Clients in the News—March 2015

• In February, President Obama designated Chicago’s Pullman community a new national monument—the culmination of a hard-fought campaign on the part of the National Parks Conservation Association and community partners. Clark Bunting, president and CEO of NPCA, reminds us of the importance of Pullman to American history in NPCA’s blog: “Few sites preserve the history of American industry, labor, and urban planning as well as Pullman. There is no doubt that those who lived and worked at Pullman helped shape our country. We owe it to them to preserve their story.” NPCA will celebrate this designation, as well as numerous other accomplishments, at its 34th annual Salute to the Parks Awards Dinner on March 25 in Washington, DC. For tickets and more information, please visit NPCA’s website.

• Residents of the Washington, DC, metro area look forward to the Kennedy Center’s international arts festival every year, and this year is no exception. IBERIAN SUITE: global arts remix festival, which kicked off on March 3 and runs through March 24, focuses on art by Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking people, including dozens of performances by some of the world’s best contemporary music, dance, and theater artists, many who are making their US or DC debuts. Visual arts are highlighted in exhibitions and installations around the building, and additional events focus on literature, film, cuisine, and more. Tickets and a full schedule of events are available at the Kennedy Center’s website.

• The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) celebrated Women’s History Month March 7-8 with the theme Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives. Come to the Museum’s New York City and Washington, DC, locations for free, unique programs, including a series of short films; a concert by Radmilla Cody, a Grammy-nominated recording artist of traditional Diné songs and music; and the opportunity to watch unique Native women artists demonstrate their intricate weaving and other skills. Go to NMAI’s website for times and locations of events. And while you’re there, get the scoop on NMAI’s popular annual Power of Chocolate Festival, March 28-29. It’s a chance to explore the culture and history of chocolate, and its place in contemporary society . . . and, of course, to sample a bite or two!

• The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) annual Save the Bay Photo Contest, which begins March 9, always generates spectacular photographs of the Bay and its wild inhabitants. Among other prizes, the first-place winner’s photo will be featured in CBF’s 2016 calendar. Visit CBF’s website for entry rules and to see last year’s incredibly beautiful winning entries.

• It might be hard to believe right now, but spring is just around the corner. So it’s a great time to plan a visit to the American Horticultural Society’s Colonial Williamsburg Garden Symposium & Spring Market, April 10-12. This year’s theme is Layers of a Living Landscape. Experts there will explain how planting in layers allows gardeners to take full advantage of their space and include a diversity of plants to beautify the landscape and benefit wildlife. For more information and to register for the Symposium, visit AHS’s website.

• California Common Cause holds its annual Democracy Rocks event in Los Angeles on April 15 — celebrating the “rock stars” of democracy with a reception and awards ceremony at the Skirball Cultural center’s Ruby Gallery. For tickets to this special event, visit Common Cause’s website.