SSTCi's November Newsletter
Volume 8, Issue 11
Memories
“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”
~Maya Angelou
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Immigrant by artist Jackie Hoysted |
Dear Friends,
As we go through these changing times together, we must hold onto hope along the way.
With the historic election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, our country is on the verge of major change. This pivotal moment in history has given us much reason to celebrate and to breathe a sigh of relief. The last few days of celebration bring to mind a quote by Maya Angelou who once said, “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!" Please a wonderful poem "Brown Girl" below in Our Creative Community penned by Poet Judy Leak, which pays tribute the historic election of Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.
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Eagle Eyes
by artist Marcie Wolf Hubbard who was our featured artist in October.
Marcie invited us into her studio and shared an array of her work from encaustic to mixed media to her tiny houses. Marcie teaches classes virtually.
To see more of her work, or to take a class, check out her site at marciewolfhubbard.com.
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Last month, we held another Postcards from the Edge: A Gathering of Globetrotters Share Rapid-fire Travelogues. We had a variety of presenters who shared interesting travel destinations, including Southeastern Europe, Brooklyn, Carnival in Trinidad & Tobago, and Oaxaca during Dia de los Muertos! I shared some photos from a trip last Autumn to Vermont showing all the wonderful Autumn Colors. (see photo above).
Speaking of photos, photographer Andarge Asfaw led an in-depth workshop on how to use your DSLR. Participants were so grateful for the much needed instructed, we continue to get requests for another session. Andarge has graciously agreed to return for another workshop. Stay tuned! Photo: Andarge Asfaw.
Photo: Carnival in Trinidad & Tobago shared by SSTCi Board Member Jonathon Gunn.
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In October, we held our rescheduled 3rd Annual Women in the Arts Panel hosted by Artist Poet Neha Misra featuring Steel Pan Artist & Educator Josanne Francis, Mme. Jacqueline Akhmedova of Akhmedova Ballet Academy, Samba dancer & choreographer Dee Hale, Comic Kandace Saunders and artist/curator/activist Jackie Hoysted (at left) whose work Immigrant is featured at the top of this newsletter.
Photo Below Josanne Francis is featured.
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Poets gathered for a special program "Wings to Fly" in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. SSTCi Board Member & Poet Brenda Bunting facilitated a wonderful gathering of work dealing with this tough subject matter. It was an uplifting and inspiring evening for us all.
Photo: Poet & Author Anastasia Gadson
We recently completed a trio of movies led by Professor David Rothman of Montgomery College. We hope to hold more Wednesday Night Movies early in the coming year. Watch for our announcements.
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Our next Arts Salon focuses on Memories. Please join us Thursday, November 19th. More details below.
Please note, the Interfaith Series: The Practice of Gratitude originally scheduled for November 19th has been cancelled.
Photo: Comic Rose Vineshank at our last Gays in Space: An Intergalactic LGBTQ+ Comedic Experience. Don't miss the final show of this three part series this Thursday at 8pm!
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We have several exciting events coming up this month, including Postcards as Art led by artist Frances Holliday Alford happening this evening. You can see this whimsical workshop live on our Facebook group page.
Then on Veterans Day, we will hold our 12th Annual Tribute to America's Veterans Concert at 6pm featuring blues artists Memphis Gold & Stacy Brooks. This concert will be presented live on our Facebook group page at www.facebook.com/groups/silverspringtowncenter.
On Veterans Day, we will also host a writer's workshop with writer and Vietnam Veteran Mario Salazar. This program is part of our monthly SPARKLE Program presented in collaboration with Silver Spring Village. Join us Wednesday at 2pm for Memories of War & Peace: A Writer's Workshop. Please bring your writing to share with the group, or just come listen.
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Please mark your calendars for our Giving Tuesday Extravaganza Tuesday, December 1st starting at 5pm with a Facebook live performance with the Magical Voices of the Honey Larks, followed by Backstage Pass with Daryl Davis: Exploring the Magic of Musical Greats at 7pm, then at 9pm join us for a Magical Mystery Comedy Tour hosted by Walter Gottlieb.
Giving Tuesday kicks off end-of-year fundraising for non-profits like ours. On this day, we have matching funds from our board and advisory board members, so please donate on Giving Tuesday at www.mightycause.com/silverspring.
Photo (L-R): Chuck Berry, Danny Devito and Daryl Davis.
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Comic Anthony Oakes hosts our final Gays in Space this Thursday! See more details below.
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Thank you for including SSTCi in your year-end giving. We look forward to seeing you at our Veterans Concert and many other events coming up!
