THEATER COMES TO WEST END PARK! June 12, 2010

Thanks to Actress and Actor/Modeling Coach Kwietha Bolden for coordinating Theater in the Park!

Here’s some initial information and I’ll try my best to keep you informed….

THE GREATER WEST END DINNER THEATER Performing Workshop

Auditions, Workshops, Rehearsals, and Preparations for Performance: June 5 – July 24  (off 4^th of July)

“Summertime”

Summertime is a modern dark comedy where three Triplets were

separated at birth, but reunited through love.

The play touches on being different, self-discovery, new friends

and living in a diverse and ever changing environment.

There is a Talent and Fashion show in the play.

MALCOM X FESTIVAL 2010 May 23, 2010

This was a wonderful event!

Dancers

Beautiful!

Lots of vendors and our mini community garden...

Organic, healthy food!

Drummers!

Yummy food!

The children LOVED the moonwalk!

The children play chess!

Capoeira

Tambor

Capoeira!

Children keep traditions going...

Beautiful mama-to-be!

Masks for sale!

2nd Annual West End Earth Day Celebration! April 5, 2010

The Friends of the West End Park will be hosting our wonderful 2nd Annual Earth Day Celebration!

THIS WEEKEND!!! 2nd ANNUAL EARTH DAY CELEBRATION at WEST END PARK!!!

• Participate in ‘Edible Landscaping’ project!
• Make your very own rain barrel for only $40! Pre-register by contacting Jamila: 404-693-1742
• Children activities include creating garden art, face-painting &  plantings
• Build new benches for the park
• Plant new trees
• Mulch existing trees
• Clean playground mulch and overall park!

WISH LIST:
-Fruit or Flowering trees
-Gardening Soil
-Playground mulch

Starts @ 10am! Don’t miss it!
West End Park (Oak/Lucille)

I’d like to get involved, how can I help?

• Cash donations can help buy much needed supplies!
• If you’re knowledgeable in areas of  reusing, gardening, water harvesting, children’s environmental education and art…consider facilitating a workshop for others. Email: yomara@9to5.org!
• Donate a tree: we’d like fruit trees but a spring blooming flower tree would bring much needed color to the park. You can even make an art plaque to label your tree!
• Volunteer: We’ll need volunteers for set-up, during the event & clean-up. Please consider picking up a shift even if it’s just 45 minutes! We need you!

For more information, to give a donation or sign-up for a volunteer shift contact:

• Jamila Norman: jamilanorman@yahoo.com
• Yomara Velez: yomaravelez@yahoo.com

This event can be a wonderful community event but we need you to get involved!

REUSE: An eraser February 3, 2010

Original Post from Dollar Store Crafts

REUSE: PAPER January 30, 2010

Use junk mail, left over wrapping paper, food wrappers, old magazines, cut little hearts or shapes that make your heart happy and arrange in frames. Sounds silly but it can be beautiful and a great way to recycle…

Source: Sarah + Bendrix (flickr). These are for sale on etsy:http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahandbendrix

Source: Sarah + Bendrix (flickr)

SHOP LOCAL: Cute V-DAY PRESENTS! January 27, 2010

These cute magnets look just like heart candies! At $2.50 they're healthier for you and will last longer than candy. Buy: craftesania.etsy.com

Creamy pink SOY candles in salvaged cans! Reuse, Reduce, Recycle! 10% goes to Friends of the West End Park! Buy: craftesania.etsy.com

Cute alternative to traditional classroom Valentine's! Buy: craftesania.etsy.com

PARK(ing) DAY: 9/17/10 January 25, 2010

PARK(ing) Day is an annual, one-day global event where artists, activists and citizens collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spots into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public parks.

For more information visit: http://my.parkingday.org/

Back to the lovely West End… January 9, 2010

I missed the West End!

This past week, we headed to the Smokey Mountains to celebrate my RESPITE AWARD!  I received this award as a recognition for my community organizing work, for more information visit: http://www.noacentral.org/page.php?id=277. As part of  the award, I was honored to receive an all inclusive, paid trip to the mountains!

This award is given annually to two Community Organizers in the U.S. The award is a time for Organizers to retreat, reflect, rest and renew. And so we headed up to the Smokey Mountains last Saturday and had a wonderful time (many thanks to the National Organizer’s Alliance). Now, I’m getting ready to start this year right!

While in the mountains I knitted (of course) but I also made soaps, candles and other projects with Diego. The most exciting part of the trip was the purchase of a loom (that I’ve been wanting for some time now), on our way home we stopped by Asheville (btw I love it there) and I finally bought the loom! Now I’m all HAPPINESS- in 2010…I will learn to weave.

Overall…I spent a lot ot time during this trip thinking about the coming year and what projects I’d like to focus on.  I know it’s going to be a wonderful year in our little neighborhood. I look forward to more art, gardens, parks + progressive initiatives (and development) for the West End in 2010! Inspire…

Diego is taking more and more pictures-he also loves filming.

Celebrating the snow!

HANDMADE w/ lots of LOVE!

Diego's sketch book...

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS in the WEST END! December 23, 2009

Last Sunday, we hosted our first “Progressive Handmade Holiday Celebration and Craft Sale + Swap“…if you missed it here are some beautiful pictures taken by Debbie. The event was great! We look forward to continuing to build community in a way that is FRESH and supports LOCAL ARTISTS & ALTERNATIVE ECONOMIES!

I love these little key chains and book marks!

Handcrafted beads become earrings...

Beautiful custom, hand knitted scarves at affordable prices. Made in the West End (Buy at http://www.craftesania.etsy.com).

Local delicious cookies~Made in the West End!

Best Cookies-Made in the West End! Why buy anywhere else?

Checking out the swap table...

Locally grown in the West End!

SOUL FIRE-This hot sauce is the REAL DEAL!

SWAPpin' HAPPY!

Diego sells his gift tags...

SABROSO CATERING by Local Cooking Guru...Xochitl!

SABROSO CATERING

The children spend time together

My first block print : )

Hand-knitted drawstring pouches (Buy at http://www.craftesania.etsy.com)

Gorgeous Quilts by Shannon!

Coquito-Puerto Rican Rum Holiday Drink!

Wanda's Bright Smile!

Homemade Jelly by Shannon-yummy!

Janvieve from the Latin American and Caribbean Community Center/Radio Diaspora

Adelina from the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights

Robert's grandmother's gorgeous quilt

Authentic Calavera and Vejigante Magnets

I love the colors!

I handcrafted these magnets/ornaments...El SOL (sun) de JAYUYA-Taino (typo on tag-should read sun)

Mark, Kung Li + Rose

Mama Nanji

I made this key holder using salvaged wood. Buy at craftesania.etsy.com

HANDMADE HOLIDAY CELEBRATION + SALE! December 13, 2009

Xochitl Bervera and I invite you to join us for our first holiday handmade craft celebration & sale. Come support local artisans at Yomara’s house!

We’ll have a swap table for gently used goods (in great condition). Please consider bringing an item to share with others for free or to swap out for something else.

The afternoon will be a wonderful fusion of celebration, catching up with friends, meeting new people and promoting local/alternative economies.

We’ll have:
-Handcrafted gifts for sale
-Swap/barter table to encourage REUSING/PRECYCLING
-First 10 people will receive free gift bag!
-Some artist may choose to donate a % of their earnings to a cause of their choice. (Yomara will be donating 10% to Friends of the West End Park to help with projects at the park).

***INTERESTED IN SELLING YOUR ART/CRAFTS + FOR MORE INFORMATION (location)…contact  Yomara (yomara@yahoo.com).

We look forward to seeing you on the 20th!