StudioPAUSE

Nina Tisara was one of the speakers on the theme of Black and White at StudioPAUSE on Saturday.  Tisara spoke on the importance of Living Legends of Alexandria as a photo-journalism/photo documentary project. 

Asked why the Living Legends photos are in black and white, Tisara explained that it sets them apart from the multitude of images viewed by people daily and has the subliminal message of being historical images.

Audrey Davis, Acting Director of the Alexandria Black History Museum, seated at left, and writer/editor Christa Watters spoke on the recently published book, African Americans of Alexandria, Virginia:  Beacons of Light in the Twentieth Century.  Watters and Davis are among the book's five authors.

 

StudioPAUSE is the new art studio of Sushmita Mazumdar, artist. writer and educator,  where you can see Sush's work, explore art and stories for yourself, and be part of a community that is creative, diverse, and fun.

Sush leads Family Legend workshops for Living Legends where participants select a Legend in their family and write their stories in a one-of-a-kind book they can take home.

 

 

Pictured here is Dulce Carrillo, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist for Arlington County. Sush and Dulce met when Dulce was coordinating the Tell Arlington Story project for Arlington County. Sush volunteered to help the project collect stories from children and adults about growing up and living in Arlington.

 

Howard Feinstein spoke on his experiences during the Civil Rights movement in Louisiana.

 

Photos by Nina Tisara

 

 

Continuing the theme of Black and White, October will feature photographs by Kenneth Marti whose images are about things that are missing or of his feelings of missing someone or something.  The opening reception is Friday, October 3, 6-8 p.m.

 

StudioPAUSE, www.StudioPause.com, is at 2421 26th Road South, Arlington , 22206. 

Community Pause: Black and White

 

 

Artist/Educator Sushmita Mazumdar who leads Family Legends workshops for Living Legends of Alexandria has invited Nina Tisara to speak on photojournalism this Saturday, 4 p.m. at her new studio, www.StudioPause.com. 

The program also features presentations on the newly published book, African Americans of Alexandria, Virginia:  Beacons of Light in the Twentieth Century.

Enjoy light refreshments and story sharing.

The gallery is located at 2421 26th Road South in Arlington. 

All are welcome.


 

Theater Night at MetroStage

Among those who gathered for Living Legends of Alexandria’s Theater Night at MetroStage were 17 of Alexandria’s Living Legends. 

The play, Gee’s Bend, is the powerful true story of the Petty women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama who turn to quilting to provide comfort and context for their lives through segregation, family turmoil and the Civil Rights movement.  The quilts turn out to be works of art.

Legend Cheer.

Pictured are (front row, L-R) Ferdinand Day, Vola Lawson, Living Legends Director Nina Tisara, Melvin Miller, Elizabeth Chimento; (middle row) Stuart Dunn, Marian Van Landingham, Carolyn Griffin, Lois Walker, Gwen Menefee-Smith; (back row) Lynnwood Campbell, Tim Elliott, Stephen Rideout, Joe Shumard, Fran and Gant Redmon and David Martin. 

Not pictured: Dorothy Turner and Mel Bergheim.

  

Now Hear This!  Carolyn Griffin, artistic producing director, MetroStage, calls the group to attention.  Griffin was named a Living Legend in 2007.

Guests From Near and Far. Pictured among the reception guests (L-R) are Bobbi and Stephen Rideout visiting from Cambridge, Maryland, Diane Webster and Nancy Macklin.  Rideout was named a Living Legend in 2007.

 

Happy Birthday, Vola!  Attendees celebrated the birthday of former city manager, Vola Lawson, who was named a Living Legend of Alexandria in 2007.   Chris Banks holsds the cake created by Hollin Hall Pastry Shop.  The cake was decorated with an image of Vola holding Jack, her beloved Jack Russell Terrier. 

Photos by Steven Halperson/Tisara Photography

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.