You're probably wondering why my blog is a couple of weeks late. Well, it's because of the steady stream of snow cascading from the skies of the United States' east coast. This winter has not necessarily been "takin' it easy" on us this year, but the snow graciously held off at least one week so we could embark upon this MJ.This Metro Journey (MJ) was extremely artistically centered. Leaving the Silver Spring station, my classmate, Eliza Jane, and I rode the metro to Southern Avenue. There we met the rest of our class and set off to the THEARC. (Town Hall Education Arts and Recreation) THEARC acts as a second home to many children as well as adults living in Washington DC. Hosting dance classes, fine arts, academics, mentoring, tutoring, and even medical and dental care for little to no costs, THEARC has established its name and is doing a phenomenal job giving back to its community. Click THEARC if you want to learn a little more about their awesome program.
In addition to their classrooms, THEARC hosts a 365 seat community theater that is the only theater ever built east of the Anacostia river. THEARC is steadily booked. This particular time, a theatrical performance was held in this theater entitled: When People Fly: Modern-Day Folk Tales of African American Heroes. Our first mission of the day was to go see this play. In honor of Black History Month, this performance told the story of a grandmother who took her two grandchildren to the library. There she read them an African folktale about slaves who freed themselves from bondage by flying to freedom. After later learning more about modern day African American successes, she then tied the folktale to these modern day phenomenons, who accomplished great strides despite "their struggle." Although this story possessed an awesome message, we arrived and realized it was prepared for kindergartner-second graders, so how the story was relayed was extremely childish and I lost interest quickly. Although I lost interest, it was fun to see the children in the audience reacting to the awesome information in the performance!
Did you know that an African- American man named Lonnie Johnson created the Super Soaker? His invention was one of the success stories mentioned in the play. I thought that was so cool because considering how famous these toy water guns are, no one knew who invented them, much less that he was a black man. In 1975, after receiving his master's degree in nuclear engineering from Tuskegee University, he joined the U.S. Air force and continued to pursue his own inventions in his spare time. One of his longtime projects was an environmentally friendly heat pump that used water instead of Freon. Completing a prototype in 1982, he tested it in his bathtub blasting a powerful stream of water from the gun. Sharing a reaction with millions of children around the world, Johnson was delighted and after another seven years of tinkering and sales pitching, he finally sold the device renamed "Super Soaker," to the Larami Corporation, which put it to mass production. The Super Soaker is now one of the most popular toys in the world, and it has held its ranking among the world's top 20 best-selling toys of all time. 
After leaving THEARC, we rode the Metro to Gallery Place to visit the Smithsonian Art Museum.... oh, and of course lunch! For lunch, I had my favorite, frozen yogurt! Yes, I know what I said before, snow snow and more snow, BUT no matter how cold it is, you can't take a girl away from frozen yogurt. Rule #1: Froyo is life!
After teaching himself art, he enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Pittsburgh. Although he was the only black student, he excelled and became a favorite among many of his teachers including Thomas Eakins, an American Realist painter. Making other connections to other artists, he met Robert Henri, another Realist painter. In 1890, he was sponsored for a trip to Palestine by Rodman Wanamaker, a Presidential Elector for the state of Pennsylvania. Wanamaker was inspired by one of his Biblical paintings. Throughout the rest of his life, Tanner received praise and honor for his paintings including being named chevalier of the Order of the Legion Honor, France's most distinguished award, in 1923. Following four years, Tanner was named full Academician of the National academy of Design. Astoundingly, he is known as the first African American to ever receive such an accomplishment. In 1991, after his death, the Philadelphia Museum of Art fashioned a tour of his paintings, which sparked a new wave of interest in his life and works. Although Tanner is not as well known in America, he is a potent influence to Western Cultural Art. 
One of my favorite artworks that he painted is Lions in the Desert. At first glance, I enjoy the accuracy of his strokes. If you study the painting, he did not use a broad color pallet, but it is not challenging to make out the figure in the desert. In addition, the emotion the lion is emitting from his stance is overwhelming. He expresses power and dominance. Tanner was raised in a religious home where his family took pride in the history of the Biblical Hamatic races of African Origin. Further research demonstrates that Tanner regarded the lion as a symbol of his African origin. As Tanner painted Lions in the Desert during one of his visits to the Middle East, the lions were a figment of his imagination. He did not actually see lions while visiting, but he added them later in his painting studio. Lions in the Desert is one of many masterpieces that Henry Ossawa Tanner created, but this one in particular caught my attention immensely. Although this Metro Journey was artistically inspiring, I also had a history lesson. Many African American names were engraved into my memory. These men and women overcame their oppression and they flew. After coming home from this MJ, I was inspired and attained a new respect for my race of people.
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| B.L.A.C.K. class at Henry Ossawa Turner's exhibit |
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| B.L.A.C.K. class at Henry Ossawa Turner's exhibit |
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