Del Ray Artisans Photo Exhibition

Nelson A. Green, Sr., Photo by Nina Tisara

H. Stewart Dunn, Jr., Photo by Steven Halperson

Four Living Legends portraits were accepted in the Del Ray Dozenz Photography Show, November 4-27, at the DRA Gallery, 2704 Mount Vernon Avenue.  The photographs are of Living Legends H. Stewart Dunn, Jr. Nelson A. Greene, Sr.,  Jon Liss and Donald Ferdinand Mela.  The Del Ray Artisans Gallery is at 2704 Mt. Vernon Avenue. The gallery is open Thursdays noon-6 p.m., Fridays, noon-9 p.m, Saturdays, 10 a.m.- 9 p.m. and Sundays:  noon - 6 p.m. 

Jon Liss.  Photo by Steven Halperson

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donald Ferdinand Mela - Photo by Nina Tisara

The public is invited to the Opening Reception, Friday, November 4, 7-10 p.m.

Nominate A Living Legend for 2012

Living Legends of Alexandria

Call for Nominations

Deadline: November 15

Who do you know whose vision and energy has improved life in Alexandria? Living Legends of Alexandria is seeking nominations in order to recognize Alexandria's Living Legends through 2012.

There are two nomination categories:

(1) Those who have contributed at least one tangible improvement to the quality of the city's life that would likely be missing without this person's vision and energy.
(2) Those demonstrating exemplary service to the city over ten years or more, especially service on Boards, Commissions, Committees or Service Organizations that improve the quality of life in Alexandria.

Nominees must live or work in Alexandria. Those currently running for or holding political office are not eligible for consideration. The contributions of City employees must be beyond the responsibilities of their jobs.

Copy and paste the nomination form into an email and send your nominations no later than November 15^th to AlexandriaLegends@NinaTisara.com or mail to: Living Legends, P.O. Box 10485, Alexandria, VA 22310.  Email is preferred.

2007-08 Legend Portraits at St. Elmo's Coffee Pub

 Photos by Nina Tisara/Living Legends of Alexandria

We installed (Steven Halperson did the hanging while I watched) the twelve 2007-08 Legend portraits at St. Elmo's Coffee Pub, 2300 Mt. Vernon Avenue, this afternoon. Pictured are William B. Hurd, Carolyn Griffin, Debra Roepke, Stephen Rideout, Vola Lawson, Patsy Ticer, Joe Youcha, David Cleary, Gladys Seisler, David B. Martin, Ferdinand Day and Marian Van Landingham.

Our sincere appreciation to owner Nora Partlow for making the space available to us. The exhibit will be on view through September.

Stop by to see the photos and while you're there, have a cup of coffee and a treat, and thank Nora and her manager, Will Nichols for opening the space to the Arts in Alexandria.

Collaboration

Great News! This will soon be posted on the Alexandria Legacies website.  Alexandria Legacies is the City of Alexandria's Oral History program.
 

'Alexandria Legacies & Living Legends 'Collaboration"

Living Legends is a A 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2007 that identifies, honors and chronicles the living legends of Alexandria, Virginia.  Honorees have included several Historic Alexandria volunteers and staff, along with other prominent members of the community.  Alexandria Legacies and Living Legends have joined forces in a collaborative effort to record oral histories of Living Legends nominees. Additionally, Family Legends of Alexandria is an outgrowth of Living Legends and a new initiative where (for example) kids interview their grandparents to capture their history. The goals are to foster artistic creativity in children and to help them develop an appreciation of and skill in photojournalism and storytelling. With these efforts, the reach of Historic Alexandria's oral history program will be expanded to children and families.

Family Legends Achieves Lift-Off

Family Legends has achieved lift-off!

Thanks to Ramsay Recreation Center Director Harold Little, Family Legends will offer the workshop, “Tell Your Story, Make Your Book” led by Sushmita Mazumdar. The 4-session workshop will be offered to 12 children per class, ages 7-12 in October, January and March.

Little was enthusiastic about offering the program at Ramsay saying he knows first-hand that art can change lives. His love of music is attributed to an early mentor. “Art is in one's soul...it can be a stepping stone to anything,” he said.

Friend of Living Legends John McEnearney has pledged support for two of the workshops.

The Family Legends workshop is part of the Living Legends of Alexandria Project. In this workshop, children will research and record the story of a legendary family member. The participants will learn how to interview people and how to write the stories. Then they will learn to turn the stories into a handmade storybook complete with illustrations, photos and maps.

Completed Family Legend Storybooks will be exhibited for the community to read and enjoy and published in Living Legends of Alexandria News.

Sushmita Mazumdar is an Arlington-based writer, book artist, and educator. She teaches art education programs for children and adults encouraging storytelling and the sharing of cultural heritage. She has conducted workshops at museums, schools, and arts institutions in the Washington DC area. She participated in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2010 Asian Pacific American Program: Local Lives Global Ties. 

Living Legends of Alexandria is an ongoing, not-for-profit project to identify, honor and chronicle people making current history in Alexandria.

For workshop information, see www.HandmadeStorybooks.com. For information about Living Legends of Alexandria, see www.AlexandriaLegends.com

Douglas Thurman Alley

The Living Legends Board of Directors has unanimously and enthusiastically endorsed the request of the Old Town Civic Association to name the alley behind his home in honor of the late Douglas Thurman.

Doug was a founding Board member and an ardent supporter of the project. He gave not only financial support, he gave us ideas to increase our visibility, for example participating in the Scottish Walk and the St. Pat's Parade. He arranged for an information table at last year's Irish Festival and for an Alexandria City Band piper at the opening reception of the Living Legends photo exhibition at the Del Ray Artisans. He gave all this generously despite his failing health.

Legends at Lee Center

The 2010 Living Legends of Alexandria portraits will be exhibited at the Lee Center, 1108 Jefferson Street, beginning August 9 through October 2011.  The 2010 Legends are Chet Avery, Rosalind Bovey, V. Rodger Digilio, Nelson A. Greene, Sr., T. Michael Miller, the team of Linda Odell and Alice Merrill, John Porter, Joan and John Renner, David G. Speck, Pat Troy, Lois Walker and Betty Wright. Read their stories in the 2010 Living Legends Catalog.