Residency at Arlington Presbyterian Church
It all began the year we moved to the Columbia Pike location. I already knew pastor Ashley Goff and invited her to help us create a land acknowledgement for the space and read it to open the proceedings of our grand opening.
Then, as we met the other staff, volunteers, and board of Arlington Presbyterian Church (APC), we got to know that there were similarities in our missions—about connecting with community. They wanted to come to the Studio for a retreat. Then they came for another.
Then Ashley and I collaborated on the Stumbling Sticker project, another example of our shared values. We were later told about the music group who had a residency at APC and soon they asked us to plan a residency too. They wondered if we could help design and install gallery spaces at their location, curate an exhibit, and do art with their communities.
And so the residency was born! What an incredible opportunity for us to connect with a whole new community on the Pike and bring them PAUSE. And a big thank you to Jon Etherton for keeping at it and making this happen. “We had the idea of making the space pretty since it opened. How it is happening,” he said with a smile at our first Community Art PAUSE. Check out the photos below.
Photo, above: The worship space with APC’s grand piano and furniture and our measurements for gallery planning.
Ashley (right) and Sush put down a Stumbling Sticker on the sidewalk in Arlington from where neighbors were taken.
APC community meet Chinese photographer Tieliu Guo (wearing red) whose work was in the exhibit "Through the Words of Photographers", along with photos by Alex Sakes from Columbia Pike. 2025.
Abby Madden, Minister of Music at APC shares her work at the retreat at the Studio, 2025
Promise of PAUSE Session, April 2024
I PAUSED to make time for art and can prove it!
Land acknowledgement by Ashley Goff for our grand opening
Stories of Music:
A Community Art Exhibit
by Studio PAUSE at
Arlington Presbyterian Church/Gilliam Place
Music influences, inspires, entertains. It connects us to ancient times and far-off lands, invites us to test our abilities, brings tears or joy. In this community art exhibit we invite everyday people, artists, poets, musicians, and fans to join us in telling these stories so we can learn about the experiences of our communities and how music moves us is so many ways.
Image, right: Flier for APC/Gilliam Place community for our first Art PAUSE related to the exhibit.
Our First Community Art PAUSE
Our first Community Art PAUSE was planned for a day when APC members, residents of Gilliam Place, and the participants of Our Stomping Ground could join us. The gallery systems had been installed by this time and we could display some artworks to inspire.
Photo, right, Serhii installed the gally hanging system
Sushmita introduces the exhibit and how they curate a community art exhibit to the APC/Gilliam Place community. Examples of artworks by professional artists members of the Studio PAUSE community hang on the newly installed gallery system.
Sushmita shares about an artwork by Mongolian musician Uyanga who showed her a video of a performance. She wore a tall red hat of Mongolian empresses in the video. Sushmita invited her to add that to her calligraphy and she did.
Artist LouLou Marino does a demo of how she responds to music with her mark-making. She used natural found objects like pebble and twigs with black ink to make her art. Abby played the song "Remember Me" from the movie Coco, which was the inspiration for the artwork made by Sarah Manrique, which was on display.
LouLou's mark making (with ink in the cup)
A young artist is inspired by LouLou's style
Some came prepared with an idea...
Others were spontaneous. We had a station for people to work with black and colored inks.
We had a station for markers and color pencils
And we had a station for collage.
Later, the group from Our Stomping Ground, who attend music class with Abby, joined us and got to make visual art.
Lucas shared his favorite—the Wiggles theme song! The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1991.
Steve, a photographer, explored mixed media
We start with hesitation but when we allow ourselves time to play with art materials, we can be surprised!
Join Us at these events!
Sunday, June 14
Join us for the opening of our exhibit “Stories of Music”: A Community Art Exhibit by Studio PAUSE at Arlington Presbyterian Church/Gilliam Place. Starting at 6 pm, you will get an opportunity to respond to it and/or add your own artwork to it at our second Community Art PAUSE.
From 7 pm, enjoy Project Locrea’s album, Humans Beyond Borders, release party.
Time: 6 pm onwards
Location: Arlington Presbyterian Church, 918 S. Lincoln St, Suite 1, Arlington 22204.
Saturday, July 25
Join us for our signature event Community PAUSE: Stories of Music where you see the complete exhibit, hear the stories and music from participants, and respond in your own way. This is how we invite the community to Pause, and make time for creativity and community! Light refreshments will be served.
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm
Location: Arlington Presbyterian Church, 918 S. Lincoln St, Suite 1, Arlington 22204.
Intentional Structure
Intentional Structure
Collaborative Energy
Collaborative Energy
Expert Facilitation
Expert Facilitation
