2012

Megan Mason: For the Child

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Front Porch Fredericksburg
December 2012 (pg. 5)

For many, the words “school,” “classroom,” and “teacher” evoke vivid images from our collective consciousness of students being led through curriculum - sometimes engaging, at other times soporific - but always based on the same data driven statistics of age, grade, and test scores. While many programs, including some in public schools, have moved away from this traditional model, one remains nonpareil in the school reform movement: the Montessori Method. Fredericksburg does have a variety of Montessori schools from which to choose, but Megan Mason saw a need for a small program that gives families the opportunity to ease pre-kindergarten and kindergarten aged children into a learning environment. She hired two adult assistants, Taylor Pointdexter and Lauren McGrath, and opened Village Montessori of Fredericksburg this year.

Lisa Beth: Worth Her Weight in Gold

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Front Porch Magazine
November 2012 (pg. 8)

Everyone has a talent that is uniquely theirs, and for L i s a B e t h that talent is crafting fine jewelry. Whether with gold, platinum, or silver, her passion for elegant detail and intricate design shines brighter than the polished metals from which her pieces are born. Her aptitude remained hidden until the right tools were put into her hands. Once she began working with metals while taking welding in high school, her teachers quickly moved her through the scope of beginner and advanced classes, recognizing and nurturing her gift. However, it wasn’t until she took courses through the renowned 92nd Street Y (92y.org) in New York City that Beth found her defining element. When a teacher of hers selected her to take some of his commissions, she was hooked.

The Gospel According to Jackson Harlem

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Front Porch Magazine
October 2012 (pg. 24)

“Everything is performance. Everywhere is a stage. Everything is religion.” So embodies the philosophy of Jackson Harlem. His is a story of creative abundance, influenced by his minister father and growing up in what he describes as “a spiritually aware household.” Harlem professes that the essence of entrepreneurship is encoded in his blood, generating a “kind of backpacking spirit, going from place to place to share things I am most passionate about.”

Jackson Harlem

Pamela Mann: Traversing Faiths

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Front Porch Magazine
September 2012 (pg. 8)

The labyrinth is a fitting symbol for a life well lived. The adept traverse its curves, twist in unlikely directions, and sometimes even double back, but they always leave their minds open to meditate on events that shape the journey. In kind, Pamela Mann didn’t realize that working with labyrinths would become her passion when she encountered one in California in 1998, leading to the birth of her first labyrinth project for Trinity Episcopal Church in Manassas, VA; nor could she foresee that the labyrinth would guide her toward a path of interfaith ministry. She reflects, “That’s one of the gifts of the labyrinth; it’s a mirror and metaphor for your relationships and life. When you walk a labyrinth you should observe everything that happens, every encounter, because when you later process the journey, you find that it is reflective of something that’s going on in your current situation.”

Jake Walther: Master of Awe

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Front Porch Magazine
August 2012 (pg. 8)

Ever since he was a kid, J a k e W a l t h e r has had a talent for lighting things up. From his first forays into fireworks during family trips to Pennsylvania, and throughout his training with light and sound at Full Sail University in Florida, he has been drawn to spectacle. Even after a severe spinal cord injury derailed a promising career with Ringling Brothers in 2005, Walther never wavered from his dream of owning his own business and working in public arenas. T o d ay , h e r u n s S o u t h e r n E x p o s u r e Py r o t e c h n i c s i n F r e d e r i c k s b u rg, combining creativity and expertise to dazzle crowds across the state of Virginia with jaw dropping fireworks displays

Lara Klopp: With Brush and Lens

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Front Porch Magazine
July 2012 (pg 24)

The lens is complex. A barrier between dimensions, it allows a necessary distance between artist and subject, if only to offer the artist perspective and provide the subject a sense of autonomy. At the same time, the lens is an extension of the artist’s eye, capturing at once light and shadow, personality, and the subtlety of the subject’s nature, challenging the photographer to capture a life on a single sheet of paper.

