Girls Gotta Run

"Art to Go," Girls Gotta Run exhibit at Space 7:10 Kefa Cafe, Silver Spring, Md. Dec 2010-Jan. 2011.

Girls Gotta Run: A Moving Commentary Art Exhibition Reception 10/11/09 from Sharon J. Burton on Vimeo.

Sunday, October 11, 2009, saw a couple of hundred people come out to celebrate GGRF and enjoy the exhibit at the Friendship Heights Village Center in Chevy Chase, Md. Vendors began setting up about 9:30 and by 11:00 a.m. people were wandering in to peruse the art and check out the vendors' goods. Many enjoyed the experience of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony and munched on the great food provided by Friendship Gourmet Market and several of the participating artists. Thanks to Beth Cartland for the fabulous table decorations!

About noon, Mistress of Ceremonies Ashley Griffith welcomed everyone and introduced Janet Stanley, Librarian at the Smithsonian's Museum of African Art, who said a few words on behalf of GGRF. Kebe Tesfaye then introduced the children's performance group Addis Flower and led them in a song about America, sung in both Amharic and English, and two traditional Ethiopian dances. Co-director and keyboard accompanist Soloman Bedasso and a friend also danced with the children. The audience was entirely enchanted by the whole performance and rocked out with them. An added note of fun: the girls pointed out that they had beaded their hair with red, white and blue beads and some had painted their fingernails red, white, and blue, in honor of the occasion.

Following the joyous movement and sound of the children, D.C. poet Dehejia Maat brought a serene and spiritual element to the day with her premiere of a poem "For the Girls" and another called "Where I Come From." Ethiopian songbird Munit Mesfin, "plus two," perfectly wrapped up the program with three songs written by her, including a new crowd favorite, Noro, Noro.

After a little more munching, looking and chatting, the event wrapped up about 1:30. From what we heard and experienced, a great time was had by all!

Girls Gotta Run: Bodies in Motion

at Holy Family University

October 6-31, 2009

A Moving Commentary Fall Exhibit

Co-sponsored and hosted by The DC Women's Caucus for the Arts Opening Reception: October 4, 2008

Takoma Park Municipal Center, Takoma Park, MD October 2008

Project 3 Family Day / Open House at Sewall-Belmont House and Museum

September 13, 2008

Family Day at the SBHM was beautiful. Between 12 and 1 o'clock we set up tables for four art workshop stations under the tent in the courtyard, one inside, and one downstairs in the "classroom." Between 1 and 3, some 60 to 70 people came by, including about 40 girls, mainly girl scouts with their troop leaders. The children, young and old, seemed to find the tours of both the House and the Project 3 art exhibit interesting and, after the tours, engrossed themselves very seriously in almost all of the projects, only taking time out for short cookie and juice breaks. Most of the children, as well as some of the adults, left with a collage, a handmade flower, a magnet, and a treasure postcard. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Sewall-Belmont House and Museum Project 3: Empowered by Artistry

June 11 - August 30, 2008

Highlights from Project 3: Empowered by Artistry as reported by Authentic Art Visions.

View the Family Day Program

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the opening reception for "Project 3: Empowered by Artistry" at the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum on Wednesday, June 18. You made it happen! Magic was in the air! The energy was electric. Some 130-150 people jammed the place...arriving early, staying late...

If you couldn't make the opening, we hope you can find or make time over the summer to visit the House, peruse the art, buy or donate to support the causes..or..just spread the word. The collaborative exhibit is viewable by appointment during the week (202-546-1210 x23) and open to the public on a walk in basis on Saturdays from 11 - 4. Take the children! They will learn a lot!

Artomatic (Washington, DC) May 9 - June 15, 2008

Poem Left at the Artomatic Exhibit:

PROPELLING THE FUTURE To the Girls Gotta Run Foundation's art

Girls gotta run

Girls gotta dance

Girls gotta make themselves

Every chance

To make the world

Turn on rhythm and rhyme

Propelling the future

One step at a time.

(signed) BRASH (in green magic marker)

Copyright May 19, 2008 BRASH

Thank you for your presence and participation in Artomatic 2008. BRASHatAOM@bust.com

Thanks to Professor Karen E. Weekes and Penn student Alia Tahvildaran, the Faculty-Student art exhibit at Penn State Abington held in conjunction with the Mid-Atlantic Women's Studies Association conference raised $206 for GGRF. Of the 14 works on display, 7 were sold.

The Mansion at Strathmore

10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, MD 20852

Exhibit Opened: February 26, 2008 Exhibit Closed: April 5, 2008

A Great Success!

Besides getting wonderful publicity from this exhibit, we sold several pieces of art. All but three pieces were 100% donated. So even though the Strathmore got 30%, we still did pretty well in art sales.

