Speakers Table
Wegmans Slated to Open in Fannie Mae Building on Wisconsin Avenue
May 23, 2017The recently sold 228,000 square foot building at 3900 Wisconsin Avenue NW, currently Fannie Mae headquarters, is slated to become the first Washington, DC Wegmans. Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a privately held American regional supermarket chain headquartered near Rochester, NY, where it was founded in 1916.
The joint venture, announced in November 2016 between North America Sekisui House, LLC (NASH) and Roadside Development includes plans for a mixed-use redevelopment of the property.
Fannie Mae plans to vacate the property within the next several years and relocate its workforce to a new office at 1100 15th Street NW.
Read more here.
Click here to share your thoughts.
Bob Dylan Exhibition in Cuba Organized by Govinda Gallery & Presented by Fototeca de Cuba
March 1, 2017Written by Chris Murray
Bob Dylan is the subject of a compelling photography exhibition in Cuba at their national photo gallery, Fototeca de Cuba. Bob Dylan NYC 1961-1964, featuring the photographs of Ted Russell, opens on Friday, March 24th in Havana. The exhibition will continue through April 24th. This groundbreaking exhibition is the first in Cuba to depict the legendary musical artist who was recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Ted Russell’s photographs document scenes from Dylan’s first year in New York City in 1961. When Russell began photographing Bob Dylan in Greenwich Village, the up-and-coming folk singer’s first album had not yet been released.
In 1963, Russell photographed Dylan at the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee’s annual Bill of Rights Dinner, where he was being awarded the prestigious Tom Paine Award. Ted Russell photographed James Baldwin with Dylan at the dinner where, in his acceptance speech, Dylan acknowledged “all the young people” who were traveling to Cuba at that time.
Russell photographed Dylan in his apartment again in 1964, at which point Dylan had already transformed popular music with songs like Blowin’ in the Wind, Masters of War, and The Times They Are A-Changin.’ In a series of stunning images from that day, Russell photographed Dylan writing at his desk. After 50 years lying largely dormant in a file cabinet, this unique collection has been brought to light in Bob Dylan NYC 1961-1964 (Rizzoli 2015). The book includes texts by Ted Russell and Chris Murray, and a foreword by Donovan.
Chris Murray, exhibition curator and co-author of the accompanying book, writes: “This collection of photographs by Ted Russell is a unique document of Dylan’s first years as a musical artist in Greenwich Village. In the photographs, as in Dylan’s music, we can see his conviction and compassion, his humor, and his love of song. We are enriched by this portrait of the artist as a young man.”
Launch: Friday, March 24th, 6:00-9:00 pm
Fototeca de Cuba, Mercaderes 307, Plaza Vieja, La Habana Vieja, Cuba.
Admission is free.
About Ted Russell, the photographer:
Ted Russell is an American photographer and photojournalist whose work has appeared on the covers of Life, Newsweek, Time, and New York magazines, to name only a few. Born in London, he worked in Fleet St, Brussels and Frankfurt before moving to New York. Drafted into the US Army, he served as unit photographer in the Korean War. After attending the University of California at Berkeley, he returned to New York and became a regular contributing photographer for Life for over 12 years, and he was later Cover Photo Editor of Newsweek for 11 years. Russell has won numerous awards, and his work has been exhibited at the International Center of Photography and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
About Chris Murray, the curator:
Chris Murray is the founder and director of Govinda Gallery in Washington, D.C., which represents many of the best fine art photographers and photojournalists in the world who have documented musical artists. Murray has organized over 250 exhibitions of many of the leading artists of our time, from Andy Warhol in the 1970s to Annie Leibovitz’s first exhibition in 1984. He is co-curator of the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibition Elvis at 21 and is the author of over fifteen books on visual culture, including Alfred Wertheimer’s Elvis and the Birth of Rock and Roll (Taschen 2016); The Rolling Stones 50×20 (Insight Editions 2012) and Patti Smith: American Artist (Insight Editions 2006).
