Crystal Flight Blog

Crystal Flight Commemorative Book Available!

2008-10-26T12:24:00.000-04:00

The Crystal City Business Improvement District is pleased to announce the release of the Crystal Flight commemorative book highlighting the Crystal Flight program. You can purchase the book for $15 directly from the publisher's website.

Placement Video

2008-08-27T10:26:00.001-04:00

Ever wonder how all those 600 pound planes got placed throughout Crystal City? Here is a little sneak peek that shows how JK Moving & Storage got one of the fifty planes into place.

Crystal Flight Poster

2008-08-20T10:15:00.000-04:00

Are you a Crystal Flight fan? You can download the full size poster with pictures of all of the planes by clicking here.

Crystal Flight gets National Blog Attention

2008-08-12T13:17:00.006-04:00

What do Abe Lincoln, a Waterfall along the East River in NYC and Crystal Flight all have in common? Well, they are all free, fun, and unique public art projects throughout the country. Crystal City's Crystal Flight Project was included in this brief list of fun and free public art related activities around the country.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Public Art Fund /© Olafur Eliasson, 2008

http://www.petergreenberg.com/2008/08/07/free-public-art-projects/

Two Planes Receive a Fresh Look

2008-08-08T09:57:00.005-04:00

The hot, Virginia sun and the elements can sometimes take a toll on the lifespan of certain designs. The Crystal City BID tapped Graffiti artist Kevin Irvin to give two of the Crystal Flight statues a fresh look!

City Bound

Sky Miles

Everclear Flies into Crystal City

2008-06-05T15:12:00.005-04:00

Crystal City will host multi-platinum rock band Everclear at the 4th Annual Crystal Rocks on Sunday, June 8 from 2-6PM, located at 2200 Crystal Drive between 23rd and 20th Street. The street concert is free and open to the public.

Everclear just released a new album in April of this year titled "The Vegas Years." The disc features 14 recorded covers from 1994 to 2008, including versions of the Go-Go’s “Our Lips Are Sealed,” Hall & Oates’ “Rich Girl” and Paul Revere & The Raiders’ “Kicks.”

The event will also feature the return of Crystal Flight graffiti artist Kevin Irvin who will modify an existing design using his funky, urban, Graffiti style! Kevin painted a plane earlier this spring at the annual Crystal Block party along 23rd's Street's Restaurant Row. See some of his work in the slideshow below. Kevin will be painting outside throughout the concert so be sure to stop by and take a look!

This is the fourth year of the concert series with past headliners that include the Gin Blossoms, Vertical Horizon and Big Bad Voodoo Daddies.

View Press Release

Professional Photos

2008-06-04T15:08:00.000-04:00

The fun art continues with Crystal Flight! View professional photos of all 50 planes in the slideshow below! You can also go directly to the album link by clicking here.

DCist Writes About Crystal Flight

2008-05-07T14:49:00.000-04:00

One of the metropolitan area's premier blogs, DCist, posted a response to a reader's question about the Crystal Flight planes. Read the blog entry here.

U.S. Air Force Cycling Classic

2008-05-05T14:10:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, May 4th the Crystal City BID continued its support of all things Flight in Crystal City! The area played host to the the U.S. Airforce Cycling Classic, a professional cycling race with a community participatory ride, Crystal Ride, to benefit the Rasin Hope Foundation.

Results Press Release
Race Photos 1

Race Photos 2

Visitor Blog Entry

2008-04-30T15:41:00.003-04:00

A colleague of a Crystal City BID staff member recently sent over this wonderful excerpt from a personal blog post that just had to be shared! It encapsaltes everything the Crystal Flight project was intended to bring to the streets of Crystal City.

