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Robert Devaney • April 9, 2015

The Jackson Art Center at 3050 R St. NW has successfully negotiated with the District government an extension of its lease until 2018 of a 1890 building, which closed as a D.C. public school in 1970. The artist collective began renting the building during the 1980s and now pays a monthly rent of $12,850, according to D.C. General Services Department. The current lease was set to expire in June of next year. The artists would like to get a longer lease with the city for the property, which recently had new windows installed. The space allows for 45 artist studios.

Caitlin Franz • March 31, 2015

A Latino man was attacked and robbed near 34th Street and Volta Place around 8 p.m., Sunday, March 22, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

The alleged suspects punched the victim, leaving a gash on the left side of the victim’s face. Additionally, his DSW Shoe store and T.J. Maxx shopping bags containing clothing and shoes were stolen. However, the bags were recovered near the scene of the incident.

The suspects are three black males, ranging in age from 20 to 25 years old, police said. The men were wearing dark clothing and seen fleeing southbound on 34th Street.

The age and name of the robbery victim have not been released.

This incident is similar to a robbery that occurred March 15, during which three men punched a victim and stole his iPhone and wallet near 42nd Street NW.

Residents of the neighborhood around Volta Park are requesting increased police presence and use of security cameras.

Gary Tischler • March 30, 2015

There’s an old saying that goes something like “by his deeds shall you know him” with regard to summing up a person’s life.

A. James Clark, the chairman and founder of Clark Enterprises, which became Clark Construction, died last week. For him, it was more like we knew him by his cityscape.

Clark, who died at 87, was probably the key player and builder in Washington’s construction boom, leaving a large finger print and foot print on the region.

There was a time—and to some degree it still exists—that the Clark Construction Group with its familiar logo seemed to have planted its cranes like flags on many of the most significant, life-and-landscape altering in the city and the region. Look around you today and you can say, “there was somebody who changed his surroundings, who made a difference.” The company was involved in hundreds of high-impact construction projects: the Verizon Center (which proved to be the engine for downtown revival), FedEx Field and Nationals Park, Washington Harbour, the new Arena Stage in Southwest (another harbinger of change in Southwest Washington).

Let’s not forget that the company built 28 Metro Stations, and it’s still making waves in the region with the Silver Line extension, as well as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History.

Clark wasn’t exactly a recluse, but he shied away from publicity and from being a visible public figure, preferring to try to snare major construction projects for his company out of the public eye.

When all is said and done, Clark was a builder who became a billionaire and who believed in giving back, making significant philanthropic contributions to Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, George Washington University, and the Samaritan Inns. Bearing his name is the University of Maryland School of Engineering, and the James Clark Engineering Scholars Program at George Washington University.

The company, according to the Washington Business Journal, contributed $16 million to charity groups in 2013 alone.

The Clark Construction Group came out of the George Hyman Construction Company where Clark was hired in 1950. He became general manager in the 1960s and bought the company in 1969.

Washington National Cathedral, which Clark did not build, will host a memorial service for Clark April 8, at 10 a.m.. The service will be open to the public.

Sallie Lewis • March 26, 2015

Each spring, the National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the Japanese gift to the United States of more than 3,000 cherry trees. People from around the world come to Washington to see the unforgettable blooms. Interestingly, visitors leave with not only a memory of these flowering trees, but also with a budding appreciation for Japanese culture.

Paul MacLardy is the owner of Arise Bazaar in Clinton, Maryland, one of the largest Japanese textile emporiums in the nation. Arise also has a large selection of Japanese ceramics and antiques, but MacLardy’s textiles are what set him apart. With upwards of 8,000 pieces – traditional Japanese kimonos, fireman’s coats, obis, workers jackets and Happi coats – he is a leading collector of Japanese textiles.

On Saturday, April 11, he will be displaying a portion of his collection at Sakura Matsuri.

Sakura Matsuri (which means Cherry Blossom Festival) is Washington’s annual Japanese street festival, the largest one-day celebration of Japanese culture in the U.S. Vendors and performers from all over the world fill nearly a mile of downtown D.C., sharing their love for Japanese custom and history.

