Theater Night at MetroStage - On-line Registration

Theater Night at MetroStage

Space is Limited. Reserve now

   We'll gather for a reception from 7-8 p.m. and then enjoy Gee's Bend by Gregory Wilder. 

 

   We'll also be celebrating former Alexandria City Manager Vola Lawson's birthday which is that very day!  Vola was named a Living Legend of Alexandria in 2007. Hollin Hall Pastry Shop is providing the cake.

 

   Gee's Bend is the true story of the Pettway women of Gee's Bend, Alabama. Through segregation, family turmoil, and the Civil Rights Movement, the women turn to quilting to provide comfort and context for their lives. These quilts, a labor of love and necessity, turn out to be valuable works of art.

 

   Tickets for the reception and play are $75 each.  Order on-line at http://theatrenight.eventbrite.com or by sending your check to Legends, P.O. Box 10485, Alexandria, VA  22310.

   MetroStage is at 1201 N. Royal St. 

 

   Space is limited so reserve early.

 

Nominate a 2014 Legend

Who do you know whose vision and energy has improved life in Alexandria? There are two categories for your nomination:

   (1) Individuals 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 -- or

   (2) Individuals 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.

Those currently running for or holding political office are not eligible for consideration. The contributions of City employees should be beyond the responsibilities of their jobs.

You may nominate as many Legends as you consider worthy of consideration.  See www.AlexandriaLegends.com for a list of past Legends, a nomination form and to nominate on-line.

Here are a couple of suggestions to help your nominee have the best possible chance of being selected as a Legend.

  (1) Include a single sentence high in the nomination information that says exactly the reason for the nomination.  We want the Selection Committee to be clear about why the person was nominated

  (2) Show the nomination to the nominee before it’s submitted for fact-checking.

  (3) Include names and contact information of others who know of the nominee’s contribution and who can be consulted for additional information if needed.

If you have questions, contact Legends@AlexandriaLegends.com. 

The deadline for nominations is October 15, 2013.

Our Town in Our Times

 

Nina Tisara, director of Living Legends of Alexandria, announced that History Press will publish six years of Living Legend feature stories and photographs under the working title “Our Town in Our Times.”  Publication is expected in January 2014. 

 

 Living Legends of Alexandria is an ongoing not-for-profit project to identify, honor and chronicle people making current history in Alexandria.  It also offers programs to encourage children and youth to document the histories of family members and create one-of-a-kind illustrated books. 

“To our our knowledge,” said Tisara, “Living Legends is the only program that has a system for identifying the people doing extraordinary things to benefit the city and to chronicle them in a way that is easily retrievable.  Currently the annual Living Legend catalogs are collected by the Alexandria Library, the Library of Virginia in Richmond and are registered at the U.S. Library Congress.  The feature stories are carried by printed monthly by four media partners.  Publication by History Press further validates the importance of this program to the people of Alexandria.”

Since starting in 2004, History Press has published nearly two thousand local and regional history titles from coast to coast.  Its mission is to preserve and enrich community by empowering history enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences. 

Living Legends is now accepting nominations for the Legends of 2014.    Nomination information is available on-line at www.AlexandriaLegends.com or by calling Nina Tisara at 703-625-8191.

The deadline for nominations is October 15.

 

Black History Museum Hosts Two Events

The Alexandria Black History Museum hosted two events on Saturday. In the morning patrons joined artist, writer and educator Sushmita Mazumdar and Nina Tisara, director of Living Legends of Alexandria for chai tea and a book writing workshop. The workshop is one of a series of programs sponsored by Family Legends, an activity of Living Legends of Alexandria.

Sushmita Mazumdar pours chai tea at the book writing workshop

In the afternoon, visitors were welcomed at a community open house to celebrate the museum’s current exhibition, Living Legends of Alexandria: African American Activists and a signing of the newly released book, African Americans of Alexandria, Virginia: Beacons of Light in the Twentieth Century, written by Char McCargo Bah, Christa Watters, Audrey P. Davis, Gwendolyn Brown-Henderson, and James E. Henson, Sr.  

 Patrons queue up to have their books signed by three of the authors,
James Henson, Sr., Char McCargo Bah and Christa Watters.