Excerpt from Anonymous Blog Post
Buggy plane
After having dinner out [a rare treat], we happened upon this piece of public art. A neighborhood in Arlington is near the airport so they have all this (sic) planes on display that have been decorated by various artists. This plane, sponsored by the U.S. Air Force, is called "Fly Zone" by Jessica Van Brakle. It features these rather large flies on it. Vaughan thought it was pretty cool!
Hey! Look there are more flies over here!
Yep, there is a fly!
He got one last close look at a fly before we went home, he got a bath and went to bed. Whew! --

Crystal Flight In the News - Air & Space

2008-04-21T11:32:00.006-04:00

Check out the latest mention of Crystal Flight in the Smithsonian's Air & Space magazine! They put together a great article after multiple site visits photographing sessions in the studio and on the street!

Crystal Block - A Celebration of Art & Air

2008-04-14T15:00:00.003-04:00

The second annual Crystal Block party was a stunning success! Despite looming rain clouds and unseasonably cool temperatures, the festivities of Crystal Block, which included musical acts Wicked Jezabel, Folsom Prisoners, and the Reflex, children's moon bounces and slides, cotton candy, popcorn, and tons of give-aways from area businesses, attracted several thousand visitors!

In addition to the three planes located in the area - Freddie's Flotsam & Jetsam, CC Sports Pub's Bounce Off and BB&T's Pennies from Heaven - 23rd Street was the temporary home for Chalk It Up and Graffiti Plane. Graffiti Artist Kevin Irvin spent most of the 5-hours of the party painting his plane for Arlington Sports in the middle of the road! Interested Block Party attendees had the chance to see him in action and his design evolve! Chalk It Up offered children and adults the opportunity to put their own creative energies to work! Painted with chalkboard paint, the plane was certainly "Chalked Up" by the end of the day.

BB&T also treated visitors to their both with a contest using their plane as inspiration. Can you guess how many pennies (or how much money) is actually on the BB&T plane, Pennies from Heaven?

The Planes Have Landed!

2008-04-10T14:48:00.004-04:00

In case you have not noticed, the completed Crystal Flight Airplanes have "landed" all around Crystal City! JK Moving & Storage sent a Flat Bed Truck, a fork Lift, a box truck, and plenty of man power to get all 50 planes placed at their designated location.

The task was quite an event as eleven planes could be loaded directly onto the flatbed before it needed to be unloaded. It was certainly a sight to see the trailer traveling down the roads of Crystal City at about 5 MPH with dozens of on-lookers with smiling faces, cameras, and camera phones all pointed towards the spectacle! Many asked questions and expressed their delight at the arrivals, but nothing outdid the reaction of the Bright Horizon children who responded to a honk from the truck driver by rushing the window! Jaws dropped at hands waved as they saw the very plane they worked on unloaded and placed directly in front of their window!

Be sure to stop by one of the area restauraunts for an official map, but you can get a sneak peak at the 4.5-mile "Flight Path" that will take you to all 50 planes by downloading this map.

Crystal Flight Artists Complete!

2008-04-06T14:57:00.003-04:00

It has been a busy few final weeks in the Crystal Flight Artist's Studio. The Crystal Flight artists have been striving to compelte the designs they proposed nearly four months ago and began implementing in January. Only four planes remain to be completed - Arlington Sports' Graffiti plane which will be painted by talented graffiti artist, Kevin Irvin at Crystal Block and the three planes that make up Solar Sorcery, the three planes sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and being completed by Butch Anthony.

After being compelted, the planes were treated with a Clear Coat application to protect the paint from the damaging and color-depleting sun's UV rays as well as a protection against vandalism. The Crystal City BID would like to thank Byron Peck and City Arts for agreeing to assist with the application of the coating on all of the planes.

Be ready this week to see the planes landing all over Crystal City courtesy of our Crystal Flight partner, JK Moving & Storage! Be certain to stop by Crystal Block along Restaurant Row on 23rd Street between S. Fern and S. Eads Streets. You can pick up a "Flight Plan" showing all of the plane locations throughout Crystal City at local restaurants and stores throughout the area.

Crystal Flight In the News!

