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December 2, 2010 | Issue 46
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Chic Dambach as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Cover story in the Nov/Dec 1968 issue of Porvenir. Photo by Galiota, Colombia, South America.
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Exhaust The Limits
The world is a better place because of Chic Dambach. If you’ve never heard of him, you’re about to. He was instrumental in stopping the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea and the second Congolese Civil War. That is to say, he personally reasoned with the prime ministers involved and helped to save thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of lives. Not too shabby.
If these were the only two things this man ever did he would have already accomplished more than most of us but wait, there’s more. As well as formerly serving as the President of the National Peace Corps Association and currently serving as the CEO for The Alliance For Peacebuilding he has list of credentials that would take the better part of this issue to list so you’re just going to have to trust me when I say that his experience is impressive. To be honest, I find myself being very thoughtful about what I’m writing here because it’s a privilege to do so.
Chic recently released his memoir, Exhaust the Limits: The Life and Times of a Global Peacebuilder. The book is an inspiration in that it frames the enormity of the world’s problems around the story of a man who set out to change the world and did so. He proves that within each individual lies the ability to enact great change in the world.
During the 1960s after Chic Dambach witnessed the horrific torture of black teammates at Oklahoma State University, he became a student activist and went on to join the Peace Corps, become an Olympic Games Official, visit 55 countries, help put an end to the most deadly war since WWII, and become one of the premier leaders in the peacebuilding world. This is his story. It’s a story about dedication to peace in the face of personal tragedy, the murder of his best friend and many struggles.
The Big Picture
Believe it or not, there’s an inherent danger when using dynamite to catch fish. Delicate ecosystems are destroyed and fisherman lose appendages. Well, that’s just what was happening in a remote fishing village in Colombia in 1968. The local fisherman were stealing explosives from a construction site to increase their catch. That is until a young Chic Dambach rode into town on a glistening silver stallion with the sun beaming from behind him. That’s when he approached the villagers and said, “My friends, there is another way and I am here to show you, for I am Chic… Chic Dambach.” (Okay I made up the silver stallion part and I’m not entirely sure what he said when he got there, but that’s how I imagine it.)
This isn’t the best time for our server to go down, people. This is What Weekly.
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Exhaust The Limits
Chic with Barry Goldwater and David Block at OSU in 1966
In the sixties, Chic went to OSU on a football scholarship. It was during this time that he saw the terrible racism and abuse enacted on black athletes by the coaches. The experience helped to push him into the social justice and activist arena.
“…the experience had a powerful impact on my sensitivity to racial issues and it helped shape my social and political values. It was my new awakening to the challenges others faced and to the social and political struggles ahead.” – Chic Dambach from Exhaust the Limits.
Story by Justin Allen and Brooke Hall.
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www.allianceforpeacebuilding.org
The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP) is a coalition of diverse organizations and professionals working together to build sustainable peace and security worldwide.
Help build peace.
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Washington Canoe Club’s K-4 Team on the Potomac River in early 1980s.
As well as being a football player, master debater and student activist in college, and a Peace Corps Volunteer for two years, Chic was a champion kayak racer during the 1980’s.
“As a part-time athlete, I was in the Washington Canoe Club, but not part of the inner club of serious competitors. The others were much younger, and they had few distractions. To compete on their level, I had to focus as they did. I could not be both the leader of a national association and a serious kayak racer at the same time. I had to choose. Perhaps foolishly, I went with the water, the team, rigorous training, racing, and the remote possibility of becoming an Olympian myself.” –Exhaust the Limits
It was around this time Chic found something more significant than any medal. “During the Olympic Festival in Syracuse, Joanne Janus, one of my Washington Canoe Club teammates, whispered to me, ‘Someone in yellow likes you”….I noticed a particularly attractive blonde woman whom I had not met, and hoped she was the one—and she was. I introduced myself to Kay Edwards and found excuses to hang out with or near her for the rest of the week…We started a long distance romance that led to marriage and two fabulous children.” –Exhaust the Limits
Story by Justin Allen and Brooke Hall.
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Photo by Chic Dambach. Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992.
Being a man of many talents, Chic found himself in the position of Olympic Games Official for the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics. This photo was taken by Chic during the lighting ceremony in 1992.
Photo by Chic Dambach, story by Justin Allen and Brooke Hall.