Warm Regards,
LISA MARTIN
SSTCi Executive Director
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Thank you to our November Sponsor Judy Glazer! |
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Postcards as Art Workshop
with Vermont Artist Frances Holliday Alford
Monday, November 9th 5pm-7pm
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Join us for Postcards as Art, a fun and creative workshop, led by Vermont artist Frances Holliday Alford Monday, November 9th 5pm-7pm. Presented virtually on Zoom
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Learn how to make whimsical postcard designs that are uniquely all your own. Postcards can be mailed to yourself or to a friend over and over again to get the stampings from the post office included in your design. You and a friend could also add to the design with each mailing. It's a great way to stay connected or just send something cheerful to a loved one.
All ages and abilities welcome! FREE!
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Materials:
Postcards with any design including recycled postcards
Cardstock
Stickers
Postage Stamps Ink
Stamps in various designs photos/xeroxes of photos
Found objects (stickers from fruit, ribbon, bits of newspaper/paper, old ticket stubs)
Scissors
Glue Stick
Pens Markers
Crayons
Glitter is not recommended
See more of Frances' postcards here at her website.
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About our Facilitator
Frances Holliday Alford found her medium in Fiber Arts and Multi-Media Arts after experimentation with many different art forms and mediums. Known for brilliant colors and for narrative subjects, often humorous, she uses materials in fresh and innovative ways. She uses both textiles and paper along with almost anything she can get her hands on. A native Texan, Frances learned to escape the Houston heat in the summertime when her mother took the family to Vermont. There, she spent the summers with brothers, sisters, and cousins enjoying fresh air and cool evenings. In retirement from teaching, she now resides in Grafton, Vermont, just blocks from her grandparents' former home. Her entire third floor is a studio which often bubbles over into her basement, her back yard or the chair by the fireplace. Frances studied fine arts as an undergraduate. She holds a Master's of Education in Special Education from the University of Arizona. She served in the United States Peace Corps as a Rehabilitation Volunteer in South Korea, teaching blind students at the Cheong-ju Home and School for the Blind. During her many years in the classroom, Frances' art background enabled her to create effective multi-sensory activities for teaching students with various disabilities. Today, she continues to enjoy developing activities that teach a set of skills to interested art quilt enthusiasts. She is very interested in recycling, repurposing and rethinking her materials, methods and their outcomes. As a world traveler, Frances has found her inspiration in many places. She takes photos incessantly and picks up materials where ever she goes. All of this gives inspiration to her art, and her art gives inspiration to her life. Frances lives in the yellow house on Main Street with her partner Mark, as well as their female Yorkie and three cats.
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SPARKLE: Senior Programs Aimed at Re-Kindling Lifetime Engagement
Memories of War & Peace: A Writer's Workshop
with Writer & Vietnam Veteran Mario Salazar
Wednesday, November 11th 2pm-4pm
Virtually on Zoom--Register with Silver Spring Village for the Link
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Join us on Veterans Day for our next SPARKLE: Memories of War & Peace: A Writer's Workshop Wednesday, November 11th at 2pm. Join writer/facilitator and Vietnam Vet Mario Salazar who will lead a writer's workshop exploring memories of war and peace.
Bring your work-in-progress related to your memories of war and peace, such as you or a loved one going off to war or coming home, or participating in a peace protest, or just life happening in general. Each person should take about ½ minute to introduce his/herself. Bring less than one page to read for the event if available. Participants will read aloud their writing for feedback from the group. If you do not have something to share, you are still welcome to participate.
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About our Presenter
Mario Salazar was born in Bogotá, Colombia and immigrated to the US in 1965. He served in the US Army as a draftee from 1965 to 1967. After nine months of training he arrived in Vietnam in October of 1966. He was a combat infantryman there for almost one year.
After service he returned to college and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 1972 and received a Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 1982, both from the University of Maryland, College Park. Most of his course work was in environmental protection of water. He was inducted into two honors fraternities during his studies.
He worked professionally for forty years, retiring from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2006. For most of his twenty six years there he worked as a National Technical Expert in Underground Injection of Wastes. Since his retirement he has done voluntary work in refurbishing computers for a non profit and in a soup kitchen. He has written more than two hundred articles for Internet forums and is in the process of writing his memoires and two novels.
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Presented by SSTCi in collaboration with the Silver Spring Village, the SPARKLE Program is a monthly community outreach series in the Silver Spring Civic Building that enriches the lives of seniors in our area. SPARKLE stands for Senior Programs Aimed at Re-Kindling Lifetime Engagement. *Events are now held virtually at this time.
