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).

Greenbelt Artists Studio Tour

April 15

Greenbelt’s first artists studio tour took place on Sunday. It was produced by the New Deal Café and sponsored by the city’s 75th Anniversary Committee and Friends of New Deal Café Arts (FONDCA). Thirteen artists opened their studios to visitors.

Julia Wade, art coordinator for the New Deal Café, works at the welcome table in the café. She hands out maps for the studio tour and answers questions.

Artist Ed Bisese and his Peter Rabbit Paintings

February 5

Ed Bisese is a College Park based artist and has exhibited his work in many solo and group shows both regionally and nationally. His new exhibition “SupaMonsta” is currently on view at the Greenbelt Community Center Art Gallery, and on February 5, I speak with him at a reception for the artist.

75th Anniversary Tiles

February 5

Mary Gawlik and Loraine DiPietro are Greenbelt Resident Artists, and this year they are making commemorative tiles for Greenbelt’s 75th anniversary. On February 5, during the monthly Artful Afternoon open studio, I visit their studio on the third floor of the Community Center and ask them about the tiles.

Mary Gawlik (left) specializes in ceramic art tiles and tile panels, and Loraine DiPietro is a clay artist. They share a studio with two other artists at Room 302 of the Community Center.