EVENTS & ACTIVATIONS
Our creative placemaking projects are a powerful tool for community building. We are committed to using them to create positive and lasting impacts on our cities and neighborhoods
The Parks at Walter Reed
Urban Atlantic
This green gem in the heart of uptown DC is a re-imagined and redeveloped parcel that formerly housed the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. At full build-out, The Parks will include 3.1 million square feet of mixed-use development and will feature adaptive reuse of existing historic buildings, new construction and over 20 acres of open space.
Ideation, production, and execution of all activation events at the 66-acre The Parks at Walter Reed development. The event slate includes a jazz series, farmers market, public art, live music, DJ’s and fitness events. Together with Walnut Street Creative, the team also manages all social media channels, outreach and community engagement.
Jazz at the Parks
Piloted in September 2017 with a 3-hour performance featuring a wandering brass band trio, kids performance a and fabulous full jazz set, the site developer client contracted with Pipkin Creative for a full summer series in 2018. The free outdoor concert series attracted hundreds of neighborhood residents and featured some of the leading jazz musicians in DC.
Shaw Arts Walk
JBG Smith
The first annual Shaw Arts Walk was held in October 2022 and featured the activation of 3 neighborhood nodes within the Shaw and U Street community. The event featured dozens of artists painting live, 3 pop up art galleries, 6 DJ’s, 7 bands, and 15 vendors all with a ¼ mile walk. Local businesses participated with specials and sidewalk presence. Pipkin Creative produced and curated all aspects of the event in partnership with Caandor Labs (website and socials).
Magic Hour
Eaton Hotel
Production and curation of Washington D.C.’s most sophisticated jazz weekly performance, the “Magic Hour." Taking place in the gorgeous and lush rooftop lounge at Eaton DC, this event presents world renowned jazz artists simmering and gliding through free jazz, standards, bebop, hip hop and everything in between.
Adams Morgan PorchFest
Adams Morgan Business Improvement Partnership
Produced the most successful “PorchFest” to date for the Adams Morgan Partnership BID. 55 bands played 20 porches throughout the neighborhood for over 4 hours, attracting thousands of participants. What a day!
Art All Night
Adams Morgan Business Improvement Partnership
Commissioned by North Capitol Main Street and Art All Night to activate five locations within the North Capitol Main Street corridor. The production included 1 large scale mural with artists Juan Pineda and Jeff Huntington, street corner performance from DC hip hop legends Flex Matthews featuring DJ Unown and DJ Ragz, a roving street theater performance with Rorschach Theater, Marc Blackwood jazz trio, visual projection artist Gabe Veras (Shine Creative DC), live street painting with Fame and Rezist, and a main stage musical performance from NAMES band.
Rock the Block
Gym Jonez
Conceptualized and created during DC's COVID-19 pandemic quarantine in 2020, Rock The Block features health activist Gym Jonez on the back of a flatbed with a live DJ bringing high energy, all-abilities fitness workouts directly to the people. The flatbed truck pulls up, and neighbors come out onto their porches and front yards to enjoy a socially distanced and safe workout. 20+ events were produced in every DC Ward with participation from multiple elected officials and hundreds of neighbors. The series culminated in two all day fitness and wellness festivals at AUDI Field in SW DC.
Petworth Jazz Project
Petworth Alliance
Created by Pipkin Creative in 2010, the Petworth Jazz Project is an ongoing music performance that showcases the best in local DC jazz talent in a free community series held the summer months in Petworth, DC. All performances take place outdoors on the lawn of the Petworth Recreation Center at 8th and Taylor Streets NW. The free shows attract hundreds of residents from across DC, Virginia and Maryland to enjoy kids music, community and some of the best jazz musicians in the nation's capital.
Couch Concerts
The Kennedy Center & Eaton Hotel
Pipkin Creative anchor event “The Petworth Jazz Project” partnered with Eaton DC and The Kennedy Center to present two performances set in the currently in-flux “Power Plant” at The Parks DC. This was part of the Kennedy Center “Couch Concert” Virtual Performance series and featured Imani Grace and Luke Stewart (Bass) with Pat Cain (visuals). A beautiful and provocative exploration of genres and themes, the production reflected the tense and tenuous emotions of pandemic life in 2020.
Celebrate Petworth
Petworth Alliance
Pipkin Creative pulled together a group of local residents in DC's Petworth neighborhood to create an annual event called “Celebrate Petworth.” The event champions arts, music, healthy living, great food, active residents and children. The festival celebrates the core components of what makes Petworth a vibrant and wonderful place to live.
Truth Among Liars
Pop-Up Gallery
In the May of 2018, Pipkin Creative transformed an empty storefront in the Petworth neighborhood for two weeks into “Truth Among Liars,” a temporary art house activation at 810 Upshur Street NW. The gallery featured original artworks from a dozen local artists as well as special programming every night. Classic and creative cocktails rounded out the offerings.
Petworth Farmer's Market
Petworth Alliance
Pipkin Creative helped establish the first Farmers' Market in Ward 4 in 2010. Still active each May through November, the market provides fresh local fruit and produce, goods, prepared foods, bread, organic meat, eggs and dairy. The market also supports WIC and matches dollar purchases to increase buying power for vulnerable and needy people.
El Mundo De Los Luchadores
Client
Pipkin Creative produced El Mundo De Los Luchadores, a Mexican wrestling spectacular featuring eight professional Luchadores, live music and authentic Mexican street food vendors. 2,400 guests attended the event two years in a row at the Half Street Fairgrounds outside Nationals Stadium.
New Vintage Jazz and Wine Fest
An all-day celebration of jazz and 20+ wines, the New Vintage Jazz and Wine Fest showcased an all star line up of local and national jazz bands.
"Gifted" Pop-Up Gallery
Client
Four days before Christmas 2017, a pedestrian walkway was transformed in the middle of the night to a gallery featuring works from Jeff Huntington, Juan Pineda, Martin Swift and Mas Paz. The prints were mounted and hung, available for anyone to take for free, but only if they were to be gifted to someone else.