Staff:
Melissa A. Matthews, Artspace Coordinator
Melissa comes to Artspace as a graduate of Howard University and the co-founder, CEO and Curatorial Director of More Black Art whose mission is to nurture talent, facilitate exhibition opportunities, and provide professional development assistance for emerging artists of the African Diaspora. She has already conjured up several ideas for Artspace that we hope will involve you! In the coming months expect to hear from her about upcoming events, classes, workshops, mentorships and other opportunities.

dc.artspace@gmail.com

Advisory Board:
Maybelle Bennett
Rachel Brunswick
Jim Dickerson
Nina Masson

ArtSpace would not exist if it wasn’t for the support of many special people. Here are a few stories of those whose lives are exemplary of what makes ArtSpace a very special place to be. Their passion for the arts has helped to sustain ArtSpace’s ongoing programming and all that it offers in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington DC.

Bud Wilkinson
The ArtSpace ceramic studio is named after Bud Wilkinson. Bud was a potter and retreat leader for Washington DC’s Church of the Savior retreat center known as Dayspring in Germantown, MD. In a book called Journey Inward, Journey Outward ©1968 by Elizabeth O’Conner she writes about what pottery brought to Bud. In the book O’Conner concludes the story of Bud in his own words. “I know that my vocation is to witness to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior – to be the best as I can God’s channel for bringing men into deeper relationship with God. My avocation is potter – one who listens to God as he works – one who creates from the clay that which is useful and beautiful. And, hopefully, one who himself is shaped into something useful and beautiful by the hands of the Master Potter.”

ArtSpace is now home to many of Bud’s books and supplies. But most importantly it is the home to two of his pottery wheels he donated before his death. Bud’s story lives on through the other potters who have come after him. Hope Hodges, Marilyn McDonald, Terry deBardelaben, and many others have spent many hours at the pottery wheel.

Marilyn McDonald
Many of us who have been closely connected to New Community Church (NCC) over the years knew Marilyn McDonald. Marilyn was a core member of NCC for many years and a visionary for much of what we see happening at NCC today. Marilyn died of cancer in Early Spring 2007 but her presence in this community has not left. Marilyn planted the ArtSpace seed by securing the initial funding and encouraging Rachel Dickerson to start the program. Marilyn knew that art is essential to a healthy and holistic way of life and she wanted to bring the creative spirit alive at New Community and the surrounding neighborhood especially to children.

Marilyn had many gifts and a special connection to seniors in the city. Marilyn started C.A.R.E. – a ministry for low income, isolated and forgotten elderly in Shaw. Along with this work she found time to develop her own artistic skills. Many of us at New Community have a series of photographs that she has taken and shared with us. She also really loved to get her hands in clay and spent time in the pottery studio. A lot of her clay creations show up on the altar on Sunday mornings.

Rachel Dickerson Brunswick
At Marilyn’s request and after graduating from Guilford College, Rachel Dickerson Brunswick dedicated three years to creating ArtSpace’s vision and establishing a community based art program. As a printmaker, primarily, she believes the arts have the power to transform the lives of individuals as well as their communities and the world that holds these communities. So, naturally, she was intrigued by the opportunity Marilyn had proposed to her. Since her departure as coordinator, Rachel has stayed connected as a volunteer, fiber arts student and advisory board member. Rachel is currently on leave as the public art manager for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities as she enjoys her new job as a mom to Ona. She has been with the Commission since 2003.