Greenbelt Community Center Darkroom

December 13

There is a darkroom on the third floor of the Greenbelt Community Center. Much of the equipment was donated by the Greenbelt Police Department in the 1990s when it switched to digital cameras. Recently I met up with photographer Steve Skolnik at the darkroom and observed him making some black and white prints.

The darkroom is on the third floor of the Greenbelt Community Center, and here Skolnik signs in. Those who would like to use the darkroom are asked to register with the Recreation Department each season, and they need to attend an orientation and take a certification test if not certified previously.

Suzuki Violin Program in Greenbelt

December 21

Alessandra Schneider teaches a Suzuki violin program in Greenbelt. She began about five years ago at Holy Cross Lutheran Church and now teaches at Greenbelt Baptist Church. Recently I visited her studio and observed two individual lessons.

Ian is 4 years old. He started violin a year ago.

New Chicago Dance Studio

December 22

The New Chicago Dance Studio was started by Samantha Fitschen in 2010. Fitschen is a native of Chicago and came to Greenbelt six years ago with her husband as he pursued his Ph.D. degree at the University of Maryland, College Park. An experienced dancer with a BFA in Music Theater, Fitschen soon started teaching dance for the Greenbelt Recreation Department at the Community Center. She saw the need for a dance studio in Greenbelt and hoping to bring Chicago-style dance to the area, she opened her own studio two years ago. On a recent Saturday morning, I visited New Chicago Dance Studio.

The dance studio is at 7505 Greenway Center Drive, behind Greenway Shopping Center. The main floor of this building is occupied by Columbia Bank.

Scandinavian Folk Dancing in Greenbelt

December 15

Every third Saturday evening from September to May, Scandia DC, a Scandinavian folk dance group serving the Greater Washington region, meets in the Greenbelt Community Center’s dance studio for a dance party. Norwegian and Swedish couple turning dances are emphasized, and they are usually accompanied by live music. On December 15, I attended the group’s holiday dance program.

The monthly dance program takes place in the dance studio from 7 to 10 p.m. Usually lessons are offered during the first hour, but because this is a special holiday party, there is no teaching tonight.

Caroling in Old Greenbelt

December 18

Every year on a night before Christmas, a group of singers get together and go from one GHI court to another singing Christmas carols.

The carolers gather at the New Deal Café, and here Paul Downs starts the evening by reading from The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Camp Fire Art Class

November 10

Founded in 1910, Camp Fire is a national youth organization offering many activities for both boys and girls. The group’s Patuxent Area Council offices are located in a townhome at Franklin Park Apartments in Greenbelt West, and on a recent Saturday morning I photographed an art class there.

The Camp Fire offices are at 9176 Springhill Lane.

Festival of Lights Art and Craft Fair

December 2

Greenbelt’s annual Festival of Lights Juried Art and Craft Fair takes place on the first weekend in December in the Greenbelt Community Center. The fair features dozens of local artists specializing in a variety of crafts, from painting to photography, fabric art, pottery, jewelry…

Banner for this year’s Art and Craft Fair in front of the Greenbelt Community Center

Greenbelt 75th Anniversary Group Photo Show

December 2

The Greenbelt 75th Anniversary Group Photo Show is on display at the New Deal Café until January 7, 2013. The show is produced by the New Deal Café and sponsored by the Greenbelt 75th Anniversary Committee and Friends of the New Deal Café Arts (FONDCA). The exhibit features 28 photographs from 12 photographers, and on Sunday, December 2, a reception was held at the café.

Poster for the group photo show inside the New Deal Café

Raku Workshop

November 4, 10

Raku workshops are offered twice a year by the Greenbelt Recreation Department. The Fall 2012 Recreation Activity Guide has this to say: “With roots in centuries-old Japan, Raku is a method of fast-firing ceramic art outdoors with beautiful and surprising results. Bring up to five bisque pieces to the glazing session. Firing will take place outside of the Greenbelt Aquatic and Fitness Center with a pot luck lunch on firing day.” The following photos are from the workshop’s glazing session on November 4 and firing on November 10.

On the third floor of the Community Center, the workshop’s instructor Karen Arrington, a clay artist and a Greenbelt artist in residence, shows me a plate glazed and fired using the Western Raku technique.

Children’s Art Class by GAVA

November 13

Every Tuesday afternoon, children’s art classes are held at the Mowatt Methodist Church on Ridge Road. The program is produced by Greenbelt Association for the Visual Arts (GAVA), and the instructors are Barbara Simon and Ingrid Hass. There are both homeschool and afterschool classes for children between 5 and 14.

Classes are held in the social hall (room with lights on in this photo) of Mowatt Memorial United Methodist Church at 40 Ridge Road. Mowatt Church is also home to Greenbelt’s last Boy Scout troop (746).