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Exchanging gifts with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia in 1999.
“When war border war broke out between Ethiopia and Eritrea I knew who to call. Chic Dambach would know what needed to be done and how to do it. We assembled a small team; worked with the leaders of both countries, and we helped them bring peace to their people.” -The Honorable John Garamendi, Member of Congress United States of America.
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Book cover design by Brooke Hall. Photo by Galiota, Porvenir 1968.
Editor’s Note: For the sake of full disclosure, we’d like to note that Chic Dambach is a client of Brooke Hall Creative. Brooke designed the book cover and website. Brooke Hall is one of the publishers of What Weekly. Neither Brooke Hall Creative or What Weekly are being paid for this article nor are we profiting from the sale of the book. We are proud to be associated with Chic Dambach and feel that his memoir is an inspiration and could be of great benefit to our readers.
For the sake of your own knowledge and inspiration, you should really buy the book.
Book cover design by Brooke Hall, story by Justin Allen and Brooke Hall.
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Since 1995, The Creative Alliance has promoted Baltimore as a dynamic center of art in all genres. With members ranging from artists and educators to neighbors and supports, the Creative Alliance cultivates community through collaboration.
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Experi-Mental Film
Digging around in the archives I found an experimental film I did at UCLA. I was there getting a master’s degree, and wife hunting. Now, I am strictly a story person, and I never really got much out of “experimental films.” There was always a sense of something dull and arty about the term. (Sorry, I can’t do Stan Brakhage.) But to get my master’s degree I had to take classes, including one on experimental films.
In academe, this falls under the category of “Critical Studies.” Critical Studies involves digging really deep into some subject until you find things that are not there. I didn’t get it at first, but after I caught on I really liked Critical Studies. I took three separate Critical Studies classes from a guy named Peter Wollen. Hardcore film geeks know what I’m talking about. Along with dudes like David Bordwell, Peter Wollen has made a career out of digging really deep. His book, Signs and Meaning in the Cinema, is a seminal work dealing with aesthetics, auteur theory, and all that jazz. Wollen pushed the academic area known as “film studies” to a new level with all this structuralism and semiotics drilling down….. keep going.
-david warfield
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David Warfield, Confessions of a Mad Filmmaker
A What Weekly Column
“And so here we have a unique opportunity to track the production of a truly independent film from the moment of conception (the script is not yet completed) to the first public screening, and beyond. ”
Were not talking about EPK filler here, were talking about life, and its bound to get messy.”
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Baltimore Hackathon
Since the proliferation of the personal computer, we’ve seen the emergence of an entirely unique vein of artistry. Like other creative subsets, hacker culture thrives on openness, collaboration and a hands-on work ethic. We ventured to the The First Annual Baltimore Hackathon to document the event and possibly learn a thing or two. What we found out was that, though hacker culture seems to be isolated in small pockets of the community, the truth is their influence pervades throughout society. Many of us are undertaking similar projects and finding the same ideas independently. Our conclusion is that hackerdom, born in basements, garages and college campuses, has grown into tech incubators, hack spaces and powerful multinational corporations like Google and Facebook.
To say that this is where the world is going wouldn’t be entirely correct. The truth is that this event represents where the world already is. The fact that it took this long to have this event only speaks to the notion that the movement is growing faster than anyone planned for.
Photo by Brooke Hall, story by Justin Allen.
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The Baltimore Hackathon was a friendly competition with cash and prizes of $2300. To my understanding, the rules were pretty loose and the awards were given for the best software and hardware prototypes and for audience favorite. Here’s the list of winners.
Though the team who created the Lite Beer: Automated Beverage Lifter didn’t win any Hackathon awards, we at What Weekly would like to present them with this week’s prestigious and highly coveted, “Though Your Device Wasn’t Terribly Original It Was Functional and Your Presentation Was Delightfully Politically Incorrect, Plus For Us Non-Quadriplegics, We’ve All Been At That Low Point In The Evening When We Needed An Automatic Beverage Lifter Because Our Hand-Eye Coordination Was Not At Its Sharpest So Thank You For This Useful Device That Encourages Excessive Drinking When One Should Clearly Go To Bed” award. We can’t wait to see you follow it up with an automated bong toke machine.
Watch the video.