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In collaboration with The Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs
Silver Spring Town Center Inc. presents
The 12th Annual Tribute to America's Veterans Concert
featuring Memphis Gold with Stacy Brooks
Wednesday, November 11 at 6pm
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Join us for the 12th Annual Tribute to America's Veterans Concert on Veterans Day Wednesday, November 11th at 6pm for an evening of live Blues music with the incomparable Memphis Gold and his band with the internationally acclaimed vocalist Stacy Brooks. This year's concert saluting our vets features Memphis who is a Vietnam Vet and Stacy is the daughter of.
FREE and everyone welcome!
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Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1955, Memphis Gold, Chester Chandler was the thirteenth child of fourteen.
Nine international tours and several festivals worldwide have brought Memphis Gold's high energy blues to audiences around the world
Chester Chandler Memphis Gold is also proud to say, he is cousin of Pop/Gospel singer Denise Williams who co-recorded with singer Johnny Mathis, and also a cousin of activist Dick Gregory.
"He is the genuine article, perhaps a throwback to the blues men of yore who learned their licks at the knee of legendary patriarch like Charlie Patton. And having done so, serves as one of the last links to the days when cotton was king on the Mississippi Delta." - Larry Benicewicz, Music Monthly.
This is no flash in the pan artist. He is as they say, the real deal.
Memphis is a proud Veteran of the Vietnam War.
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Throughout her career, Stacy Brooks has graced both local and international stages as a vocalist of Blues, Jazz and more. She has performed in the Silver Spring Blues Festival three times, as well as in an array of other regional events. Her band, the Stacy Brooks Band is in residency at Madam's Organ every 1st Sunday of the month. Stacy has produced & self released two WAMMIE Award-nominated (WAMA Washington Area Music Association) albums Live @ The Surf Club and Love, Peace & The Blues. She has also received four WAMMIE nominations for Female Blues Vocalist. She has more recently toured Europe on the European Blues Cruise and held a two month residency in Colombo, Sri Lanka at a club owned by cricket star Sanath Jayasuriya. Stacy is currently working on her new CD titled German Chocolate to be released in 2020 featuring full songs in German to pay tribute to her German background.
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About our sponsor the Walter Reed Society
The Walter Reed Society (WRS) is a tax exempt 501(c)3 charitable organization incorporated in the District of Columbia and registered in the State of Maryland. Originally organized in 1996 for the benefit of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), the Society now serves its successor organization, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), and its educational, patient, treatment and research activities. Membership in the Society is open to all - officer, enlisted, active duty, Reserve, National Guard, retired, civilian, patient, family member, and friend of WRNMMC. The WRS governing board is all-volunteer, and all of those involved in assisting our Wounded Warriors do so without remuneration.
Through the generous support of corporate and private donors, a fund was established in 2004 to assist servicemen and women being treated at WRNMMC due to service in Iraq, Afghanistan and surrounding areas. The fund helps them with unexpected financial needs and provides them with specially identified equipment and services related to their care when other resources are not available. Grants are approved on a case by case review. Since its inception, hundreds of service members and/or their families have received assistance from the WRS Warrior/Family Support Fund.
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Sergeant Major Daniel J. Bullis is a Viet Nam veteran and served thirty-one years in the United States Army Medical Department and during his career he served in numerous leadership positions cumulating with his selection as the first Sergeant Major, Army Medical Department /senior enlisted advisor to the Surgeon General, U.S. Army and Corps Chief of the Army Medical Department Hospital Corps. Dan was also appointed as the first Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army Medical Department Regiment. In these positions he was responsible for providing advice concerning the health, welfare and training of 90,000 enlisted medical Soldiers in both the active and reserve components. Shortly after his retirement Sergeant Major Bullis joined the DoD Deployment Health Clinical Center where he served as Chief of Staff. Dan is also the Vice President, Patient and Family services with the Walter Reed Society. He also previously served as the Chairman of the Montgomery County Commission for Veteran’s Affairs. In addition, Dan is the Commander of American Legion Post 41, Silver Spring, MD, and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American College for Healthcare Executives.
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Gays In Space:
An Intergalactic LGBTQ+ Comedy Experience
Hosted by Anthony Oakes
Thursday, November 12th 8pm
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In the Studio with Author Michael Oberman
Fast Forward, Play and Rewind
Tuesday, November 17th at 7pm
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David Bowie:s First Day in the U.S. in Silver Spring, MD (l to r Michael Oberman, Ron Oberman and David Bowie)
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Join us for Fast Forward, Play and Rewind: In the Studio with Author Michael Oberman Tuesday, November 17th at 7pm.