2008-04-05T14:46:00.001-04:00

This week's Washington Business Journal included an article about Crystal Flight! Read all about it here: WBJ Article

Artist Spotlight - Byron Peck

2008-04-04T10:10:00.002-04:00

Building on its participation in the first annual Vintage Crystal - A Taste of Wine & Jazz, the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival procured local artist Byron Peck to paint the Crystal Flight plane it sponsored. "Mood Indigo's" artistic concept involves gradiated transitions of colors and abstract designs intermixed with depictions of Duke Ellington on opposite sides of the plane.

About Byron
Over the last twenty-five years PeckStudios and, more recently its non-profit partner City Arts, have been commissioned to create over 80 murals, mosaics, and other public artworks. The majority of our past public artworks are site-specific designs that are inspired by the unique environment for which they were created. Many have been created with input and participation from the communities in which the artworks are located. Our studio's approach to public art is to maximize the artwork's relevance to the architectural and natural environment of the site, in addition to local history, culture, and purpose of site.

About Duke Ellington Jazz Festival

The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival (DEJF) is an annual celebration that honors musical genius and native Washingtonian Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington. Each year, tens of thousands of music lovers come together in the nation’s capital to share in the city’s rich Jazz history, to see local and world renowned Jazz artists and to pay tribute to legendary Jazz greats. The festival features more than 100 performances and programs in 35 venues citywide. Its impressive mix of local, national and international Jazz artists meets the diverse interests of Jazz aficionados and families from Washington, DC, and around the country and world. DEJF is a project of Festivals DC, Ltd. a non-profit educational organization.

The fourth Duke Ellington Jazz Festival will be held October 1 – 7, 2008 throughout Washington, DC. Go to www.dejazzfest.org to join the festival’s mailing list and receive periodic updates and schedules.

The Flight to Brighter Horizons

2008-04-03T13:07:00.002-04:00

The children of Bright Horizons added their artistic input to the Crystal Flight program last week. With help from JK Moving & Storage who helped transport the plane to and from the temporary space provided by Vornado / CES, the three groups of children cooperated to create a truly unique and special plane!

Led by Bright Horizons Center Director Amiee Lacson, a group of the Center's younger toddlers painted the base, another older group painted the pedestal, and the oldest group painted the actual plane. The Bright Horizons' plane dubbed "The Flight to Brighter Horizons" will be located directly in front of the Center's Crystal City location at 2344 Crystal Drive.

Previous Posts about Bright Horizons
Kids & Community to Join the Fun

Crystal Flight In the News

Crystal Flight on the News!

2008-04-02T07:23:00.005-04:00

Crystal Flight received some amazing PR this morning when Channel 9 news came out to do a live shot of the project on the morning news edition. Reporter Howard Bernstein toured the Crystal Flight Artist studio with CCBID President and CEO Angie Fox and interviewed Chuck Baxter (Flotsam & Jetsam for Freddies Beach Bar and Restaurant) and Christopher Kelley (Kong Returns for Gensler). A number of planes were specifically focused on by Howard including “Pennies from Heaven” (Courtney Stevens for BB&T), Barnstorming (Matt Wuerker for Politico), Fruit Flies (Pamela Marcon for the Crystal City BID), Chalk It Up (by the Crystal City BID), Crab Rock (Sandra Bacon for McCormick and Schmick’s), and several others!

Click here to see Howard Bernstein’s morning video blog.

[BID President and CEO with Channel 9 Reporter Howard Bernstein]

[BID President and CEO Angie Fox with rest of the BID team - Maurisa Potts, Marketing Director and Rob Mandle Operations Director]

Sponsor Spotlight - Cucina Vivace

2008-04-01T15:33:00.000-04:00

Italy has influenced the cuisine of dozens of countries. That influence is reflected in the love so many have not only for Italian food, but for the comfort of the Italian dining experience. People see our shared history in every meal; making us all one family at the table. This cultural blending takes shape in “True Colors”, where the flags of five nations (Ethiopia, Romania, Croatia, US, and Nicaragua; representing the Cucina Vivace staff) blend into the predominant color scheme of the plane – the Italian flag.