Photo by Brooke Hall, story by Justin Allen.
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Books, Live Music, Art Gallery and more!
Same block as Windup Space, across from Joe Squared. Plenty of room inside for your bike; FREE street parking for your car (well plug your meter before 6, after that its free anyway) come on over…
30 West North Ave.
Baltimore, MD, 21201
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The Beehive in the Canton Emerging Technology Center opened its doors for 72 hours while teams worked and collaborated to put together their projects. People drove in from others states, some solo hoping to find a team, to participate in the event. In the end, each team had a set amount of time to present their projects to a panel of judges and the crowd that filled the lobby.
Photo by Brooke Hall, story by Justin Allen.
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Mike Brenner along with John Dyer used the Tropo api to create Call-The-Door, a system that enables the user to open secure doors remotely by calling a number and entering a code.
Photo by Brooke Hall, story by Justin Allen.
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Artist Profile: Michael Owen
You would be hard pressed to spend any amount of time in Baltimore without coming across a striking example of Michael Owen’s art. His images range from the largest mural in the city to pieces that would complement any personal collection. His work could be described as minimalist and often seeks out an intimate connection with its viewer. There’s a subtle, dreamlike deja vu in his paintings that resonates.
Michael’s current undertaking is The Baltimore Love Project, a non-profit whose mission is to paint twenty identical murals, depicting the word “love” spelled out with hands and fingers, throughout Baltimore City.
Photo by Brooke Hall , story by Justin Allen.
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The Baltimore Love Project was envisioned a few years ago when Michael created a design that spells out the word love with hands. Not surprisingly, hands are often portrayed in his work.
The project aims to spread twenty identical murals throughout the city. The idea is to create unifying, positive imagery that’s distributed throughout Baltimore. Currently, nearly half of the murals have either been painted or are underway. The Baltimore Love Project is still in search of available walls on which to the share the love.
Photo by Brooke Hall , story by Justin Allen.
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Owen’s past mural work includes the largest mural in Baltimore which spans a quarter mile on both sides of the bridge on Eastern Avenue that connects Highlandtown to Greektown.
Photo by Brooke Hall , story by Justin Allen.
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Imploding Eye: A Short Film By Matt Muirhead
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Secret Mountains: Rejoice
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Dustin Wong: Indigo and Crystal
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Friday, Dec 3
“Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore!” No. 13 Release Party at Atomic Books 7 pm
Join Atomic Books and Eight-Stone Press in celebrating the publication of “Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore!” No. 13, the latest issue in the award-winning series. Some of the issue’s contributors will be on hand at this free event to share their unique tales of life in Baltimore. For more information, e-mail wpt@eightstonepress.com.
Boite at Minas 8 pm
Boîte is a series of intimate performances coinciding with Hampden’s monthly first Friday celebration. This month it’s the latest edition of Show & Tell with host Lauren Bender. This month’s shower-tellers are Rupert Wondolowski, Katie Brennan, and Crissy Ferrera. The evening culminates in an open mic of sorts, where audience members are welcome to present their own objects or ideas for show & tell. Come sip a glass of wine and be amazed!
A Cabaret of Music & Video with Tippy Canoe, AntonetteG and much much more at 14k Cabaret 9 pm
A Cabaret of Music and Video Music by Tippy Canoe, AntonetteG, Silence Kid and The Oops New video work by Kristen Anchor and the premiere of Dance Tranny Dance.
For more details, directions and events click here.
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Saturday, Dec 4
Under One Roof: Art Opening at the G-Spot 6 pm
Under One Roof is a collaborative show between Jeremy Crawford and Jim Lucio, who for six years, shared an East Village apartment which also served as a painting studio for Crawford and a graphic design studio for Lucio. In 2002, their NYC-based home studio moved to Baltimore, where they continue to produce their individual works under the same roof.
The G-Spot show, Under One Roof marks the first time the two artists have shown their work together publicly.
A Flamboyance of Flamingos at Fraziers 7 pm
Featured poetry and music Benefit for Health Care for the Homeless. A Flamboyance of Flamingos will feature Baltimore poets who have written pieces centered on the Hampden flamingo icon, and will feature music by Midway Fair, the Baltimore String Felons, and Vib. A Flamingo-Calling contest will bring out the best ornithological vocalization talent the city has to offer. Featured readers include over a dozen poets from around the Baltimore area, with backgrounds in writing, editing, music, art, multimedia, videography, event organizing, playwriting, blogging, theater, and more.
