This is our 2nd year at 5702 Baltimore Avenue…and we so happy we’ve had such a great two years! As the Gateway Arts District grows, and more and more occurs thanks to great galleries and workshop spaces that have become detrimental to the success of the arts in the district, like the Brentwood Arts Exchange at Gateway Arts Center, Zimstone Gallery, and more, we are very excited and happy to announce wonderful news regarding our own future! Find out more during our reception! Arrive a little after 5pm and bring a friend too!

We invite you to join us this Saturday from 2pm-6pm as we will be open for an art hop over to the artdc Auction! (Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=170862476272055&ref=mf)

*We also invite you to join us this Sunday, December 5th from 5pm-10pm for our “Holiday Gift Exhibit” Opening Reception and 2nd Anniversary Gala! Our exhibit has many items $30 and under, and is great for gifts for the holidays! Why go to the mall and spend too much on mass-produced goods, when you can buy unique, inexpensive, local goods! We’re just around the corner, literally!* (Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162539823786658)

If you’re hopping around from place to place on Saturday, please also visit Zimstone Gallery’s Holiday Wrap and Go Show from 12pm-4pm just down the Gateway Arts District in Hyattsville too! (Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164744750222662)

I discovered a wonderful book by Isle Crawford a number of weeks ago at the University View’s lobby, called “The Sensual Home: Liberate Your Senses and Change Your Life (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?cid=5475451924391495172&source=shopper).

Since I’ve picked it up, it’s been a guilty pleasure of mine and I haven’t wanted to put it down! The book features helpful advice, tips, and direction for allowing your lifestyle, body, mind, heart, and home to become healthier and better suited for today’s busy world. Not only is there wonderful photography, but the formatting of the book keeps each page unique and interesting, and thrills me to keep reading so I can see what else I’ll find.

A nifty feature is that the book is sorted into categories, and in the back there’s a database for easy reference that includes tips, where-to for each topic, and even a directory of stores that Crawford recommends. She writes for a hopeful, healthy, hearty audience that wants to blend both natural elements into the home as well as contemporary elements. My only bugger about the book is that while she recommends less technology so that the reader can rediscover natural elements and blend the two together, the book is obviously dated as 1998,  as technology has jumped in form and popularity. I would enjoy seeing a new version of this book, very much so. If you’re looking for a great read, great imagery, and great ideas that you may not have thought up before, Crawford writes to excite your mental, physical, and spiritual self by accenting just how primal, carnal, sensual, and beautiful our senses really are. Never give up the search for comfort and happiness!

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Article by Justin Fair. Justin is Business Manager and Head Intern at Design Studio Art Gallery in Hyattsville, MD. He is a painter, graphic designer, actor, and writer with Soulstrong Designs, and a graduating senior at the University of Maryland College Park. Justin can be reached at jorlandofair@gmail.com.

View Justin’s original version of this blog post at http://justinfair.com/2010/11/29/home-is-where-the-heart-is-2 and leave him a comment on his blog!

A version of this review was posted by Justin on Amazon.com’s page for The Sensual Home at http://www.amazon.com/review/R3OU03I7LUT5EL/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm.

I sat in the Spotlight Café, located at the Mt. Rainier circle on Route One, marveling at the great bamboo works of Alonzo Davis, and sat wondering, what’s to become of this charming venue? Mt. Rainier has the buildings and the people to look like a great arts area–but it seems a bit too shaggy as a town center to excel at this stage in the game. Maybe a few years with more funding…well I see the potential.

George invited me to the reading and exhibit for Alonzo Davis’s booksigning, and I had the wonderful experience of not only seeing George perform, but I also got to meet great artisans and artwork. The Spotlight Café is a new little space, filled with art, sofas, and comfy chairs and tables for studying and chillaxin. I see great potential with the space, especially for readings, exhibits, and great get-together. They’ve got good lighting, can afford to fix up some decor (hey, they are new…), and they are a subsidary of a desserts bakery next-door, Delectable Cakery.

The staff is very friendly and charming, and while at the event their machine has some issues, they were more than willing to indulge me in a delicious hot chocolate-expresso creation plus a delicious cappuccino when the machine finally worked. I spent a good portion of my time eying their cakes, but for $6 though they look like great huge slices, I’m too college student-Plato’s diner-oriented. I need to come on back and grab a slice!

Long story short, I think they’re a place to check out and look forward to their growth.

Oh! And before I forget, Alonzo Davis is such a talented artist–His works will be exhibiting across the country. I’m currently hanging out with Valerie Watson and George Pelham, and not only is her house beautiful (see next blog post), but she also owns a Davis sculpture.

Happy Thanksgiving by the way!