About the Sponsor - Cucina Vivace

Welcome to Cucina Vivace, a trattoria and enoteca created by Chef Gordon Vivace. We take pride in offering you innovative, contemporary dishes born in the oldest traditions of Italian cooking. Variations on classic themes are created with the use of fresh, local ingredients, just as dishes have been created in Italy for centuries. We strive to bring you the heart of the Italian table, where recipes are uniquely crafted cook by cook with individual flair and become centerpieces in a social event. Our structure is a four course offering, though we encourage guests to share our antipasti and primi courses with no additional plate charges so almost any budget and appetite can enjoy our relaxing full dining experience. Our wine list is designed to bring you a preferred selection, representing the best Italy has to offer in a broad range of geographies while each uniquely complements the flavorful creations on our menu. We invite you to share an authentic four course dining experience with us, select a light meal, or just join us for coffee and dessert. Come as you are, from jeans to black tie. You can enjoy it all in a casual environment where one of the most revered Italian traditions continues – good food creates good friendships.

Website - Cucina Vivace

Artist Spotlight - Sandra Bacon

2008-04-01T13:56:00.000-04:00

Crystal Flight's call for artists attracted a number of out-of-town artists. Completing the proposed designs for these artists can prove to be a struggle as artists have to plan travel, locate accommodations while in town, and complete the statue on an accelerated schedule.

Illinois artist Sandra Bacon was able to meet these challenges head on! Arriving in town and staying locally with her sister's boyfriends, Sandi arrived in the studio on Monday morning and had completed two statues - "From Earth to Space" for the Gramercy at Metropolitan Park and "Crab Rock" for McCormick and Schmick's by Thursday evening. Impressive to say the least, but they also LOOK impressive!

From Earth to Space
This plane articulates the ascent from the core of the earth to the mysteries of the universe. With wonder at the beauty of the earth's inner core, through the atmoshere and into the cosmos, this painting refers to mystery, man's ascent to the heaves, the face that is presented to the heavens and the face that is presented to man on earth.

Crab Rock
This plane is a lighthearted look at the underwater world with the notion of "if crabs could fly". The artwork whimsically portrays the dichotomy between the weightlessness of underwater with the weightlessness of air.

About Sandi
Sandra Bacon is a versatile artist known nationally for the drawing/paintings and her public art. Her recent series of paintings, "Shattered Earth" has recently been shown at the Peppers Art Gallery in Redlands, California and at Deerpath Gallery in Lake Forest, Ill. She participated in last summer's Cool Globes exhibit in Chicago and her artwork was shown outside the Field Museum, at Navy Pier, at the United Nations(NY), and at the Chicago Department of the Environment.

Currently she is working on another Cool Globe for San Francisco, and an installation called "Lawn Games", at the Peggy Noteabaert Nature Museum (Chicago). Learn more about Sandra at her website by visiting her website.

About McCormick and Schmick's

Since teaming up in the early 1970s, Bill McCormick and Doug Schmick have established more than 50 restaurants and catering operations throughout the country - an extraordinary feat in a business with the highest attrition rate of any in the United States. The two men, very different yet surprisingly compatible, have established themselves as entrepreneurs with one collective vision, to run the nation's premier family of seafood restaurants.

The history of McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants began when Bill McCormick purchased Jake's Famous Crawfish Restaurant located in Portland, Ore., and brought the more than 100-year-old landmark back to life.

When asked the secret of how he revitalized a restaurant on the brink of closing, McCormick says, "I like nothing better than being a good host." In addition to his spirited personality, McCormick has an ability to bring out the best in other's managerial skills and strengths, a combination essential in a successful business.

Part of the managerial talent McCormick tapped was Doug Schmick, a management trainee. The two formed a partnership in 1974, creating Traditional Concepts, a precursor to today's McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants. In 1979, they opened the original McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant in Portland, Ore. Since that time, the company has expanded to more than 50 restaurants across the country.

