DC Art Scene: Hierarchy DC Opens in Adams Morgan

The Washington City paper ran an article recently about the number of DC's art galleries that have closed over the last year. In the midst of this, No Kings Collective, an artist collective known for their pop-up exhibitions and social networking events, in partnership with the Popal family, owners of Napoleon Bistro & Lounge (who I love from my time at Food and Friends having worked with them for Dining Out For Life), Cafe Bonaparte and Malmaison (an inspiring place for coffee btw), have just opened Hierarchy DC.

Hierarchy DC is situated next door to Napoleon on Columbia Road in the always bustling Adams Morgan and, at least while I was there, was also accessible, in addition to their own front door, through Napoleon's basement (turn left for the downstairs bar at Napoleon, turn right for Hierarchy). Hierarchy's concept isn't run-of-the-mill and neither is the space. It's not an "art gallery" and it's not a "bar". It's a transformational space where artists will be able to have pop-up style shows, but in a permanent setting. Shows will typically run a month long, allowing patrons to enjoy a new setting almost every time they visit.

The space can accommodate (just a guess from experience, not facts) about 250 people. They have a dramatic long black bar running the length of the basement space. On Saturday they were serving $3 Natty Boh's (uh, no. I had vodka, thanks for asking... but I know that appeals to some!) and $6 Brewer's Art Beer along with $10 spirits including local favs Sloop Betty Vodka and Green Hat Gin. There's a great space for a DJ in the front of the room where DJ Fleg was spinning some solid sounds for a large crowd of drinkers and dancers.

The exhibition space in "gallery" format will be open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to five pm, with special events (ie: openings such as the one I attended Saturday night) advertised as they happen. They are also planning to have weekly "cultural programming"- but no word yet on their website on when that will start.

The dual installations of DECOY's "North West" and Cory Oberndorfer’s “Pop Sucker” were fun and graphic exhibits for the venues first show. Both shows made colorful references to childhood, DECOY through images of hip-hop cultured children from DC's northwest quadrant, and Oberndorfer through the nostalgia of our sweet childhoods, shattered over time.  DECOY had a booth setup, selling as cute as hip can be goods such as socks, totes, shirts, bows and bags. Oberndorer, also not wanting you to leave empty handed, offered lollipops. (Learn more about the exhibits on Hierarchy's website by clicking the links below).

DECOY: North West

            

Cory Oberndorfer: Pop Sucker

         

The venue has yet to announce future shows, but promised to make announcements in a  couple weeks. I have an inside scoop and trust me, you're going to want to stay tuned!!

PS. I was excited about the opening but was caught up doing some work projects so headed out fairly late. I sent out a quick tweet of my upcoming adventure and was pleasantly surprised at a quick response from Hierarchy! (Have I mentioned my love of social media yet?)

https://twitter.com/HierarchyDC/status/432366434623451136

DC Neighborhoods

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Washington, D.C. in Pictures

Some reasons I love DC. (All photos are my own).

Passion

My first passion in life, that I can remember, was music. I could be found playing pots and pans as drums and singing at the top of my lungs from a very young age. I carried a cassette tape recorder around and would record myself singing along to my dad's Beatles records. Piano lessons started when I was 4 or 5, viola when I was in 4th grade and in high school I  discovered that I was a singer.

When the time came for college, I knew that music was my path. I would study music and singing and then I would get a job in music, probably singing. See that solid game plan I had in place? I actually ended up dropping out of college and started working in hospitality. Music and singing were quietly filed away in a subconscious "hobbies folder".