PHOTOS ARE ONLINE ON FLICKR.COM:
http://www.flickr.com/slideShow/index.gne?group_id=&user_id=7565779@N07&set_id=72157625488039912/with&tags=Alonzo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/soulstrong/sets/72157625488039912/with/5215429735/

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Article by Justin Fair. Justin is Business Manager and Head Intern at Design Studio Art Gallery in Hyattsville, MD. He is a painter, graphic designer, actor, and writer with Soulstrong Designs, and a graduating senior at the University of Maryland College Park. Justin can be reached at jorlandofair@gmail.com.

View Justin’s original version of this blog post at http://justinfair.com/2010/11/28/a-spotlight-on-a-little-great-cafe-in-mt-rainier/ and leave him a comment on his blog!

A version of this review is available on Yelp.com for Spotlight Café at http://www.yelp.com/biz/spotlight-cafe-mt-rainier#hrid:4GmNbDGMXFJTUmIGrqrSDQ.

So for about a month now I’ve been more focused on understanding the benefits of both business review websites,check-in/geo-tagging social networks and other directory websites. Review websites like like Yelp.com and Google Places versus Check-In/Geo-tagging social networks like Foursquare or Gowalla alongside the new growth of Facebook Places and other directory websites like YellowPages, that is. During my research for my work with my internship where I work as Business Manager, Design Studio Art Gallery (and do research for its sister business, the interior design firm Riggio Design Consultants, I decided to put all of my wonderings into words. Let me preface this blog by saying, this is the condensed version of the blog entry I put on my blog, JustinFair.com. This is a condensed version:

Now, I am more familiar and frequenting Yelp, Google Places, and Foursquare–as I investigate more of these I begin to get a bit more confused of benefits, differences, and what’s good for tieing all of these services together? I haven’t really used some of these services, that’s the next step after I comprehend this all. Keep in mind Google just released their Google Hotspot, Facebook released their Facebook Places, and Twitter as well as blog services are working on Geo-tagging posts. So…they matter too, right?

And so the Investigation Begins…

I want to share something with you: A great example for the ‘Which should I use?’ question is this video : The Check-in War: Gowalla vs. Foursquare – AppJudgment
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXeOIgGgvMs&feature=player_embedded

Now, keep in mind, when I investigate these services not only am I looking up what’s the most profitable and useful for both Design Studio Art Gallery but also for Soulstrong Designs, and my own means of staying in touch with friends, fans of my work, and gaining rewards from going out in general. I want a quick answer, a pros-and-cons list, and I want it fast.

What, when, where, and why? None of these thoughts have standardized answers, and the strange thing is that in many cases, none of this matters. Five to ten years from now these technologies like ‘Where did I send that post from?’ or ‘What can this business offer me by checking-in?’ may or may not still be around.

So, what is checking in?

The concept with checking in, is that you visit a place, they advertise on their window and online that they use that service, you check-in and leave a comment; then, your friends see the review, the business sees your thoughts about their business; then, the business gets feedback and sees people using its service, it creates a reward for you (like a discount every so check-ins); and thus the internet is tied to real life rewards. Services like Foursquare and Gowalla are the hip leaders right now, Foursquare way above Gowalla it seems. And while Yelp and Google Places don’t have ‘check-in’ rewards, you can leave reviews on those websites, just like the new Facebook Places and staples like YellowPages and other websites. Though watch out, Google Places and Facebook Places are blurring the lines and of course rising. Find out more about check-ins via Foursquare with NYDailyNews’s article The next Twitter? Foursquare app for Apple’s iPhone mixes social networking and gaming.

How does a company use all of these social…things?

Eek! I find myself recognizing that if these companies are smart, like I am with Design Studio Art Gallery, we have accounts on multiple services, and in theory, if people begin talking about the business, then more and more people will spread word about DSAG and as I weekly check these services we can cater our business based on some user feedback. Annoyingly, with all of these companies growing and fighting for attention, I know that in the long end, I’m hoping some mergers will make my life easier–but until then, it’s a lot of checking and staying up to date. Strangely, I look into all of this because a lot of people do this regularly! They probably just use one service though, so we need to be on the major ones then as well as some of the little ones too!

A Conclusion?

In the end, I really don’t use any of these services other than Google, Facebook and Twitter, when I want to look up a business or write my thoughts about a place. Haha. For now, I’m a bit too hesitant. After all, Google Latitude is creepy (see PC World’s article, Three Reasons Why I Won’t Be Using Google Latitude). And even then, when I use all of this, it’s normally writing a note on my Facebook wall. At the end of the day, for now, few of my friends actually use these services and so until they do, I’ve got homework to do. Besides, this blog became too long anyway.

Check out Design Studio Art Gallery on:

• Facebook
• Google Places
• Yelp
• YellowPages
• Foursquare
• DesignStudioArtGallery.com
• Design Studio Art Gallery Blog

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Article by Justin Fair. Justin is Business Manager and Head Intern at Design Studio Art Gallery in Hyattsville, MD. He is a painter, graphic designer, actor, and writer with Soulstrong Designs, and a graduating senior at the University of Maryland College Park. Justin can be reached at jorlandofair@gmail.com.