Arise Bazaar will have a large, three-booth set-up with about 800 kimonos and textiles, along with Japanese ceramics, furniture and small gifts – all of which are for sale. There will also be three people present to do tying demonstrations and help attendees dress in a traditional kimono ensemble. The team takes pride in educating people about the many variations and details that go into these dressing ceremonies. With the large range of kimonos available, MacLardy has something for everyone, and his price points are accessible as well. Most kimonos cost between $40 and $100, but he also has a number of vintage kimonos, some of which are 19th-century collector’s pieces that can cost up to $5,000.

For MacLardy, the buying and selling of Japanese textiles is a passion that goes beyond business; it’s a mission to preserve a legacy.

In 2001, MacLardy published his book, “Kimono: Vanishing Tradition.” In it, he acknowledges that the art of making kimonos by hand has been slowly disappearing. The master kimono makers were reaching the end of their lives without passing on their skills. Young people who might take up the craft were uninterested. Furthermore, over the 20 years that MacLardy had been visiting Japan, he noticed that people weren’t wearing kimonos nearly as often.

“Ironically, since we’ve written that book, that’s all changed,” he said. “When we started the company, people weren’t wearing kimono traditionally. Most people were buying long kimono or fabric to hang on a wall. Now, more and more people are buying kimonos to wear.” His forthcoming, second book, “Kimono: Symbols and Motifs,” will highlight this change in attitude.

The older generations have long understood the sophistication of Japanese textiles, but they are increasingly fascinating to younger people. MacLardy travels across the nation attending Japanese festivals and anime conventions, where he’s found a resurgence of interest in traditional Japanese textiles among young people. He’s also found that they are being reinvented in a modern way through experimental, untraditional styling. The kimono’s influence was evident in the 2015 fashion shows by designers such as Tracy Reese, Thakoon, Duro Olowu and Tibi, suggesting a heightened worldwide appreciation for these age-old garments.

For Paul and his team at Arise Bazaar, preserving the ceremonial dress of Japan is more important than ever in a changing 21st-century landscape. Stop by the Arise Bazaar booths at Sakura Matsuri on April 11 to take home a symbol of Japanese culture. The event, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. will close the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Arise Bazaar is open Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment — 7169 Old Alexandria Ferry Road., Clinton, Md. — 301-806-0337.

Gary Tischler •

Outside, it looked as if the long, baleful tide of winter storms and stress seemed to have abated. If spring had not entirely sprung, the temperatures and the air, if not the pot holes, were entirely welcome.

It seemed that the presence of Martin Wollesen, the executive director of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland as the speaker of the Georgetown Media Group’s monthly Cultural Leadership Breakfast at the George Town Club, fit the new spirit of spring-like optimism and energy on March 12.

Wollesen, who came to Maryland in 2013 to head the Clarice after a provocative and exhilarating stint as the artistic director for ArtPower! at the University of California, San Diego, in attitude, spirit and energy, presented as nothing less than a cultural and performing arts pied piper, charging ahead into a changed arts ecology, dropping ideas like from flowers from a bouquet, some of which could also pass for bombshells.

The Clarice on the University of Maryland’s main campus in College Park, a place usually known for its embrace of its Terrapin football and basketball program especially with the approach of March Madness, is something of a hidden treasure for Washington arts enthusiasts, who tend not to venture too far afield from a city, rich with an abundance of big, medium-sized and small performance arts offerings.

Yet, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center should not be ignored, and neither should Wollesen, a nervy, intriguing spokesman not only for the Clarice, but for the arts in general. This is a man who’s lived a life rooted in diversity—born in Northern California, raised in Singapore and the Philippines, often in his youth running to the sounds of crisis in lands far away from our comfort zone. He lived in the Philippines when it was ruled by President Ferdinand Marcos, he lived on a kibbutz near trouble zone borders. “I wanted to go where bombings were happening,” he admitted. “But at the kibbutz, all I did was to end up painting toys for children. When you’re young, you think you’re invincible,” he told us.