DOPE BODY & ORPHAN LP release party! + special guest DOUBLE DAGGER at Golden West 10 pm
Baltimore’s favorite thrash-surf trio Dope Body are getting really close to a new full length. “Enemy Outta Me” begins with a testament as to why this band is a must, as a guitar is twisted and morphed to produce sounds typically heard in industrial graveyards. It’s a scorching reminder as to how Dope Body is doing something totally new, yet are still paying homage to their predecessors with sounds of endearment.
This is not for the light-hearted, but you probably already figured them out with a name like Dope Body.
For more details, directions and events click here.
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Sunday, Dec 5
GERALD CLEAVER GROUP & GILCHRIST/CLEAVER DUO 7 pm
CREATIVE DIFFERENCES presents
GERALD CLEAVER GROUP Jean Carla Rodea, vocals; Andrew Bishop, reeds; Dave Ballou, trumpet; Michael Formanek, bass; Gerald Cleaver, drums
PLUS
GILCHRIST/CLEAVER DUO Lafayette Gilchrist – piano Gerald Cleaver – drums
The Jennifers, Ft Wilson Riot, Silent Whys, Harwood at The Metro Gallery 8 pm
Live music and stuff, Matt from Harwood is friend of mine, they’re really good. It’s gonna be a good show so if you don’t see me there, tell Matt I said hi.
For more details, directions and events click here.
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Wednesday, Dec 8
Mobtown Modern Presents: Ken Ueno at Windup Space 8 pm
Mobtown Modern tips its birthday hat to composer and dynamic vocalist Ken Ueno with Agitated Histories – Ueno at 40, featuring a retrospective of his works dating back to 1998. Informed by his experience as an electric guitarist and overtone singer, Ueno’s music fuses the culture of Japanese underground electronica with European modernism. His dramatic compositions are based on the juxtaposition of extremes: visceral energy versus contemplative repose, hyperactivity versus stillness.
Peer Pressure Vol 3 at The Get Down 9 pm
PEER PRESSURE is a gay and gay-friendly monthly takeover party happening every 2nd Wednesday at The Get Down in Fells Point. Resident DJs Lemz & Aisle-K will be throwing down a mix of electro-pop, house, bmore club, nuwave, indie rock & whatever!
This month, we are proud to announce that the WORLD PREMIERE of the music video ‘Twilight’ will be happening at Peer Pressure Vol. 3! ‘Twilight’ is the latest single from the Baltimore-based electropop duo LAZERBITCH. Lead singer, Zna.Queene will perform live following the premiere. You can’t miss this!
Resident DJs Aisle-K & Lemz will also be there to keep the party bumping all night!
For more details, directions and events click here.
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Ongoing
Under One Roof at the G-Spot
Under One Roof is a collaborative show between Jeremy Crawford and Jim Lucio, who for six years, shared an East Village apartment which also served as a painting studio for Crawford and a graphic design studio for Lucio. In 2002, their NYC-based home studio moved to Baltimore, where they continue to produce their individual works under the same roof.
The G-Spot show, Under One Roof marks the first time the two artists have shown their work together publicly.
Waltr Carpenter Aghost at Nudashank
A celebration of the life and creative work of Waltr Carpenter (1982-2009) including drawing, video, light sculpture, sound, and digital prints.
Eschatology II at Positron Gallery
Often in reference to the end of the world, the Oxford English Dictionary defines Eschatology as “concerned with the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell”. In Eschatology II, guest curator Cherí Landry invites you to explore this branch of theology through a selection of works by Emil Alzamora, Sasha Blanton, Jen Blazina, Jordan Eagles, Gwyneth Scally and Carlos Tarrats.
Hope Against Hope At The Pheonix Shot Tower
From the theft of fire [by Prometheus], to contamination through water [Leviticus]; echoing the home of invention and the cornerstone laying by Charles Carroll of Carrollton; a commercial enterprise dissolves the myth of bullets and opens onto hope as poison at the bottom of Pandora’s box.
Scattering the fragments of history to the sound of falling water, this once tallest building in the US becomes a site of modest explorations and play.