About the Gramercy at Metropolitan Park

The Metropolitan. Apartment homes located in the Washington DC Metro area offering all that you could hope for. From inspiring architecture, stylish interiors, compelling locations and impeccable service, everything is designed with one purpose in mind – to make you feel at home. All your tastes and expectations, preferences and ambition, needs and desires. Met.

Visit to TivoliToo!

2008-03-31T22:58:00.001-04:00

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting the manufacturing facility where our Crystal Flight planes were created! Take an inside look at Tivoli Too!

Thanks for the tour, Hart! It was a pleasure!

Artist Spotlight - Gensler Team

2008-03-26T11:19:00.001-04:00

One of the most interesting aspects of artistic projects like Crystal Flight is seeing how different creative minds can come up with such different design schemes. The designs of "Kong Returns," envisioned by Christopher Kelley and "Plane Jane" by Matt Rowan (coming to life with the help of co-workers from Gensler, the plane's sponsor), represents two examples of this variety. Art that draws from popular culture has a way of resonating with an extremely wide audience and for this reason, will likely be a big hit amongst area visitors!

"Kong Returns" is an attempt to recall childhood memories of the classic movie era. The vintage plane seemed to naturally lend itself to a theme of this type. The biggest challenge has been how best construct Kong’s hand. After many hours of trial and error it seems like a plan of action has finally been settled on. This Crystal Flight project has been a team effort as Christopher is joined by co-workers Beth Ready, Matt Rowan and Scotty Hasty collaborating on two separate planes: "Plane Jane" and "Kong Returns." Both planes are sponsored by Gensler.

An irreverent melding of the decidedly masculine fighter plane with the feminine design for a shoe, the "Plane Jane" reframes the viewer's expectations. Clad entirely in glossy black "patent leather" and the signature single button, the design motifs of the classic Mary Jane shoe find a new home on a jet.

So why was the "Mary Jane" chosen as a motif? A simple answer could be that it rhymes with plane. A more complex answer is that it provokes an immediate response depending on the viewer. Most women immediately understand the title, as frankly, the fairer sex has a much better understanding of shoes and their styles. Men tend to be a bit more confused, sparking conversation and debate as to why, exactly, one would clad a plane in black and stitchwork. Is it inappropriate? It it an attempt at being surreal? Is it a comment on war? Is it just a joke? The answers are up to the viewer- we're just setting up a topic of conversation. After all, provoking those types of things is what we believe great, fun design should do.

Artist Statement - Christopher Kelley - Kong Returns
A graduate of the University of Florida with a Master of Architecture degree in 1997, he is presently a project architect with Gensler in Washington, DC. Due to his dedication to the professional development of emerging professionals, Christopher has served on several local, state, and national boards and committees for the American Institute of Architects. Equally passionate about design of an academic nature, he has been a guest design critic and participated in panel discussions at various universities. He also actively pursues architectural and design competitions as a means of testing his pedantic ideologies. As a result of constantly exploring theoretical approaches to architecture, he has received several design awards and has had work exhibited at venues throughout the United States.

Artist Statement - Matt Rowan - Plane Jane
For Matt Rowan, The Crystal Flight project has been more of a true team effort than a one-man-show. Joined by three co-workers from Gensler, the group, affectionately known as "The Morning Zoo," is actually collaborating on two separate planes: "Plane Jane" and "Kong Returns." Both planes are sponsored by Gensler.

With a broad base of experience designing everything from corporate interiors, lighting fixtures, transportation systems, to custom china, Matt currently leverages this diverse background as designer in Gensler's Brand Design Studio. His exposure to multiple viewpoints and philosophies began at an early age, with the bulk of his childhood spent in Hawaii. The global city of Washington D.C. was his next home, offering a much more exciting but decidedly less tropical environment in which to grow. After attempting to abandon his artistic tendencies as a pre-med student at William & Mary, Matt quickly redirected himself towards the study of art, architecture, and psychology. While those three disciplines may initially appear to be disparate, Matt believes that all relate to the human experience, expression and perception of the spaces in which they live. Matt furthered his study of this philosophy at Art Center College of Design in California, where he graduated with honors with a degree in Environmental & Industrial Design.

