Four art exhibits open concurrently in historic Anacostia on Friday July 30th at 6:30pm, highlighting the multifaceted Anacostia community. Local artists explore and react to the spiritual, social, environmental and historical issues of this neighborhood. The exhibits include a range of voices, from emerging to established artists.

For the fourth year running, artists rooted in Wards 7 and 8 will be featured in Honfleur
Gallery’s juried East of the River exhibition. Eleven artists, including both Anacostia natives and recent newcomers, are included in the exhibition. Upstairs at Honfleur Gallery, Capturing the Spirit, an exhibition of photographs by local talent Bruce McNeil examines the Anacostia River, using the mythic spirit Mami Wata as inspiration.

A collection of student photography on show at ARCH Training Center features ecologically-inspired imagery. TREEts & TREEties: Documenting gifts from nature and examining our agreement with the environment is the final product of a digital photography class sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

At The Gallery at Vivid Solutions, Anacostia: Never Far From Home is a look at the past and present of Anacostia, with the help from local bloggers. This interactive exhibition includes community participation; Visitors are invited to bring their own photographs to hang on the community wall to assist the gallery in telling a visual story of Anacostia.

These exhibits will be on view from July 30th to September 10th 2010, and are free to the public. Be sure to visit the Honfleur website for details: www.honfleurgallery.com