Shaw is a neighborhood with a rich cultural, artistic, and political history in Washington, DC. It is home to the legendary painter Alma Thomas, the historic Howard Theatre, and many other landmarks. Unfortunately, Shaw has become the epicenter of a lot of change in recent years. Gentrification and constant development have pushed out and made many of the area’s longtime residents feel unwelcome in the place they once called home. With these factors in mind, Pipkin Creative and Caandor Labs have come together to produce the Shaw Arts Walk.
The walk is accessible to all and will focus on three pivotal points in Shaw:
- There will be artisan and craft sidewalk vendors in one location, along with a DJ.
- Two pop-up galleries will be displayed, one of which is curated by local artist Trap Bob.
- The main stage will have performances from local jazz bands and DJs with a headling set from Bryan Lee.
In addition to all these attractions, there will be live painting, aerosol art, and a mobile stage driving around, providing more vibes.
Pipkin Creative is an art, music, and culture consultancy run by Thomas Pipkin, a 30-year DC resident. Thomas is an installation artist and musician who works with government agencies and developers to build events and activations that strengthen communities.
When Thomas moved to the Petworth neighborhood 12 years ago, Thomas got to work identifying needs that weren’t being met for the residents and finding ways to fulfill them. He started the Petworth Farmers Market, the first of its kind in Ward 4, which is still going strong today. Thomas is also responsible for the Petworth Jazz Project & Celebrate Petworth. “I produce engagements, activations, energize spaces through the art, music, and culture lens to strengthen neighborhoods” is how he describes his work.
Thomas firmly believes in the importance of face-to-face interactions. “It’s about the community gathering week-in, week-out where people begin to see each other’s faces, recognize faces black and white, bump elbows. Creating a community like that, you must come out of your house.” Once he accepted the project, Pipkin reached out to Moss Belkessam of Caandor Labs and Enica Barnes of Neighbors DC to help see it through.
Caandor Labs is a creative agency focused on high-level fundraising and market research. Caandor started as a podcast production & web design firm working with local brands and small businesses to create impact-driven content campaigns. Full disclosure, one of Caandor’s very first clients was Bridge. “We wanted to empower creativity and independent creators in any capacity.” Caandor’s initial approach to working with local governments and non-profit organizations was focused on guiding their clients through multi-phased content workshops and impact-centric production campaigns to cultivate higher donation & fundraising engagements. DCPS, NYFD, Trust for the National Mall, and Union Market District are just a few of their notable clients. For this project, Caandor’s goals were simple, to highlight amazing artists in the community.
Enica Barnes is co-founder of Neighbors DC, a weekly pop-up at Union Market that brings vendors together for a street market-type experience. For the Arts Walk, Thomas asked Enica to tap into her network of vendors to create a well-rounded experience for every visitor.
Thomas sees this as an opportunity to put the right people on and do it well. Although this first activation is happening in Shaw, he believes every community needs something like this. “Anything we can do to expose people to art, culture, creative avenues, innovation, young businesses, young entrepreneurs in the city is a positive step forward,” according to Thomas. Despite that, this event is unique to Shaw.
The connection to U-Street, the original Black Broadway, is evident in the presented jazz bands. The art direction and logo for the event also borrow heavily from the work of Alma Thomas, paying homage to one of the greatest African-American artists of the 20th century. The organizers hope this event will help nurture the entire Washington DC art community, unearth hidden talents, and encourage those unsure of pursuing art more actively.
The Shaw Arts Walk will be held on Saturday, October 15th, from 12 pm to 6 pm. We encourage everyone across the DC area to attend, as long as you are a fan of art, music, and building community.
Schedule and Artists:
The Shay
(8th Street between T St. and Florida Ave.)
Sidewalk Vendors and DJ Martin Miguel + Friends: 12pm – 6pm
Featuring:
KELEM ARTS
SOTO CERAMICS
MACHEE CREATES
CELESTIAL CRAFTHOUSE
LIONS DEN CREATIVE LLC
BLACK SQUIRREL COMPANY
GOOD & PROPER SKINCARE
METAL & STONE CREATIONS
GOODS BY DIGITALTRILLNANA
JIMMY POTTERS CERAMICS
BEST LIFE ORGANICS
KHADIJAH BRAND
CANDID ALMOND
LONDON WICK
FA’ ANIGYE
GOOD BY DIGITALTRILLNANA
Atlantic Plumbing
2100 Block of 8th St (8th St. between V St. and Barry Pl. NW)
“Gallery Row”
Featuring:
Washington Project for the Arts
The Foundry Gallery
Trap’s House (Pop Up Gallery Curated by Trap Bob)
Pop Up Boutique curated by Enica Barnes (Neighbor’s DC)
Maps Glover Performance Art
The Woonerf (Living Street)
901 W St. NW
Main Stage featuring Live Music, DJs, Live Painters, Vinyl Vendors
Schedule:
12 pm – 2pm: DJ Josh Craig
Artist Statement: Each person hears sounds and sees colors differently. My aim as an artist is to display what I am feeling at a certain moment as a result of the sounds I’m creating in that very same moment. Showcasing to the world how my mind reacts to music makes me feel like I’m giving people a chance to stop and reflect on the different results of perceptions in their own life. Education as a tool of enlightenment can be a vessel for growth. To truly make a change in this world, begins with self. Using the arts as grounds for communication, we as people can create a better tomorrow. Audiovisual art is my medium and I look forward to each day I can inspire the creative communities to expand their horizons.
2 pm – 3 pm: Bryan Lee (https://www.instagram.com/_bryanleemusic)
Bryan Lee is an R&B and Neo-soul singer/songwriter from Virginia. He began his journey of singing and writing songs in the spring of 2007, which led him to compete in Season 15 of NBC’s critically acclaimed show The Voice. Since then he’s released an EP, two singles, and is currently working on a new project. Bryan Lee is a Sofar Alum artist who’s performed all throughout the DMV area and is featured on Sofar’s YouTube page. With an eclectic style and tangible energy, Bryan Lee will always make sure you enjoy yourself at one of his shows.
3 pm – 4 pm: DJ Josh Craig
4pm – 5 pm: Keith Butler Jr Trio feat Francisco Quintero (guitar,) and Zoë Jorgenson Spears (bass.)
5 pm – 6 pm: Julian Berkowitz Quartet
Julian Berkowitz is a drummer and educator residing in Washington, DC. Rooted in the deep tradition of American jazz, fusion, and the rhythms of Brazil, Julian has quickly become one of the DC area’s most in-demand drummers & bandleaders. Join Julian Berkowitz at the Shaw Arts Walk on October 15th, as he presents an all-star quartet comprised of some of DC’s top musicians. The band features piano prodigy José André, bassist Delorean Fullington, and saxophonist Elijah Easton. The quartet will be performing their takes of some familiar and obscure jazz standards and Brazilian songs, and might even debut some new original music.
Live Artists (more being added)
Trap Bob
Chris Pyrate
Dieglo
Juan Pineda
Luther Wright
Ann Gill
Sam Hamilton
Ade Innis
Claire DePree