Today, I do not in fact have a "job in music". I do still sing- karaoke mostly but also at home among binders of sheet music downloaded from the internet, on my parents piano, the same one I played when I was 5. I've been privileged to sing at some of my best friends' weddings and to hum lullabies to my newborn nephews. I realize in these moments that when I filed my music away into that "hobbies folder", other passions were also filed away. I took things that I felt true passion for- helping others (I was a missionary in Honduras), being part of a well-rounded community and bringing people together (I was always the kid running between her music friends, church friends, school friends and lifelong friends and inviting each to be a part of the other)- and subconsciously told myself that these things are "hobbies", not life pursuits or the way to make a career. My life's path wasn't going to be one of passion but a life of hard work, that I was good at, though may not ever love.

As some point in the last couple years, I recognized that being good at something that I wasn't passionate about just wasn't going to cut it. Happiness meant more to me. Doing something meaningful was important to me.

Now, I didn't make this decision in one overwhelming emotional moment of self-discovery (how awesome and less time consuming would that have been?!). I did however, put a plan in place to get myself moving in a different direction and to find those passions that I had pushed to the back of my mind's filing cabinet. I went back to school to finish my degree, choosing to study something business oriented in order to create a more well-rounded resume and background and to give me a springboard for future endeavors. While in school, I took the opportunity to work at a non-profit, which reignited the fire I had for working with people who are making life better for others. I developed a strong passion for my local community, for networking with local businesses and for bringing people together from different walks of life, simply to share a drink & a laugh together.

I am lucky to be able to pursue my passions via various career endeavors (which I fondly call "hustles") and I now recognize that the passions of my childhood are my calling in life.

What Will Inspire You Today?

As a person who has spent her life in & out and around & about all different types of creative experiences and ventures, I'm always interested in what inspires people. This goes much further than just artists, designers and musicians and spans to politicians (though I didn't care as much about this until moving to DC!), humanitarians, and people in all different walks of life.

What drives you? What are you passionate about? What, ultimately, makes you the best version of yourself? How do you do it everyday?

Life becomes distracting, redirecting the energy we wish we were spending on our passions to activities that we prioritize to simply live life (i.e.: pay rent & stay healthy). For those moments, I suggest you find a very simple and quick way to inspire yourself and keep your head in the inspiration game!

Here are a few things that I do to keep an inspired mind and heart:

• Inspirational words : I have several books lying around my house in key places that I can pick up, open to a random page and read something that inspires me. (The books pictured above are a few of those... see below for info!)
• Pictures & Ideas : Pinterest is used by a lot of people for various reasons. My wedding planner colleagues and I use it to create storyboards for our couples, my mom uses it to find ideas on how to help her occupational therapy clients, one friend used it to find ideas on remodeling his house and another friend uses it to fulfill a constant need for new shoes. It's a great resource for those of us who are more visual, that can lead us to answers and ideas.
• Local community : Surrounding myself with people who are living an inspired, creative life always pushes me to think about my next creative adventure. Finding those people in your own community, especially in DC, is absolutely wonderful! I often will go to one of the many local markets in DC (ex: DC MEET Market, Eastern Market, FRESHFarm Markets). I also try to keep up-to-date on local shows (Have you ever been to a free show at the Kennedy Center's Millenium Stage? Did you know that Shakespeare Theatre offers $18 tickets to the under 35 crowd? Not to mention the huge array of music venues available ranging from the iconic 9:30 Club, The Fillmore & the Birchmere, to the IOTA Club & Black Cat and newer venues such as U Street Music Hall & Gypsy Sally's and TreeHouse Lounge). I also just go for a walk! DC's monuments and memorials never cease to fill me with a sense of awe or you can just pop in to any museum you want, whether you have five minutes or five hours!

What will inspire you today? Share your comments & favorite ways you stay inspired below!

xo, Sarah

Books pictured above are:

1. "Feeling good: 100 ways to feel better every day", picked up at an old military conference from Military OneSource
2. "Theories of Everything" by Brian Andreas, one of my favorite writers and artists. Find more on his website: StoryPeople.com
3. "happy: secrets of happiness from the cultures of the world"  from Lonely Planet 
4. "Inspiration" by Leonard Roy Frank, given to me as a gift years and years ago