:30 pm

Takoma Park Community Center Auditorium

7500 Maple Avenue

Free Admission

Don’t miss our latest and greatest Shorts Night in the Takoma Park Arts series to see five original short films by D.C.-area filmmakers, including dramas, a documentary, modern dance, and a homegrown feature starring Takoma Park youth. This will be the worldwide premiere for some of the films, and the directors will share their insights in a Q&A with the audience.

The featured films include:

Hugo’s Big Fix by Alice Weiss and Mike Kepka

Based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, this film owes its life to a burst of creativity during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with having to cancel their local Halloween play, Takoma Park Middle School students and parents made a short film from start to finish in just one week!

The film tells the magical story of Hugo Cabret, a street urchin who lives in the clock tower at the Gare du Nord train station and finds mischief and adventure with his friend Isabelle in the streets of Paris.

Alice Weiss is a health policy attorney who co-wrote and filmed the play with her daughter Dalia Badt and husband Steve Badt. Mike Kepka is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and father of June Kepka who acted in the film. He served as cinematographer and helped direct, edit, and score the film.

Requiem Today by Olga Aru

This one-act ballet film breaks through the barriers of prejudice and reflects upon the courageous nature of humankind. Expressive and bold, the performance offers a glimpse of hope and unity, as well as a gender-neutral approach in dance partnering. Some film chapters are dedicated to the BLM movement, mental health awareness,  and LGBTQIA+ acceptance.

Olga Aru is a Ukrainian-born American director, actress, writer, and choreographer. She is the founder and artistic director of the Aru Dell’Arte modern dance company, and she screened an earlier film at our Shorts Night in 2021.

The World We Wanted by Richard Hall

In the 1950s and ‘60s, 30 bright teens from around the globe gathered each year to learn about America and discuss social issues in a TV program for the New York Herald Tribune World Youth Forum. Now more than 60 years later, Richard Hall and historian Catherine Bishop have reunited some students from the 1959 forum to see how their perspectives on world issues have changed over the years.

Richard Hall is an independent filmmaker specializing in educational films on history and politics. An archival film enthusiast, he presents the popular Vintage Movie Nights in the Takoma Park Arts series.

Memories by Sarah Molot

In a bittersweet drama, Olly hasn’t seen Mara in a long time but they reunite to spend time together as if they were still kids. If only it wasn’t the last time.

Sarah Molot is a film student at the University of Maryland and a video editor who will be interning with NBC this year.

Main Character by Lexi Christie

A melancholy college student fears she is losing her best friend when her roommate moves away to start a new life with a boyfriend. Through a weekend with her mother and a series of daydreams in different film genres, Sadie wrestles with feelings of loss and envy and what it means to be the “main character” of her own life.

Lexi Christie is a writer, filmmaker, and recent graduate of the University of Virginia where she studied drama and media studies.

The City of Takoma Park’s Takoma Park Arts series includes free film screenings, poetry readings, art exhibitions, concerts, theater, and other events at the Takoma Park Community Center. Please go to takomaparkmd.gov/arts for more info and to sign up for our e-newsletter.