View Justin’s original version of this blog post at http://justinfair.com/2010/11/18/check-inssocial-networks/and leave him a comment on his blog!

Creatively driven and thoughtful gifts will become the focus of Design Studio Art Gallery’s new exhibit “Holiday Gift Exhibit,” which emphasizes buying local. The opening reception will be held on Sunday, December 5, 2010 from 5pm-10pm. The exhibit runs from Monday, November 22, 2010 to Tuesday, December 28, 2010.

The nighttime gala will be celebrated in conjunction with our 2nd anniversary party and our winter holiday party! From 5
pm-10 pm, we will enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in a cozy environment, celebrating local artists and their works
with the warmth and holiday cheer of the season! Offering holiday shoppers new gift-giving ideas, this exhibit focuses on
local artists and artisans. The physical space of the gallery will be transformed into a shopping destination for local residents
to purchase one-of-a-kind pieces.

Items will range from pottery to limited edition photograph prints to handcrafted bowls, jewelry, and more! Essential to the show will be diversity in style, uniqueness in subject matter and originality in items. The goal is to transform the gallery into a unique retail shop for the holiday season that specializes in highlighting our local artists’ community, staging it with the flair that only designers and artists can!

To emphasize purchasing local art as gifts, Design Studio Art Gallery is encouraging submissions that are $50 and under. Ideally, 75% of the gallery will be stocked with art pieces at truly affordable price points to encourage multiple sales and help artists to get their work recognized.

Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/designstudioartgallery

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/designstudioart

Find us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/companies/design-studio-art-gallery

Follow our blog: http://designstudioartgallery.wordpress.com

CALL FOR ARTISTS :

Exhibit Name: “Holiday Gift Exhibit”

Artwork Drop-Off: Saturday, November 20,, 2010 from 12pm-3pm

Artwork Pick-Up Date: Wednesday, December 29, 2010 from 3pm-6pm

Opening Reception: Sunday, December 5, 2010 from 5pm-10pm (this will be the day of our Holiday Party + 2nd Anniversary Party)!

Exhibit Runs: Monday, November 22, 2010 to Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Address:

Design Studio Art Gallery

5702 Baltimore Avenue

Hyattsville, MD, 20781

301-779-4907 o/f

202-446-7373 m

www.designstudioartgallery.com

Selection Process:

Submit images of 2-d or 3-d works to info@designstudioartgallery.com in this format: width @480 pixels, height @378 pixels

Submission Fee:

$15 per entry

Commission: 25%

Goal:

We encourage submitting pieces that are $50 and under – we want to have 75% of gallery stocked with stuff at truly affordable price points to encourage multiple sales and help artists get their work recognized! Please note that if you have “collections” (for example of pottery, etc) than the standard $15 submission fee per piece will not apply – depending on the item, the submission for collections will be $25 for the entire collection.

DETAILS

As we approach the holiday season, Design Studio Art Gallery is, once again, curating a unique holiday gift show to offer holiday shoppers new gift-giving ideas! We want to stress the concept of buy local and buy original! We have a fabulous community of local artists, and we are going to transform the gallery into a shopping destination for local residents to purchase original art pieces!

Please contact us NOW to discuss putting your work in this unique exhibit! We need to start planning this now, because we are going to totally transform our space into a holiday shopping destination!

Even though we are aiming to get most of the inventory priced at an “affordable price point” to encourage sales of original art for gifts, if you have a piece or pieces that you would like for us to consider that are at a different price point, please submit those as well!

We want to include items ranging from pottery to limited edition photograph prints to hand-crafted bowls, jewelry, and more! We want diversity in style, uniqueness is subject matter, and originality in items, and we want to put a lot of stuff in the space! Our goal is to transform Design Studio Art Gallery into a retail shop for the holiday season that specializes in awesome local artists’ works and stage it with the flair that only designers and artists can!

Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/designstudioartgallery

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/designstudioart

Find us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/companies/design-studio-art-gallery

Follow our blog: http://designstudioartgallery.wordpress.com

Quaint restaurant in Hyattsville art district, Calvert House Inn, getting a facelift! Go Riggio DC, the place looks awesome!

Hope to see you tonight at our Opening Reception!

Halloween Opening Reception- “Night of the Living Art”

Sunday, October 31

5 p.m.-10p.m.

Dress in costume to receive treats and view paranormal pieces taking their inspiration from classic horror films, historical representations of drama and pop cultural phenomena. Bring the family and your friends! Appreciation of the art will be greatly enhanced by the creativity you put into your costuming. Cross over the supernatural border with Design Studio Art Gallery. Where Candy Meets Craftsmanship