This coming Saturday evening, White Centerites will have the opportunity to feast their eyes on a stunning collection of photographs at Dubsea Coffee, where photographer Anne Jennings will host the opening reception for “A to Zambia,” a sampling of some of the astonishing images she and her husband have captured while living in Zambia with their two children over the past two years.

The Jennings, formerly of West Seattle, headed to Zambia in 2008 to throw their weight behind the “War on Malaria.”  They took along a digital camera gifted by their children’s grandparents, who provided it so as not to miss out on the special moments in their grandchildren’s lives.  As it turned out, they got more than they expected; the Jennings have produced a wealth of exceptional photographs of the people, wildlife, and countryside of Zambia, documenting everything from giraffe knees to coffee plantations to portraits of their new neighbors and friends.  The family keeps an absorbing blog of their adventures and selected photographs; check it out if you’d like a preview of the art you can see at Dubsea.

Artist Anne Jennings will be on hand at Dubsea this Saturday evening to answer questions about her photographs and her family’s work and adventures in Africa.  Come out for a cup of good coffee and some wonderful art.

WHAT: Artist reception with Anne Jennings at Dubsea Coffee.

WHEN: Saturday, July 17, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

WHERE: Dubsea Coffee, 9910 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: Visit the artist’s blog or the Dubsea blog for additional info.

Despite its ironic name, White Center is a colorful, diverse place that lends itself well to Photography.

We here at The White Center Blog love both the Dub-C and Photography, hence today’s Photo Friday submission by Nicole Painter, who describes herself as:

I am a 26 year old college student and aspiring/amateur artist. I grew up in a middle class home in California with my single mother, the accountant.

Four years ago my mother bought a house in White Center as a means to get an “edge on the housing market”. Her thought was that her property value would go up once “white center got cleaner”. Two years ago I moved to White Center to take over my live in my mother’s house while she traveled and lived in Europe.

Admittedly, I was a bit nervous about my surroundings at first. I was the minority, and therefore out of my element and comfort zone. After my time spent here, my ideas about White Center have changed immensely. I see beauty and charm around every corner. White Center is the heart of what Seattle means to me. With it’s colors that run vibrant and culture that reigns. open markets, laundromat time machines, rusted Chevy novas and screams of children playing in the street.

White Center’s charm is sometimes what we choose not to see.

About her Photo Slideshow below, Nicole says:

there’s a beauty in white center, a charm. colors run vibrant and culture reigns. open markets, laundromat time machines, rusted chevy novas and screams of children playing in the street. white center is what sometimes we choose not to see:

Click to View Nicole Painter’s Photo Slideshow

See more of Nicole Painter’s Photography here.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Photo Friday is a new feature we're trying out at The White Center Blog. Are you a local Photographer? Have some pics shot in White Center you think we should showcase? Please email us a link and explanation and we'll consider posting yours!]

Our friend Shelli Park of White Center for the Arts tells us that their one-year anniversary is fast approaching, and they’ll be celebrating it at their Third Saturday Art walk on Saturday, Feb. 20th, from 6pm to 9pm in various businesses in White Center.

The photo at left was shot by Brian Barr, whose work will be on display at WCFTA’s new community gallery, DREAM.

Here are the details:

WHAT: WCFTA monthly Art Walk, celebrating their one-year anniversary.

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 20th, from 6pm to 9pm.

WHERE/FEATURING:

• Salvadorean Bakery: Chuck Northcutt – photography on canvas
• Café Rozella: Carole Ellis – photography
• Triangle Tavern: Chase Evans – Spoken Word @ 6:15 DJ sets @ 7:00
• Full Tilt Ice Cream: Julie Luke – Acrylic on Canvas
• Proletariat Pizza: Baso – photography
• Dzul Tattoo: Urban and Tattoo Art
• Dream Community Gallery: Fusion Dance Crew @ 6:30; Brian Barr – Portraits of White Center; Amanda Helmick – Mixed Media; Amanda Pickerel-Winer – paintings
• Big Al Brewing: Raina Anderson – photography
• DubSea Café: Hye Young Kim – dyed yarn and acrylic, Micheal Olson – DJ –reggae/dub plus more!

INFORMATION: More info available at www.whitecenterforthearts.org.

And here’s a letter regarding accomplishments made during WCFTA’s first year:

“Dear Lovers of Art in White Center,

White Center for the Arts (WCFTA) believes that the White Center community’s rich tapestry of culture and local arts should be shared with everyone. Our work to establish a permanent home for the arts in the neighborhood is off to a great start! In the past six months we:

• Established an after-school art program in the local Highline District Middle and High School
• Established the Third Saturday Art Walk, exhibiting more than 25 local artists in 9 months time.
• Are hosting Community Artists Meetings to open the lines of communication
• Established a working relationship with local, county, and state arts organizations and continue to identify and foster new partnerships within the community to create a web of services and support for artists and youth.
• Partnered with the YWCA at Greenbridge to showcase local artists in the lobby on a quarterly basis, and are working with Youth Media Institute and the Highline School District to implement non-violent extracurricular creative youth activities in the schools and in the White Center Downtown Business District.

But we have more work to do, and we are in urgent need of your support so that we can create the anchor of our vision and visiability, DREAM Community Gallery. We are asking for a small donation of $10.00 from 100 people, a $15.00 donation from 55 people, and 10 $100.00 donations. You will be supporting the entire White Center Cultural Community, helping to give visibility to local artists in all media, ages, and neighborhoods. A gift right now will assure that WCFTA can continue on our mission to be a catalyst for the coming together of the arts and cultural community of White Center. The time has come for a permanent home for the arts in White Center. Our current projects are:

• DREAM, a Community Gallery sustained by an in-house Coffee House, providing un-juried exhibition space for local artists and performers, and providing a safe gathering place, and empowering activities, for youth
• Development of our arts education programming
• Collection of oral histories and artifacts for a permanent local history collection
• Facilitating cross medium and cross cultural collaborations, and continuing to bring positive business to White Center through the Art Walk

We appreciate gifts of any amount, and in return WCFTA is working hard to promote art and culture in the daily life of White Center residents. We are to receive a $5,000 grant. We need more to open our Community Gallery by February 20^th, the first anniversary of White Center for the Arts. We have scheduled two dance performances, a musician, and two artists for the evening of February 20^th, and they are counting on your gift to help make this happen. When combined with the work of our dedicated volunteers, established, emerging, and students artists, the community as a whole will benefit from seeing our mission to bring art, and the celebration of culture and heritage to all of White Center and its neighbors, succeed.

To give a tax deductible donation, visit our website: http://www.whitecenterforthearts.org/

Sincerely,
Shelli Park
Chair, White Center for the Arts

P.S. You may be fortunate enough to have an employer that will match your gift. This is a great opportunity to give maximum impact with your gift to White Center for the Arts.

Even if you don’t live in White Center, but know that this is a worthy cause, please donate and know that you are supporting strong work in a beautiful community.”

(Photo by Brian Barr)

We’ve created a Flickr Group for all those creative White Center Photographers out there, or anyone who has interesting pics of the Dub-C.

You can join it by clicking here, then cllcking on “Join” under the “Group Pool” header.

Once you’re a member, you can upload your White Center-related photos to our Group Pool.

We’ll then cull through them, use what we find interesting, and give you full credit as well as a link to whatever you deem we should link to (many like getting linked to their portfolio website).

Let the Dub-C Flickr Photos flow!