by Molly Davis
On a frigid night in Northeast D.C., I was inspired to see that even during a recession, artful business ideas can bloom.
On Nov. 30 at the Rock & Roll Hotel, painters, crafters, printers, and chalkers blended fine art with performance, as they created pieces in front of a loud, shifting crowd of admirers. And several others joined the PBR Blue Ribbon Art Show to showcase a piece they had donated or their independent business.
John R. Chambers, Chief Executive Gardener of BloomBars, said the event came at a great time.
“It’s a great thing that they asked us to be a part of this now, during our week of fundraising events,” he said as new crafters walked by, displaying their home-made pins and can coozies. “It’s kind of kicking off our events.”
Patrick Owens, for one, is used to working in front of a crowd. He first picked up his multi-colored chalk collection in order to advertise drink specials at a bar where he worked, and now he does freelance work for other clients.
“I kind of just started along with the bartending and the beer board and stuff, and it worked from that,” he said, putting the finishing touches on his version of “Man Leaning on a Table” by the Italian figurative artist Modigliani. In Owens’ version, of course, Man is enjoying a PBR.
He says that chalk gives the artist a little room to make mistakes.
“That’s the nice thing,” Owens said. “If you mess up, you can just kind of turn around. I’ve redone this guy’s hands like eight times.”
Meanwhile, Megan Mueller and Sabeth Jackson pulled off a double live-art challenge by painting large-scale silhouettes as a team.
They’re in the process of developing a new, joint exhibit. And although they don’t usually work together on the same piece, that night they finished each others’ artwork as well as sentences.
Mueller: We’re working on some proposals for…
Jackson: … for a traveling show.
Mueller: Yeah, exactly.
Jackson: We’re trying to put together a show that we can actually have travel to different cities.
Jackson explained that, due to the mobile nature of the exhibit, the two are exploring more-universal themes than they usually do.
“Kind of like connections to the land, the earth, your home,” added Mueller. “We’re definitely interested in simpler times.”
And in the tight space abutting the north end of the bar, Kelly Rand, the program director for local non-profit Hello Craft taught the folks packed into the booths how to knit, print stationary, and punch button pins.
“It’s one of the easiest things, but people get really excited when it’s all complete,” said Rand. “And that’s one of the things we want to teach is that you can make things yourself.”
She said that Hello Craft encourages creative people to channel their business instincts in order to support themselves financially. But, she noted, imparting folks with a sense of enthusiasm is equally important.
“Part of our mission is to teach the joys of making,” Rand said.
Dan VanHoozer, who does marketing for PBR in the District, explained that the night was all about providing financial support for local art. 50 percent of the proceeds from sales that night went to BloomBars, while the other half went to the artist.
Other artists and small businesses participating in the event include Chandler Allen, who works in watercolor, ink, and acrylic paint. And folks, Allen is addicted to giving.
He donated work to the Rock & Roll Hotel auction, a recent BloomBars auction, and the American Indian Leadership Silent Auction.
“I pretty much love donating art for any charitable purpose,” he said.
And Kristina Bilonick was also there to print up holiday-PBR coozies on the spot and talk about her brand new print shop, opening up less than a mile from BloomBars, in Pleasant Plains. The business, which proudly takes her neighborhood’s name, features work by Kristina and Anthony Dihle, plus a third residency that rotates each month to a different artist.
And Faith Sleeper brought her boozy delicacies, aptly named Crunk Cakes, in several of the most unique cupcake flavors you’ll find – a tall order in this cupcake-crazed city! Most were named after a cocktail, and of course there was one with PBR cream cheese frosting.
