Washington, DC – A photography and storytelling exhibit by Danny Harris, editor of www.peoplesdistrict.com, now enlivens the streetscape at 1200 First Street, NE. The show, entitled We Are NoMa, includes portraits of 11 NoMa residents, workers, families and small business owners, ranging from former ANC Commissioner Anne Phelps to the manager of Harris Teeter, Lisa Adams. Each portrait is accompanied by the person’s story told in his or her own words.
“From the street cleaner to the ANC Commissioner, the inhabitants of NoMa understand and experience their neighborhood differently,” stated Harris. “These stories attempt to show the diversity of the NoMa community, but also explore what ties people together.”
“We worked with Danny to display these portraits and stories in a show at our April annual meeting,” said Rachel Davis, Director of Marketing & Events for the NoMa Business Improvement District. “We wanted to find a way to bring the show to a larger public audience.” The exhibit is visible from the sidewalk.
NoMa BID has long focused on incorporating art into the public realm, since Artomatic brought 50,000 people through this same building at 1200 First Street, NE, in 2008.
• A 2009 show Connect: Space Transformed filled four empty storefronts with the work of local artists for three months.
• Lunchtime concerts bring the music of local bands to NoMa throughout the summer.
• The upcoming two-week fall event ZestFest, organized in partnership with arts promoter The Pink Line Project, will bring more artists, musicians, storytellers, improv professionals and other cultural groups to NoMa for 14 events over two weeks September 20-30. Visit www.zestfest.org for a complete schedule.
NoMa BID continues to build relationships with local creative groups to enhance NoMa’s cultural offerings and enliven the neighborhood.
Special thanks to VEF-VN Capitol Plaza I LLC and Polinger Shannon and Luchs for use of the space.
About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, growing neighborhood north of Union Station and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In the last seven years, private developers have invested more than $3 billion in the 35-block area covered by the NoMa BID, and have plans to develop more than 20 million square feet of office, residential, hotel, and retail space. In 2010, more than 6,000 people moved into NoMa to live or work; and eight new retailers opened for business. NoMa has 15 modes of transportation, including two Red Line Metro stops, and the best biking facilities in DC, with the only East Coast Bikestation, the 8-mile Met Branch Trail, and six Capital Bikeshare stations. NoMa is the most connected neighborhood in Washington, DC. For more information about NoMa, visit nomabid.wpengine.com and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter. Follow us on Twitter @NoMaBID or Facebook.
About Danny Harris
Danny Harris developed a passion for photography while living in Italy. His first show, a black and white photography series from Auschwitz, was displayed at Studio Marangoni in Florence, Italy in 1999. Since then, Danny’s images have dressed the walls of galleries and coffee shops in Berkeley, New York City, Princeton, and Washington, D.C. His photography has also appeared in the Washington Post, Wiener Zeitung, the Baltimore Examiner, and on MSNBC.com. Danny currently resides in Washington, D.C., as editor of People’s District, a website dedicated to raising the city’s interest in itself and its people by sharing the stories and photos of the District’s diverse residents. The Washington Post called him “a modern-day Studs Turkel,” and his work has been featured in local and international press from Washington, D.C., to Shanghai, China.
For Immediate Release
News Media Contact: Rachel L. Davis
202-997-3846, [email protected]
###