That range of experience may account for his willingness to listen to, be more than tolerant of, and try out new ideas about the performance arts, how they’re presented, their audience and artists. “We’re living in a rapidly changing society, and the arts I think will have to change, too,” he said. “You can see it happening. There’s a whole new audience out there, and a whole new world of technology. We need to draw these tech-savvy audiences to us, and we need to come to them, too.”

Wollesen is all about collaboration, about recognizing the new arts environment and the likely audiences. He appeared to be delighted in the examples he unloaded from his diverse bouquet of ideas. “In San Diego, we had this young, very talented and well known string quartet, and there were a lot of students in the audience and they loved it and so after every movement they jumped up and applauded, which, in the world of classical music is a no-no, it just isn’t done. So some regular patrons were very upset, and suggested I tell people not to applaud. But I also talked to the artists, and they said, no, we loved what they did.”

Stressing that new audiences are linked to technology and that presenters should embrace the technology and understand it, Wollesen said, “When you see people texting or tweating, I know a lot of people find that annoying. But it’s part of the way today’s audiences receive performance art. I saw a program, a classical music program, where a young woman had her pad open throughout—she looked things up, the composer, the performers, the piece, and then she texted her friends about the performance.”

He’s about cooperation or bringing the art to the audiences: “We brought performers to the dorms, or the schools. It’s not every day you have that kind of thing in a dormitory.”

One of the ideas that he offered was the use of Twitter during the course of a performance in which audience response is measured and comments copied and then thrown on a giant screen during intermission.

“We’re used to being at a performance and being quiet,” he said. “The new audiences are not. They want to participate.”

At the Clarice, Wollesen has quite a playground to operate in. It includes the Cafritz Foundation Theatre (a black box space with 86 seats); a dance theatre, with 207 seats; the Dekelboum Concert Hall, with 970 seats and a 126-set choir loft; the Gildenhorn Recital Hall with 297 sets; the Kay Theatre with 626 seats and the Kogod Theatre with 156 seats. The Clarice is also the site of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland, headed by Michael Kaiser, the former president of the Kennedy Center.

Wolleson is an arts enthusiast, a futurist and an arts optimist. “I believe in new spaces and new work,” he said. “I think performance arts centers must connect with the community, to find new artists and bring new arts to the community. [gallery ids="102014,135078,135081,135080" nav="thumbs"]

Linnea Kristiansson •

After several hours of deliberations in the murder trial of a graduate student charged with stabbing his friend to death, the jury reached a verdict late Monday afternoon. Rahul Gupta was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Mark Waugh amid a love triangle that involved Gupta’s girlfriend.

Montgomery County Police were called to Gupta’s apartment in Silver Spring around 3:25 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13 for a report of ”unknown trouble.” Officers found Gupta ”covered in blood” and an ”unresponsive Waugh” with a number of stab and ”defensive-type” injuries. Gupta said he had walked in on his girlfriend cheating on him, according to the arrest report.

Gupta’s girlfriend Taylor Gould told police that she couldn’t remember anything after drinking shots of liquor at the apartment but was woken up by Gupta’s orders to call 911. The girlfriend has not been charged in the crime.

Gupta and Waugh became friends whilst attending Langley High School in McLean, Va. Waugh, 23, was a first-year law student at Georgetown University at the time of the incident. Gupta, on the other hand, was enrolled in a master’s biomedical engineering program at George Washington University.

Closing arguments in the two-week trial concluded Friday. Prosecutors assert that Gould had nothing to do with the killing of Mark Waugh.

Gould testified that she had no reason to hurt anyone but said she has no memory of what happened. Gupta began testifying on Thursday and was insistent he didn’t kill Waugh. However, he noted that he had limited memory of the incident because he tripped and hit his head during the attack.

He also said it was soon clear Waugh’s injuries were crucial and Gupta gave him chest compressions and yelled at Gould to call the police, Gupta testified. Under cross-examination from prosecutor Patrick Mays, though, Gupta offered no details about how Gould could have stabbed and slashed Waugh so many times.