The works that sold were:

- Marie Claire Andrea's "Little Lolio Girls" and "Seen Better Days"

- Doug Dourgarian's "If the Shoe Fits, Buy It in Every Color." (3 prints!)

- Karen McCray's "Arise"

- Pat Ortman's "One Paws 2, Ella's Favorite Shoe"

- Gail Peck's "Athena's Flip Flops"

- Audrey Smith's "Sole Charity (Yellow)"

- Joyce Zipperer's "Fleet of Foot."

We also sold 17 boxes of cards and 21 pins and received about $170 in donations. So we cleared over $1400.

Millie Shott and her crew did a fantastic job of displaying the exhibit, and we also had a fabulous time at the reception. The photos should testify to both.

Politics & Prose Bookstore, Modern Times Coffeehouse

5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20008

Exhibit Opened: December 2, 2007 Exhibit Closed: January 3, 2008

Article and photos of opening from Authentic Art DC

Phoenix Gallery

210 Eleventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001

Exhibit Opened: September 5, 2007 Exhibit Closed: September 29, 2007

Article about the event in Tadias Ezine

"The opening's success was a tribute to all your hard work. Enjoying it was delightful!" —Participating Artist Jane Pettit

"The opening was fantastic and I'm confident we'll help raise lots of money to buy running shoes for the girls of Ethiopia." —Participating Photographer Leah Beth Goodman

On Tuesday afternoon, Beth Cartland, Jim and I met at the Gallery to unwrap art and hang the exhibit. Along with Linda Handler, the Gallery Director, we tested and tried and eventually arrived at what we believed to be a lovely configuration of the pieces, all the while being shadowed by our filmmakers Andy and Nick. Beth, Jim and I were still there when everyone else left about 6:30 or so but finally called it a day around 7:15 ourselves, agreeing to meet when the Gallery opened again at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday to finish off all of the assorted odds and ends that inevitably accompany such a venture. So Wednesday found us again at the Gallery until about 2:30 or 3:00, at which time we could finally say "Fini!"

On Thursday evening, we arrived at the Gallery almost half an hour early to find guests, including Westchester Track Club Founder/Coach Mike Barnow and several Ethiopian members of the Club, already there. It was a whirlwind of activity from then until after 8 p.m. when guests were literally shooed out of the building in order to close it. Other guests in attendance included Adrienne Wald, the WTC Club’s Newletter Editor in Chief, who arrived shortly after Coach Mike with several more Club members and additional friends; New York participating photographers Susan Liebold and Leah Beth Goodman, Leah bringing a crowd of Goodman family and friends; Lauren Mills, a NYC artist newcomer to GGRF; DC artists Jane Pettit, Gail Rebhan, and Joyce Ellen Weinstein. Runners from Ethiopia were especially excited to speak with Susan about her photos of Ethiopian girls. Altogether I would judge we had about 50 people come specifically for our exhibit. But it’s hard to say because there were several other openings in the building, two in the same gallery, and some people who had come for those also stopped in to see ours. So, we sold four pieces and continued to expand the universe of people who know about the cause.

About 60 people came through the exhibit on the evening of the reception. About 30 stayed to have a lovely, lively conversation with Emily Wax and the members of the GGRF Board about the girls of of Ethiopia and Girls Gotta Run. Mary Kay Zuravleff and her daughter Eliza poured wine that Mary Kay and her husband Gary Zizka donated for the event; others drank Ethiopian coffee donated by the young men who own and operate the Coffeehouse, Adam, Javier and Ryan; and everyone nibbled on cheese, fruit, veggies and brownies, catered by Javier. We sold several boxes of notecards, some memberships and t-shirts as well as one print. Several other paintings have since then also sold, to people who have contacted us by email after seeing the exhibit there. We have also received numerous compliments on the way the exhibit brightens up the space and on the creative way in which we have mounted the art. It is very cheerful, to say the least. There are still several days left before Christmas so we are keeping a good thought for more sales of all kinds. In the meantime, here are a few photos of the exhibit and the reception.

Approximately 200 people attended the opening reception for the kick off Girls Gotta Run fundraising shoe art exhibit and sale at the Sewall-Belmont House on September 6. Attendees exclaimed over the lovely art, the beautiful House, and the delicious Ethiopian food and wine. Voice of America came, interviewed Pat Ortman and then taped remarks during a short program. Amy Conroy, the House’s Director, spoke first, then Pat Ortman, Director of GGRF, then Sarah Newhall, the Director of PACT.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Several pieces of art were sold and additional funds were raised from donations and product sales. It looks like GGRF is off to a good start.

Photos of the event taken by Kathleen Madigan are below; photos by Lana Lawrence are available at www.blogphotog.com/ggrsbhmexhibit/index.html.