Lara Klopp Photography
Lara Klopp Studio

Dance Matrix: All the Right Moves - Local Dance Company, Contemporary Choreography

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Front Porch Magazine
June 2012 (pg. 11)

A dark stage gradually brightens to a tempestuous glow as dancers rise from the depths of garbage strewn around them. Music pulses tensely as they pull their bedraggled bodies across the stage, scratching and clutching at desirable objects. Enter three innocents, lithe and fresh in their sweet, pressed dresses. But wait! The gang of primal wretches lunges from upstage, overtaking these bright ingénues. What follows, death and resurrection, reflects the current climate of live performance today, as companies like Beverly Mendez’s Dance Matrix strive to revitalize attendance at dance concerts within the community of Fredericksburg.

Shirley Donahue: Art of Mehndi

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Front Porch Magazine
May 2012 (pg. 8)

First comes the basket thrust through the door bursting with sketch books and shining cones of henna, followed quickly by a beaming woman in a flow of lavender. After a quick greeting, Shirley Donahue pulls up a pillow and directs my foot to the ottoman in front of us. As we chat, I watch the artfully looping swirls covering her palms while she lightly outlines cherry blossoms on my skin with eyeliner pencil.

Donahue has been practicing Mehndi, the Indian art of henna application, for close to fourteen years. At that time, she and some friends picked up a few do-it-yourself henna kits on a whim. As she describes it, “I absolutely fell in love, and I’ve been practicing off and on ever since. Now, I want to share it with other people, because they are always so excited to hear about it. When I’m out with henna on my hands, many people stop and say, ‘Hey, you should do this as a business!’ So I’ve finally responded, ‘Yeah, Universe, I’m listening.’”

Alaha Ahrar: May Love Rain Down

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Front Porch Magazine
April 2012 (pg. 8)

Our pasts often dictate our medium of expression, so it is no surprise that A l a h a A h r a r chooses poetry. The UMW student and w i n n e r o f a 2 0 1 1 W o r l d P o e t ry P e a c e A m b a s s a d o r a n d Y o u t h P o e t A w a r d was nurtured by a family of renowned Afghani poets during a time of Taliban rule. Women, once holding respected careers, were secluded and denied a voice. Smiling, yet solemn, Ahrar considers her past, “I’m sure we definitely had many female poets and writers, because Afghanistan is a poetic land. No one knew these women because they were oppressed. During the Taliban period, my family supported me and taught me poetry, but none of it was allowed.”

Pocket Aces: A Sure Bet

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Front Porch Magazine
March 2012 (pg. 28)

Downing Guinness and dunking pretzels into Cheddar Ale Dip, the packed house at Colonial Tavern peruses the laminated playlists provided by the talent. Singer Theresa Gaddy poises lithely atop a stool on stage, her only tell the bouncing right boot crossed casually over her left leg. Twisting the tuners at the head of his guitar, Jeff Leibowitz casually eyes the crowd, smiling. Finally, Gaddy shows her hand, “The way it works is, we’ll play a couple songs, and you guys should have lists in front of you. When we stop playing, just shout out what you want to hear, and we’ll write it down and definitely get to it.” Like bullets, Leibowitz is all in with Alanis Morisette’s “Hand in My Pocket,” and Gaddy calls, electrifying the audience with her clear, powerful voice.

Tattoo: The Art of Impermanence

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Front Porch Magazine
January 2012 (pg. 27)

An artist’s work traditionally reflects their era with an attention to thematic details that allows future generations to connect with their pieces. Artists using conventional materials, such as paper and canvass, have the benefit of knowing their work will last if maintained under the right conditions. Yet tattoo artists embrace life’s organic transience, understanding that living art is as fragile as the canvass upon which it is displayed.

Jack Brown's Tattoo Revival

Kelley Drake working, Tattoo by Kelly Drake, Kenny Brown working, Tattoo by Kenny Brown