About Fototeca de Cuba, the gallery:
The mission of Fototeca de Cuba is to contribute, through systematic and specialized work, to the development and appreciation of Cuban photography, as a way of expressing Cuban national culture; to preserve, promote, exhibit and divulge the photographic heritage that the institution contains in its collection as well as the various manifestations of Cuban photography, attending to the simultaneity of its values in its documentary, testimonial, historical and artistic aspects; both in Cuba and internationally. Likewise, it has the mission of bringing the public closer through various communicative strategies, cultural promotion, etc. and showing the best values of international photography in Cuba, favoring the learning and appreciation of photography among photographers and the general public.
“Here’s something you simply can’t miss: a sublime Bob Dylan exhibition . . . it’s an enriching experience and one we can’t recommend highly enough.”
-Hot Press
Special thanks to Fototeca de Cuba for hosting this exhibition. Bob Dylan NYC 1961-1964 is part of an ongoing collaboration between Fototeca de Cuba and Govinda Gallery.
Click here to share your thoughts.
Commissioner Bill Starrels on Georgetown
October 30, 2016Written by Bill Starrels
It is an honor and privilege to serve as ANC2E05 Commissioner for the past 16 years. In that time, I have accomplished a great deal to make my single member district and all of Georgetown a terrific place in which to live. Is my work finished? No – because Georgetown has a changing demographic, prosperity, increased pressures of new development, and all that goes with those dynamic factors. Many people have endorsed me for re-election because they believe I am best suited to solve our problems and enhance the quality of life for my constituents.
I am proud of all the endorsements I have received. These include the current President of the Citizens Association of Georgetown (CAG), four Past Presidents of CAG, the three retiring ANC2E Commissioners, and the President of the DC Board of Education.
I would like to address issues of great import to Georgetown today in this article. For my past accomplishments, and full list of endorsements, please visit my website.
Traffic in south Georgetown is a persistent problem over the years with the advent of three new condo buildings, two hotels and the House of Sweden. A new condo is now proposed over Gypsy Sally’s on Water Street which will only exacerbate current woes. I have been working on a task force with the Georgetown BID, CAG, and DDOT to explore options for relief. We must have a sensible plan that works. A neighbor has complained about all the street closures related to Taste of Georgetown, marathons, fun runs, etc, and she is quite right – we cannot have Water Street closed to emergency vehicles with residents trapped. I vow to work with fellow ANC Commissioners to say no to most proposed street closures. DPW and MPD must be tenacious with parking enforcement of buses, food trucks so traffic flows as efficiently as possible.
Residents want to see the West Heating Plant project move forward, and so do I – with haste. I have seen the most recent design that preserves the western façade of the building as directed by the Old Georgetown Board many months ago. I believe you will be as pleased with the design as I am, and I look forward to the developer unveiling these plans in mid-November. Supporting this project is critical, for beyond fixing an eyesore; we will also gain a world-class park for the community to use and enjoy.
Crime and homelessness are always issues in my Single Member District. We are home to most of Georgetown’s retail stores that attract and account for the majority of the criminal activity. In fact over sixty percent of the crimes in lower Georgetown are related to retail stores. There are safety concerns with some of the activity late night in the Waterfront Park. This is being addressed with Park Police. Overall the SMD is safe. You may be aware that MPD is currently understaffed by approximately 1,000 officers citywide. We must work closely with MPD leadership to correct this. I will continue to work with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to bring more officers to Georgetown.
I will continue to work with my fellow Commissioners and residents as we welcome new restaurants to Georgetown. We must preserve the right to use settlement agreements as needed to insure residents can enjoy the peace order and quiet that they deserve. The ANC is well respected by most in the restaurant community. We work well together.
The homeless problem is critical as winter approaches. I work tirelessly on this chronic problem which is, in part, driven by mental health issues – it is not easy to solve, but progress is being made. I am working now on removing the tent city that has again cropped up in Foggy Bottom and directly affects us. We need to be compassionate but focused on everyone’s interests.
Several years ago, I was PTA President of Hyde Elementary when my son was a student. Our community must join me in rallying to finish the renovation and expansion to Hyde. We must stand firm and united in saying no to Meyer Elementary as swing space. Sending our youngest residents across town is not acceptable. The children and parents of Hyde-Addison deserve local swing space. There is no alternative.
I look forward to working with you as we move Georgetown forward.
I would appreciate your vote on November 8th.
3 Comments Click here to share your thoughts.