The Doors, James Brown, the Grateful Dead, the Sir Douglas Quintet, David Bowie—the list goes on. From 1967 to 1973, Michael Oberman interviewed more than three hundred top musical artists. Collected together for the first time, Fast Forward, Play and Rewind presents more than one hundred interviews Oberman conducted with the most important musical artists of the day
Along the way, Oberman touches on the influence of his brother, who interviewed the Beatles and other top artists from 1964 to 1967. He also recounts stories from his later career working for the major Warner-Elektra Atlantic recording company and producing concerts for Cellar Door Productions and managing recording artists.
Want to know the true story of how David Bowie became Ziggy Stardust? That and dozens more true tales that might seem like fiction are waiting inside the pages of Fast Forward, Play and Rewind. Each short interview is an invitation for readers to relive (or live for the first time) one of the greatest periods in rock 'n' roll history.
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About the Author
Michael Oberman became a weekly music columnist at age nineteen and wrote an interview column for six years (a total of more than three hundred interviews) before leaving for a career in the music business. At age fifty, he embarked on a new journey as a photographer. His photos are on permanent display in museums in the United States and Canada and have graced album covers, websites, galleries, and more. He currently lives in Columbia, Maryland.
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Arts Salon: Memories
Thursday, November 19th
6.30pm-8pm
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Join us for our next Arts Salon Thursday, November 19th 6.30pm-8pm. For this salon, we will share work that is drawn from memories.
The Arts Salon is exclusively for everyone from along the creative spectrum: artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, poets and more!
Fiber artists, costume designers, poets, songwriters, photographers, visual artists, filmmakers, tailors, musicians, and other multimedia artists are all welcome!
SSTCi's quarterly Arts Salon is in an inspiring space. It's sharing and performance-oriented and includes light refreshments (when meeting face to face). There are four opportunities each year to share your work and get inspired. Don't miss out!
Who: Everyone from along the creative spectrum: writers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, poets, and more!
Where: Virtually on Zoom
When: Thursday, November 19th, 6.30pm-8pm
Format: The salon normally features a performance-oriented show-and-tell format, a kind of "open mic" for artists of all disciplines based around the theme of collaboration.
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Giving Tuesday Extravaganza
The Magical Voices of the Honey Larks
Tuesday, December 1st, 5pm-6.30pm
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Meet The Honey Larks. Roots music with fabulous vocal harmonies and girl hang conversation between tunes.
In 2020, despite the lock down that took away so many live concert experiences, three best friends came together to share their love of blues music. What was intended to be a fun, one-off show turned into a female super-group with immediate fans requesting more performances.
Shows designed to be a safe space for all music lovers, celebrate blues history, and inspire viewers. Featuring Carly Harvey (DC's Queen of the Blues), Black Betty (Blues Hall of Fame), and Holly Montgomery (Grammy-Nominated).
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C A R L Y
Based out of Washington, DC, Carly Harvey combines Blues, Jazz, Soul, & Americana roots styles to create a unique sound that calls to mind Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, Nina Simone, with a little Ella Fitzgerald thrown in for good measure. In July 2018, Ms. Harvey was featured in Big City Blues Magazine as one of the youngest Blues artists to watch.
Carly is a two-time DC Blues Society Battle of the bands winner (duo 2016, band 2018) and was proclaimed DC's Queen of the Blues in 2016 by Dr. Nick Johnson of WPFW Radio. Carly's band represented DC in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January 2019 and advanced to the Semi-finals.
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B E T T Y
Black Betty is a singer/songwriter and band leader in Washington, DC. Best known as the front-woman of the award-winning blues band Moonshine Society, her album Sweet Thing was named Best Self-Produced CD at the International Blues Challenge 2020 (presented by The Blues Foundation).
Betty has brought her band throughout the US (and China for over 50 performances in Shanghai), and she has shared the stage with notable artists including Warren Haynes, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Jimmy Vivino, and others. She was inducted in to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2012 and is a two time Wammie winner (Best Blues Artist, Best Blues Artist).
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H O L L Y
Holly Montgomery is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and bass player originally from Louisville, KY, transplanted to L.A. and then again to Washington DC. She’s recorded multiple albums of her own music and with other artists including Mustangs of the West, Ice Cube, Dan Bern, John Ford Coley, guitarist Randall Hall (Lynyrd Skynyrd), and drummer and rock legend Aynsley Dunbar (Journey, Frank Zappa, David Bowie, and Jefferson Starship).
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Giving Tuesday Extravaganza
Backstage Pass with Daryl Davis:
Exploring the Magic of Musical Greats
Tuesday, December 1st, 7pm-8.30pm
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Daryl Davis performing with Chuck Berry |
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Daryl Davis discusses and sets the record straight regarding the facts and the fallacies about Rock'n'Roll history. He will also share some of his own personal and backstage stories of meeting and performing with many of the pioneers including the Founding Fathers and First Ladies of Rock'n'Roll.
