Montgomery Community Media

Alexandra Arata emigrated from Argentina to The United States fleeing violence and looking for better opportunities for her three children and her family. Today, she is a renowned Montgomery County artist who proudly hangs one of her works on one of the walls of The White House.

As Brood X cicadas die, one artist in North Bethesda is transforming their corpses and shells into pieces of jewelry. Dennis Ray, owner of Nature’s Creations which operates in North Bethesda, has been making and selling botanical jewelry and natural art for more than 40 years. He discovered his craft at the recently demolished Woodward High School in the late 70s, through an art project he had in a chemistry class. Since then, Ray […]

Jonathan Jaeger began painting full time five years ago after a career as a social worker. One day he realized he wanted more and needed to pursue his passion for painting. He describes his painting style as outside the norm. Jaeger grew up in a diverse adoptive family and he sees this influence in his […]

Doudgy “Dew” Charmant began creating art at the age of four with guidance from his uncle. He is a visual artist who tells stories with acrylic and oil paints. Love, joy, sadness and revenge are some of the themes depicted in his paintings that provide a commentary on life. Charmant is profiled as part of MyMCM’s […]

Paula Cleggett got the bug for art when she was a child growing up in Chicago but wasn’t able to work on it full time until she retired right here in Montgomery County. Her career in communications, as a storyteller, is evident in her paintings. Reporter Diane Roberts shares what inspires Cleggett’s work. You can […]

Preston Sampson is committed to shining a light on gun violence against black men in America and uses bullet casings in his art to tell that distressing story. He also works in an unusual medium called encaustic painting. Sampson explained what that is to Diane Roberts at his Montgomery County art studio. Learn more about Preston, […]

As a diplomat, Cynthia Farrell Johnson traveled all over the world, picking up inspiration for her art along the way. Reporter Diane Roberts heard the stories firsthand from Johnson in the latest installment of Black Artists in Montgomery County. Only on MyMCM. Short Take: Cynthia Farrell Johnson, Black Artist in Montgomery County In this MyMCM […]

Levi Robinson is an artist whose work speaks to voting rights, the Black Lives Matter movement and so much more. He wants his art to have purpose and speak to the human condition. Diane Roberts got to see the creative process up close from his studio in Montgomery County. See the entire story only on […]

Jean Jinho Kim is a Korean-American artist, whose exhibition “The Big Leap” is on display until April 19 at the 355 Pod Space in Rockville Town Square. Kim said she was inspired by utilitarian materials like car parts and downspouts after she had a serious car accident and saw perfectly good parts strewn around a […]

An artist whose sculptures are on display at Glenstone Museum in Potomac is featured on Wednesday’s Google Doodle. Ruth Asawa, a Japanese-American artist and educator, is the first person Google Doodle is celebrating for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. In honor of Asian-American Pacific Islander month in the US, a #GoogleDoodle for Japanese-American artist & educator […]