Artomatic Opens Today

The one, the only, the Artomatic opens today through July 5th (schedule below).

The Artomatic folks are celebrating their 10th anniversary of taking over unfinished space and bring multimedia wunderkinds (and wunderdon'ts) to the public. With 9 floors of art, video, music, and classes, Artomatic has something that will appeal to everyone. Last year, I watched old episodes of Pancake Mountain with three six year olds and a pair of teenagers making out before I explored exhibits ranging from the awesome to the mediocre. I ended my day by dropping by a class on burlesque dancing and practiced my shimmy shake moves.


The best part is that Artomatic is entirely gratis! This year it's in the Navy Yard neighborhood... not too much of a hike for those on the green line.



Details:
55 M Street, S.E. Washington, DC 20003
(at the corner with Half Street above the Navy Yard Metro)

Metro stop: Green Line, Navy Yard, Ballpark exit

May 29–July 5, 2009
Wednesdays and Thursdays
5 p.m. – 10 p.m

Fridays and Saturdays
12 noon – 1 a.m.

Sundays 12 noon – 10 p.m.

Closed Mondays and Tuesdays



photos courtesy of Edward Underwood Photography and Fine Art Photography by Scott Speck.

Literacy Conference - All Ages! - This Weekend!

As part of the All Corps Service Day on Saturday, May 16th, AmeriCorps is organizing a Literacy Conference for all ages!

The conference consists of two 40-minute workshops for children in pre-kindergarten through 6th grade and their parents. Scheduled activities and times are as follows:

Registration (free to all participants!)
10:00am - 10:20pm

First workshop
10:30am - 11:00am

Second workshop
11:20am - 12:00pm

Lunch
Noon - 1:00pm

Games
1:00pm - 2:00pm

Location
Turner at Green Elementary
1500 Mississippi Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20032
(walking distance from Congress Heights metro station)


Workshop Options:
Pre-K/K, 1st/2nd, 3rd/4th
Storytelling, American Sign Language, Haiku, Rhyming Words, Fitness & Nutrition, Theater,
Music

5th/6th
Comedy, Spoken Word

Parents
Resume Writing, Finance

All are invited to attend!



Frequently Asked Questions:

How many children can I bring?
As many as you can. Keep in mind that each workshop is capped at 15 participants, accommodating a maximum of 135 children and 30 parents.

How can I register for the workshops?
Registration will take place from 10:00am - 10:20am at the site and on the day of the conference. If you are planning to bring a group of 5 or more, please call Janelle Forde (202) 549-6692 with the names of each participant, his/her grade, and workshop choices, before Saturday, May 16th.

I am not a parent, but I work with children in a school or organization -- can I chaperon a group?
Yes! Please follow your school's or organization's field trip guidelines.

I am a parent; do I have to participate in the parent workshops.
No. Adults may volunteer alongside national service members in one of the other service projects, such as gardening, picking up litter, and painting murals.

Oops! I almost forgot -- is all of this free?

Yes! The entire day is free of cost for community members (of Earth) to enjoy.

When is it again?
THIS Saturday, May 16th.


photos courtesy of AmeriCorps.

What to grow organic vegetables?

The Neighborhood Farm Initiative is sponsoring a class on organic vegetable gardening. This is the garden's inaugural year- the coordinators are hoping for a good crew of volunteers and interns and a good inaugural class.


Class details:
May - September 2009

Prices:
$650/2 people or $325/person (which shares 1 plot)
$550 for one person (1 plot).

Plot info:
The price includes a 12 x 12 foot plot, access to supplies/equipment, seeds, seedling, help from staff and volunteers, and instruction every other week from May through Sept. . . and, of course, the bounty of your garden! You just need to commit to the class, tend your garden 3 hours every week, and pay for the class.

For more information, check out the Neighborhood Farm Initiative website and blog!

photo courtesy of Organically.