From July 2 to September 9, three local artists will be exhibiting their work in the New Deal Cafe. Nora Simon’s work will be in the back room, Zsudayka Nzinga’s work will be in the front room, and Susan DePlatchett’s work will be in the display case. A public reception for these exhibits will be held on Sunday, August 11, 7-9pm.

Invincible Summer

Screen prints by Nora Simon

“In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.”
— Albert Camus

My images are celebratory of summer, and of its freedom and spirit of adventure. They
are also nostalgic. From childhood through art school, I always planned elaborate
summer vacations for myself, even though I knew I’d never have time to do everything
on my list. Although the days seemed endless, the three months flew by much too fast.
Now that I am older, I have found that the spirit of summer stays with me all year long.
These images were printed using the photo emulsion method of screen-printing. This past
winter I taught myself how to screen print in my studio using very basic equipment that I
constructed myself. After researching screen-printing, and making friends with other
screen-printers and sharing ideas, I figured out the least expensive method of printing.
One of the reason I love screen-printing is because of this “whatever works, works”
experimental quality. Another reason I love screen-printing is because of the ink’s
saturated and vivid colors. The brightness of these colors evokes the spirit of summer.

Paintings

by Zsudayka Nzinga

Zsudayka Nzinga (Day Acoli) is an art activist from Denver, CO. She has been promoting self love and entrepreneurship via the arts for over a decade, creating arts programs, teaching and lecturing, running a gallery and boutique and creating arts festivals. She recently relocated to Washington, DC to further her career. Her work is largely based on the feminine. She does surreal work, abstract portraiture and expressionist oil paintings. Her work can be seen at Flava of Wazobia (next to the Howard Theater), busboys and Poets (14th and V) as well as she has a mural featuring all female images and her poetry on Georgia Avenue (between Euclid and Fairmount).

Altered Cigar Boxes

by Susan DePlatchett

“In her heart she knew she was an artist.” This quote (source unknown) describes Susan DePlatchett. Throughout her life, she has always been intrigued by style, design, color, and art forms of many kinds. From music, to cooking, to home design, she brings the eye of an artist to all aspects of her life. Always dabbling in one form of art or another, Susan’s newest interests are in papercrafting, multi-media work, and altered art. Her altered cigar boxes along with a few other pieces of her creative work will be on display.

When not creating in her “studio under the stairs,” this Greenbelt resident can be found working at the University of Maryland College of Education.