Featuring site specific performances, video, drawing, installation, food, and lectures. Ends December 4.
Walter Wick: Games, Gizmos And Toys In The Attic at The Walters Art Museum
The Walters Art Museum will host the playful and interactive world of best-selling author and photographic illustrator Walter Wick in the exhibition Walter Wick: Games, Gizmos and Toys in the Attic on view Sept. 19, 2010–Jan. 2, 2011. Wick is the creator of the Can You See What I See? series and co-creator, with writer Jean Marzollo, of the I Spy books for children. Wick’s books challenge readers to solve visual riddles or puzzles created from the thousands of props he has collected in his renovated firehouse studio. His photographic style, one of precision and detail, will alter the viewer’s sense of visual perception. September 19, 2010 – January 02, 2011
Andy Warhol: The Last Decade at The BMA
Andy Warhol: The Last Decade is the first Museum
exhibition in the country to explore the Pop icon’s late
works. Featuring more than 50 paintings created between
1976 and 1986—the most prolific era in Warhol’s 40-
year career, the exhibition illustrates the artist’s energetic
return to painting (after his foray into filmmaking and
screenprinting) and the physical act of art-making through
hand painting, folding, and staining. Paintings of epic proportions—
stretching up to 35 feet wide—envelop viewers
in dramatic fields of color, painterly gestures, and symbols
of American culture.
What Makes Us Smile? at AVAM
In celebration of its 15th Anniversary, AVAM will mount its most delight-filled exhibition to date, exploring just “What Makes Us Smile?” It will be curated by master humorist and creator of The Simpsons Matt Groening, artist Gary Panter, and AVAM Founder Rebecca Hoffberger. This mega exhibition on the timeless and global phenomena of smiling, laughter and humor will include contributions by dozens of artists, including comedian Michael Baldwin’s spectacular vintage toy assemblages created from toys collected from five decades of his dedicated dumpster diving, and a seven-thousand toothbrush welcome mat that uses bristles and color to invite a “SMILE” from all who enter. The triumvirate of curators will take a look at both historic and modern employ of humor to speak truth to power – think court jester/fool’s ability to say things to the king that no one else could get away with to today’s Tina Fey, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert and their sardonic take on today’s news and leadership.
For more details, directions and events click here.
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What is What Weekly?
What Weekly is a multimedia magazine chronicling the real Baltimore movers and shakers not the corporations, not the politics, What Weekly spotlights the people. Were paying attention to the good things happening in Baltimore and sharing it all with you.
Why online? Disposable print media is wasteful and, with the advent and proliferation of the Internet, it is more difficult to justify. Technology is a gift and a tool use it to evolve and build things together.
If you want to be a part of the movement, you can send us your photos to publish, your events to promote and your ideas to talk about. Forward the email, share a link, start a movement. Your audience is the world, pass it on.
Whats the Goal?
One day soon you will hear a bit of news like this, “Multimedia Magazine Reaches One Million People.” If we dont do it, someone else will. We want to build a large independent distribution channel and well use it to tell the world what youre doing. We want as many people as possible clicking on the links to your websites and ultimately taking an interest in the Baltimore Renaissance and its artists.
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Whats the point?
This is a movement dedicated to uniting the creative community in and around Baltimore City and then sharing it throughout the world for the benefit of Baltimore and its people. The movement has already begun; we just gave it a name.
Using a multimedia platform, we want to put Baltimore on the map so it’s recognized globally for the artistic and intellectual hub that it is. We start by chronicling your amazing work.
We understand that the distribution of ideas is no longer bound by geography. This paradigm shift allows for cultural movements to exist locally and globally simultaneously. We can share everything, we can create anything and we can reach everyone. It’s time to do something with that power.
What Weekly does not exist without you. You are the soul of this movement.
Submit Your Idea.
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Whats the Mission?
1. Document the Baltimore Renaissance
2. Make Baltimore a better place to live and highlight good news
3. Help support Baltimores artists and independent businesses
4. Build a tribe, start a movement
5. Encourage more facetoface interaction within the community
6. Drive awareness of excellent events
7. Put Baltimore on the (global) map
Read more about the mission.
Whats the Good Word?
We believe in spreading the good news, which also means spotlighting organizations that do good things.
Submit Your Good Deeds.
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