Nontraditional art spaces lend themselves to thought-provoking installations
By Beth Farnstrom
On the third level of "Here and Now," Lisa Kellner's organic, amorphous forms clung delicately to the rafters and walls
If 14th Street was the new “gallery corridor” in 2007, the former Church of the Rapture (1840 14th St NW) has to be its main entrance. For starters, the Cultural Development Corporation’s FlashForward benefit (which we were privileged to sponsor) was held in this new it-space, where mere months before the PW Meat Market – a celebration of all things arty, gritty, and nouveau – had also been held. Transformed from bare warehouse walls to subdued glamour with live band and Absolut cocktails, the event was elegant and highly successful, with a laundry list of local luminaries in attendance (one example: Pamela Sorensen, who blogged about it in glowing terms), artists (Maggie Michael, Dana Ellyn, Matt Sesow, Regie Cabic of Sol & Soul), and over $100,000 raised for CUDC’s mission to fund local arts efforts. The spontaneous gestalt of District arts seems to be coalescing – organizers like In Series performing arts guru Carla Hübner and Corcoran COO Sam Sweet are mixing with patrons, painters, and purveyors of the arts.