Matt currently lives with his wife, Claire and son Will in Herndon, Virginia.

Gensler
Gensler is a global design, planning, and strategic consulting firm, with more than 3000 professionals networked across 30 offices on five continents. Consistently ranked by U.S. and international industry surveys as the leading architecture and interior design firm, Gensler leverages its deep resources and diverse expertise to develop design solutions for industries across the globe. Since 1965, Gensler has collaborated with clients to create environments that enhance organizational performance, achieve measurable business goals, enrich people and communities, and enhance everyday experiences. For its longstanding commitment to the advancement of sustainable design, Gensler received the Leadership Award from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2005.

This year Gensler is celebrating over 25 years in the Washington DC Metro Area. Clients include Crystal City BID, Rosslyn BID, Arlington County, Discovery Communications, Corporate Executive Board, Gaylord Entertainment, and numerous Federal entities. We are also proud to have built a strong reputation and relationships throughout the development community, working with those who make an impact on the built environment of this community every day.

Crystal Flight In the News!

2008-03-21T00:43:00.003-04:00

Crystal Flight recieved another mention this week in the Alexandria Times! Read the whole article here!

The article highlights the upcoming participation of some of Crystal City's youngest artists, students at the area's newest Day Care facility, Bright Horizons. The plane, sponsored by Bright Horizons, will be moved to a temporarily vacant space by JK Moving and Storage next week. The plane will be painted throughout the day by Bright Horizons' children and their parents on Friday, March 28th.

If you have a moment during the day, feel free to swing by the pedestrian concourse in 2345 Crystal Drive to see the action.

Artist Spotlight - Beth Baldwin

2008-03-21T00:42:00.000-04:00

Brenda Baldwin's design approach comes from a fascination with rockets, robots, and outer space. Beth's plane seeks to create a design for her jet plane sponsored by the Crystal City Marriott, that makes kids exlaim 'cool' and grown-ups chuckle in remembrance of their childhood dreams of wanting to fly jet planes and go into space when they grew up. Beth's design illustrates this facsination in a manner that characterizes space and futuristic space travel in a more imaginative way, to use Beth's own words, "more Jetson's than Star Trek!"

Beth Baldwin was born in Trenton, New Jersey and raised in Bucks County Pennsylvania. From the age of three Beth painted whatever she could get her hands on- rocks, wood, and sometimes to her parents chagrin, walls.She went to the Indiana University of Pennsylvania to persue being a set designer and received her BFA and went promptly to Ohio University to persue her MFA for scenic and prop design. Beth moved to Washington DC in 1998 for an internship with the Shakespeare Theatre in the props department. They hired her permantently three months later and Beth made props for almost 10 seasons making everything from fake pigs, to gravity defying bocce balls. She left the Shakespeare Theatre in August 2007 to persue her own art and to making more art happen in and around her adopted city of Washington, DC.This is Beth's fourth public art project, having participated in DC's Pandamania, University of Maryland's Fear the Turtle and Arlington Virginia's Tour of Arlington Mini-Golf classic.

About Beth's Sponsor - Crystal City Marriott
The Crystal City Marriott at Reagan National Airport is located steps from hip restaurants and trendy shops and a short Metro ride away from Washington DC, offering the perfect location for both business and leisure travelers. Comfort and convenience define this Arlington, Virginia hotel that offers luxurious guest rooms and suites coupled with high-tech business amenities. For those looking to host an event in Northern Virginia, the Crystal City Marriott offers a variety of event facilities and services for conferences, meetings, weddings and receptions. Families and couples will enjoy a wide variety of Arlington vacation packages to choose from that feature low rates and great perks. The hotel is ideally located just one mile from Reagan National Airport and is a short commute to the downtown Washington DC area. This Crystal City, VA hotel is also located near the best tourist attractions in the Washington DC area including the Arlington Cemetery, Kennedy Center, and the Pentagon.

