CREATIVE EXPRESSION

kaigmal0204
Jun 16
4 min read

Your Weekly Recap of ARTIVISM events!

Kai Malette

June, Week Two

We're back! Peace and Love, Love and Light! It's been another great week here at ARTIVISM, with so many unique and beautiful moments shared with our community. We come together in the wake of troubling times, reminding you that we are strongest when we share with our community.

If you missed out on this week's events, don't worry. I've got you covered. Here's where ARTIVISM was this second week in June!

You can read last week's blog by clicking below, and announcements for next week will be at the bottom of this page!

June Week 1!

Melodic Monday - June 9

Aurora Market's bargain, pairing wonderfully with ARTIVISM events.

As always, the week kicked off with the Melodic Mondays series at Aurora Market, the event where we come together to appreciate music in all forms. Last week, we enjoyed a fantastic night of karaoke, and because we know people like it so much, we brought it back!

A small group of ARTIVISM regulars and team members gathered in Aurora's basement, ready to jam out. Our own Icy Tides went on and performed a Jimi Hendrix cover (guitar solo included, with no guitar), I found myself covering some oldies, and what truly set the night off was a cover of one of 'Hamilton's' many catchy tunes. From there, the theater students inside each and every one of us lit up in excitement. The rest of the night turned into a group of people, free of judgement, jamming out to some of Broadway's greatest hits.

If you read that and thought about how much fun participating in that could be, come by for the next installment of Melodic Monday at Aurora Market, where you can enjoy food and drink while jamming out with the ARTIVISM family!

Sankofa Jam Session - June 10

Tuesday took us back to Sankofa Video, Books, and Café for the weekly Jam Session- an open mic event where anyone can come up to the stage and perform the way they wish.

While the night admittedly started with a very small crowd, the spirit of creativity and music must have summoned more people to the area, as audience members rolled into the store to listen and play along with the musicians as they performed.

Talented artists always find a way to make the jams more exciting.

Some vocalists took to the microphones and began having what can only be described as conversations with the instruments, while other audience members borrowed the keyboard to crank out some chords to accompany the grooves.

It has always been a truth of the jam sessions that all skill levels are welcome to play along. Judgement in a space where things as freeing as art or music are shared is counterproductive. So, if and when you find yourself joining ARTIVISM for a Tuesday night, play along! Grab a microphone, share what you can. I am certain the applause will sound the same the entire way through.

Live Music Lounge at Coin des Poetes - June 14

With ARTIVISM continuously expanding, we find ourselves unlocking new venues to share the love at. Saturday marked one such location: Coin des Poetes in Adams Morgan- a café specializing in French crepes and coffee. With incredibly homey vibes and rustic patio seating, it became ARTIVISM's spot for a music lounge where our instrumentalists performed several songs that showed just how coordinated they are together.

People passing by stopped in both awe and appreciation, enamored by the power of live music (and I don't blame them, we sounded spectacular). Some people came and sat down for a while, others nodded their head or swayed as they continued walking, but all had a smile on their face as the music continued.

The power of music cannot be denied when even a family with a young child stopped to say hello. The child took a seat right up front, and there was wonder in his eyes, seeing what the ARTIVISM community had put together.

"Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is."

-Master Yoda

Performances continued throughout the night.

As the night continued, the event was opened to the crowd, kickstarting yet another one of ARTIVISM's famous open mics. This turned out to be a great idea, as some took the mic and created some mashups that sounded divine. The night was filled with love, community, and music, concepts that ARTIVISM is proud to stand for. We are thankful to Coin des Poetes for their hospitality, and if you're ever in the Adams Morgan area, go check them out! It may be my sweet tooth speaking, but I think everyone should have a crepe every now and then.