Photos by Nina Tisara

The exhibition features 13 African Americans who have been chronicled as part of the Living Legends of Alexandria project: Ferdinand Day, Lillie Finklea, Carlton Funn Sr., Eula Miller, Melvin Miller, Bert Ransom, Nelson Greene Sr., Lynnwood Campbell, Lillian Patterson, Gwen Menefee-Smith, Dorothy Turner, Willie Bailey Sr. and Rosa Byrd. The exhibition runs through August 2013.

The book is available at the museum, local bookstores and online at Historypress.net.

 

Chai and Story Telling, Community Open House and Book Signing

Living Legends of Alexandria: African American Activists

at Alexandria Black History Museum 

Over the years, 13 African Americans have been chronicled as part of the Living Legends of Alexandria project.  The African American Legends included in this exhibition are:  Ferdinand Day, 2007-08; Lillie Finklea, Carlton Funn Sr., Eula Miller, Melvin Miller and Bert Ransom, 2008-09; Nelson Greene Sr., 2010; Lynnwood Campbell, 2011; Lillian Patterson, Gwen Menefee-Smith and Dorothy Turner, 2012; and Willie Bailey Sr. and Rosa Byrd, 2013. The exhibition runs through August 2013. 

Upcoming events associated with the exhibition include:

Chai and Stories – A Writing Workshop for Adults, Saturday, July 20, 11 am – 12:30 pm
Join Instructor Sushmita Mazumdar for chai tea, relaxing storytelling and a chance to express your creativity with a handmade book. There is no charge for this event, but patrons are encouraged to make a tax deductible donation to Living Legends.

 

Community Open House and Book Signing - Saturday, July 20- 2-4 pm

Join the Living Legends past and present, organization founder Nina Tisara, and Living Legends board members for light refreshments a chance to see the exhibition and learn more about how to nominate a legend.

This event will also feature a signing for a newly released book, African Americans of Alexandria, Virginia: Beacons of Light in the Twentieth Century, written by Char McCargo Bah, Christa Watters, Audrey P. Davis, Gwendolyn Brown-Henderson, and James E. Henson, Sr.   Portraits of six Living Legends of Alexandria are included in the book.

The Alexandria Black History Museum is located at 902 Wythe Street in the Parker Gray historic district.  703-746-4356.   www.Alexblackhistory.org. 

 

 

Living Legends and the Art of Photojournalism

Nina Tisara was invited to speak to the Rotary Club of Alexandria on Living Legends and the Art of Photojournalism.  Her talk answered:

What is photo-journalism? 
How is it different from being a photographer or a journalist?
What does it take to do it well?
How can one recognize good photo-journalism when they see it? 

Why is it important for Alexandria to have a Living Legends program in Alexandria?
What were your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
What has been unexpected?

Tisara said,

"There are many types of photographers and in some ways, today’s technology lets anybody and everybody be a photographer, someone who makes pictures with light.  To my way of thinking being a photographer (with a capital P) means seeing the picture.  

"Virtually anyone, any age, can take a technically acceptable photograph with today’s automatic cameras and smartphones. What no machine is yet smart enough to do is to tug your sleeve and say take this picture.  

"A camera will photograph whatever it’s pointed at. You touch a button and you’ve got it. But you are the one who puts the camera in front of the picture. Where you stand, how you edit, what you leave in or out of the frame, that’s what makes a photographer. That and doing it in an instant because sometimes that as long as you get."

To schedule a similar program for your group, contact us at Legends@AlexandriaLegends.com

Photos by Steven Halperson/Tisara Photography


 

It's a Blast!

In another example of Alexandria Arts group collaboration, the Alexandria Singers hosted the Living Legends traveling exhibition at its Broadwalk Blast concerts on June 21 and 22.  The Singers did a fantastic job of celebrating American's great fun-and-sun treasure...the boardwalk and we were happy to be part of the enthusiastic audience!
 

Photos by Nina Tisara/Living Legends of Alexandria

Save the date of Friday December 6 and Saturday, December 7, 2013 for the Singer's Holiday show.  See www.alexandriasingers.com for information and tickets.