Photo: Little Richard with Daryl Davis
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About Daryl Davis
Chicago native Daryl Davis graduated from Howard University, with a degree in Jazz. Additionally, he was mentored by legendary pianists Pinetop Perkins of The Muddy Waters Legendary Blues Band and Johnnie Johnson who was Chuck Berry's original pianist. Both claimed him as their godson and praised his ability to master a piano style that was popular long before he was born. In addition to being a pianist and vocalist, Daryl is an actor, author, and lecturer, now residing in Silver Spring, Maryland.
In order to pursue a solo career, Perkins relinquished his piano stool to Davis who toured with The Legendary Blues Band for several years. This was followed by a 32-year tenure with the Father of Rock'n'Roll, on the piano stool vacated by Johnson.
Apart from leading The Daryl Davis Band, he has worked with Elvis Presley’s Jordanaires, Percy Sledge, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sam Moore, Trudy Lynn, Mabel Johns The Coasters, The Platters, The Drifters, and many others. Daryl’s CDs American Roots and Alternate Routes, received rave reviews from leading Blues magazines, winning several WAMA (Washington Area Music Association) Awards for Best Artist in the Roots and Blues categories. Daryl tours both nationally and internationally and recently released his Greatest Hits CD.
A man once told Daryl, he’d never seen a Black man play piano like Jerry Lee Lewis. Daryl explained, they both learned from black Blues and Boogie Woogie pianists. The man didn’t believe in the black origin of the music but became a regular fan of Daryl’s. Turns out, he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. This experience led to Daryl becoming the first Black author to travel the country interviewing KKK leaders and members, all detailed in his book, Klan-Destine Relationships. Today, Daryl owns numerous Klan robes and hoods, given to him by active members who became his friend and renounced the organization.
Davis has received numerous local and national awards for his work in race relations, and is often sought after by CNN, MSNBC and numerous other media outlets as a consultant on the KKK and race relations and lectures nationwide and abroad on the topic.
As an actor, Daryl has appeared in film, stage plays and the critically acclaimed television police drama show The Wire and most recently as the subject of the multi-award-winning documentary Accidental Courtesy about his real life encounters with Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi leaders as he helps to dismantle racism in the United States.
For more information, please visit www.DarylDavis.com
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"Going on an Adventure" by artist Martina Sestakova |
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Brown Girl by Poet Judy Leak |
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Brown girl brown girl
What do you see
I see a Vice President
That looks like me
Brown girl brown girl
What do you do
I fought I hoped
I spoke what was true
Brown girl brown girl
What do you know
That there are strong women
Who want me to grow
Brown girl brown girl
What do you feel
Will help us all heal
Brown girl brown girl
What do you see
A world that sees my skin
before it sees me
Brown girl brown girl
Whatcha gonna do
March, fight and create
Till I make this world new
Brown girl brown girl
How are you so strong
'Cause I got Queens in my blood
To help push me along.
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A Prayer for You by Poet Catrice Greer
May you be surrounded by people you mutually love and respect, where you can be uniquely yourself and lovingly appreciated.
May your life be so favored that your name is on the lips of souls you love and your own soul name is only spoken with mutual deep care and high regard.
May everything and everyone else that does not honor the favor on your life and God's divine presence in your life and theirs, may those unhealthy connections fall swiftly away.
May you be healed in the spaces you can't touch and no one sees.
May you also walk towards all that serves your highest purpose on this planet with honor, love, light, healthy interdependence, respect, integrity, faith.
On this day, and going forward, friends, be abundantly blessed.
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Fungi Mandalas by Serenella Linares
RBG by Mihira Karra
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Other Silver Spring Events! |
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Docs in Progress'
Community Stories Virtual Film Festival
Friday, November 20- Sunday, November 22
Presented by Docs In Progress, the 2020 Community Stories Film Festival showcases people, places and events of Maryland, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia. What began in 2010 as a one night showcase of Docs In Progress student work has grown to a weekend of public screenings of films by everyone from professional filmmakers to first-time adult and youth filmmakers, sharing stories from our local community. Each year, more than 500 people engage with filmmakers and those who have been filmed. This year, COMMUNITY STORIES will be a virtual festival via Eventive.
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More Than Mindfulness Mondays have gone Virtual!
MONDAYS @ 6:30PM
Every Monday at 6:30pm we will be gathering for time together to be creative and mindful, deepening awareness of the deep abiding stillness that rests within us all!
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Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. | 240.595.8818 |
Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Pl, Silver Spring, MD 20910 | www.silverspringtowncenter.com
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