Artist Spotlight - Brenda Sylvia

2008-03-20T13:40:00.002-04:00

Brenda Sylvia has been diligently working on her two planes, Crystal Constellations and Safe Landing for the Crystal City BID and the Oakwood, respectively. Brenda M. Sylvia is a landscape painter who loves nature despite living in an urban area. The act of painting outside and experiencing nature firsthand is an integral part of her work. The beauty of nature inspires and energizes her paintings and sculptures.

When thinking about jets and airplanes, our relationship to the sky above us naturally comes to mind. "Crystal Constellations" captures the some of beauty and the mythology of that sky. Throughout history mankind has looked up into the night sky and appreciated the beauty of the stars. Many cultures have named groups of stars and built elaborate stories around them. I have included representations of some of the more popular of these constellations in my jet.

"Safe Landing" is a tribute to the need for natural spaces near our urban centers such as Crystal City. Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary is located just across the George Washing Memorial Parkway from Reagan National Airport. It is an oasis both for wildlife and for the people who go there to reconnect to nature. This jet is a reminder of some of the beauty of the trees and wildlife you can find there. (Learn more about Roaches Run.)

About Brenda
Brenda received her Master of Fine Arts in Painting from The George Washington University in 2004, and her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from James Madison University in 1993. She has exhibited in three Artomatic shows (2002, 2004, and 2007), including last spring in Crystal City. As a result of that exhibition, she was invited to have a solo show at the Pershing Park Café from July through November 2007. Her other local solo exhibitions include “Urban Streams” at the Arlington Campus of GMU, “Views of Huntley Meadows,” and her thesis show, “A Sense of Place” at the Dimmock gallery at GWU. She also participated in a four-woman show at the Rock Creek Gallery in Washington, DC called “A Feeling of Intimacy.” In July of 2007 Brenda was commissioned to create a sculpture of a horse built of recycled materials for the Virgin Festival Concert in Baltimore, MD. Each of the last three years, she has received art grants to build sculptures at Playa Del Fuego, a Burning Man Regional Arts festival.

For more information check out Brenda’s website at http://www.silverravenstudios.com/.

Brenda's Sponsor for Safe Landing - Oakwood

Oakwood Worldwide is the world's largest rental housing solution company, providing high-quality, furnished and unfurnished accommodations throughout North and South America, the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia.

Through its vast selection of world-class accommodations, Oakwood offers the perfect housing solution for short and extended-stay needs, alike. Five-star service is provided in hundreds of locations with more than 3,000 staff around the globe dedicated to serving its clients and guests.

Quality accommodations and an extensive array of services and conveniences...welcome home to Oakwood, the most trusted namein housing worldwide.

Brenda's Sponsor for Crystal Constellations - Crystal City BID

Crystal City, Arlington's largest downtown, is transforming. Bright and vibrant, Crystal City now features an abundance of fine restaurants, cafes, specialty stores, outdoor movie nights, bike trails, and two award winning theaters with Arena Stage and the Washington Shakespeare Company. With its quick access to the Metro area and proximity to Ronald Regan Washington National Airport, the area is attracting many well-known businesses, non-profits, artists, tourists, and residents - all who are excited to call Crystal City home. From our hotels to our transportation options, Crystal City is also a green and environmentally-minded area - visitors can feel good about their stay with us, inside and out. Established in April of 2006, the Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) is creating a soul for Crystal City. A public-private partnership, the BID is providing a higher level of service to visitors, workers and residents in Crystal City - driving to become world-class destination in both Arlington and the greater DC region. Whether you are a seasoned tourist, a working professional or a aspiring resident, come experience Crystal City!