The prosecutor pressed Gupta on why — after the police officers arrived — he would confess to a murder he didn’t commit. “In a sense, it was almost instinctual,” Gupta said emphasizing his desire to shield Gould.

Linnea Kristiansson •

This spring, the D.C. Department of Transportation will start testing methods of persuading delivery companies and businesses to hook up between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. for deliveries, The Washington Post reports. The circling delivery trucks, blamed for clogging Washington streets by double-parking, will be encouraged to make deliveries overnight, when the roads are relatively clear.

The program will provide financial incentives to businesses who adopt the practice, and then presumably use extra cash to pay higher wages to workers receiving shipments overnight or to upgrade off-street loading docks to allow unmanned deliveries.

The test program will start in Georgetown, downtown, Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill, NoMa and the business district known as the Golden Triangle. Laura Richards, a transportation planner for the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) told the Washington Business Journal that more overnight deliveries will reduce traffic congestion, improve the flow of freight into and out of the city, and reduce truck emissions.

“People can look forward to fewer trucks on the road during peak hours,” Richards said. The biggest challenge will be to convince businesses to try something new, she continues.

DDOT estimates the annual cost of truck-related traffic congestion at $650 million with projections to get even worse. Between 2011 and 2040, truck volumes in the city are expected to grow by 70 percent for inbound traffic and an astounding 137 percent for outbound traffic.

Overnight deliveries would make businesses’ shipments more reliable and could allow some to reduce the inventory they keep on hand to cover for late or missed deliveries. The 3,5 year long program will be funded through a $150,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration and a $150,000 grant from DDOT, Richards said.

A similar project started in 2010 in New York City led to a successful off-hours delivery program. The test project is the District’s latest attempt to reduce traffic congestion from delivery trucks.

Caitlin Franz •

The local parents accused of leaving their two young children in a car while they attended a wine tasting on a January night have accepted a plea deal. Christophe Lucas, 41, and Jennie Chang, 45, pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree cruelty to children in D.C. Superior Court on March 19. The couple admitted to leaving their children, who are both under the age of three, in the car while they attended a wine tasting at the Ris restaurant in January. Temperatures hovered in the low 30s that night. Prosecutors said the children were wearing coats but not hats or gloves. One child was also not wearing socks or shoes.

The plea deal allows for the charges to be dismissed in nine months if the couple maintains good behavior and attends a parenting class. Lucas and Chang have already completed the court-mandated parenting course.

The children, who were in the custody of Child Protective Services following the incident, have been released back into the custody of the parents.

Lucas and Chang were originally charged with two counts each of second-degree cruelty to children. These charges could have put the parents in jail for up to six months.

The couple did not make a statement in court. Their lawyer Danny Onorato did release a statement to WTOP. It is included in full below.

“Jennie Chang and Christophe Lucas are caring, dedicated parents who had an unfortunate lapse of judgment a month ago. Ms. Chang and Mr. Lucas were monitoring and watching their children from about 50 feet away, and the parents are adamant that the children were not in any danger. They realize that their actions were wrong and they are eager to place this matter behind them. They’re pleased that the matter is now resolved and they can focus on raising their children. As you know, this case will be dismissed in December.”

Robert Devaney •

The Georgetown Business Association met up March 18 at the newly arrived Orange Anchor restaurant at Washington Harbour on the Georgetown waterfront.

GBA President Charles Camp welcomed members and guests to the seafood eatery – which was opened by Reese Gardner – founder of Wooden Nickel Bar Company (Copperwood Tavern, Irish Whiskey Public House and Second State) and caters to landlubbers and boaters alike.

The purpose of the GBA, Camp stressed, is to promote and help Georgetown businesses succeed. The group heard a quick presentation of a local mobile app, Spotluck, headed by Cherian Thomas and Brad Sayler. The app will soon launch its Georgetown hub to help the community discover — and decide — where to eat locally. Also, GBA members now can join the City Tavern Club at a discount.