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Brown Club of DC, 4900 Puerto Rico Ave NE, Washington D.C., DC (2026)

03/21/2026

This week for our Local Arts Hero, we are highlighting Life Pieces to Masterpieces, the Washington, DC nonprofit using the transformative power of art to develop character, unlock potential, and empower Black and Brown boys and young men across our nation's capital!

Life Pieces to Masterpieces (LPTM) develops character and leadership, unlocks potential, and prepares Black and Brown boys and young men to transform their lives and communities, with creative expression and "each one teach one" mentoring at the core. The organization takes its very name from its signature artistic method: in small groups, young artists collaborate to decide on a life experience to make the topic of their painting and then make their masterpiece together by painting, cutting, arranging, and sewing pieces of canvas – each collage illustrating a shared story and reflecting the creation of their own destiny.

LPTM offers a robust suite of programming for youth ages 3 to 25. After-school and summer programs provide critical out-of-school time for apprentices to engage in the arts, develop resiliency, and practice key academic components, while “Saturday Academy” offers college and career readiness training and Black male development for high school apprentices preparing for post-secondary success.

To learn more about Life Pieces to Masterpieces, support their work, or explore their art store, visit their website at https://lifepieces.org/!

03/19/2026

This Friday evening, join our partners at The Alumni Society for a special Young Alumni+ happy hour! (March 20 @ 6PM to 10 PM). Young Alums from a wide variety of backgrounds and fields will convene for meaningful conversation and new connections, and BCDC's own Young Alumni co-chairs will be on hand.

Friday's gathering is not merely a simple happy hour! It will feature exhibited artwork from local artist and distinguished alums from partner schools in various fields who may be great mentors or advisors will be on hand. These alums will lead conversation hubs in their fields of expertise.

To learn more and register, head to the link in our bio!

03/18/2026

Our alumni wide book club wraps its final season with BCDC's selection: Lost in the City, a renowned collection of short stories by Pulitzer-winning author Edward P. Jones that accompanies ordinary characters in brief snapshots of their lives in Washington, DC. You can join the conversation either via Zoom from anywhere in Greater Brunonia (April 9 @ 7 PM EDT/4 PM PDT) or with an in-person BCDC salon!

Compared in the New York Times Book Review to Joyce's Dubliners, each story in Lost in the City is standalone work, but a specificity of culture and physical place threads them together. Marked by a lyrical focus on lives of African-American men and women living and working in the shadow of national monuments and poltiics, Jones' literary debut received the Pen/Hemingway Award for Best First Fiction and was a National Book Award Finalist.

To fully replicate the book-club experience, BCDC is hosting an intimate in-person gathering (location TBA in central DC), complete with light bites, beverages, and the opportunity to continue the discussion after our global Zoom program wraps. Whether you plan to join us in person or virtually, make sure to choose the registration option that works best for you.

Attendance at the in-person salon is strictly capped to ensure a quality discussion, so secure your spot today!

https://brownconnectplus.brown.edu/networks/events/167674

03/14/2026

This week for our Local Arts Hero, we are highlighting Creative Grounds DC, the North Capitol Street coffee shop and arts hub that has made itself a gathering place for creativity and community in Washington, DC!

Creative Grounds DC is more than just a coffee shop – it's a vibrant arts space where creativity and community converge, hosting rotating exhibits featuring local and emerging artists alongside events ranging from poetry readings and live music to art workshops and community discussions. At the heart of the space is a deep commitment to uplifting artists of all backgrounds: past exhibitions have ranged from Latin American fine art to youth showcases, to deeply personal solo shows exploring love, grief, and identity. The current exhibition by lens-based artist Ricky Day examines how love shows up in romantic, platonic, and familial relationships, inspired by the writings of black feminist author bell hooks.

Beyond exhibitions, Creative Grounds DC also invites community members to contribute to "Creative Chronicles", a community-written archive of memories, reflections, and creative breakthroughs that have unfolded inside its walls.

To learn more and support their work, stop by at 1822 North Capitol St NW or visit their website at https://www.creativegroundsdc.com/!

03/14/2026

On Monday, young alums and current students spending the semester in DC came together for a special program with powerhouse alumna Angel Brunner '94!

Over pizza and soft drinks, the group discussed Angel's inspiring story of activism for need-blind admissions, adversity, and personal growth while at Brown--and how it launched her toward her career and communal leadership today. Angel now runs a DC-based real estate firm, bringing investment to underserved areas of the city and serves on the Brown Corporation. Afterwards, students and alums continued the conversation and made plans to get together informally again!

Many thanks to the Brown in Washington program's director, Jocelyn Frelier, and our very own Young Alumni Co-Chair, Isabelle Sharon '23.5, for making this wonderful evening happen. There's more in the works to continue building bonds of support and Brunonian camaraderie between alums and students throughout the spring--stay tuned!

03/10/2026

Join BCDC and The Planetary Society for a special evening (March 26 @ 5:30 PM) with NASA veteran and 3x Brown graduate Dr. James Garvin, PhD ’78, ’81 ScM., ’84 PhD, ’04 William Rogers awardee, and P’17!

Dr. Garvin is NASA Goddard’s Chief Scientist and Principal Investigator for the upcoming DAVINCI Mission to Venus. He'll regale us with the tale of Venus through his vantage point as a Brown student and eventually as a NASA researcher, touching on Brown’s rich legacy of space exploration and the state of space-focused research.

Dr. Garvin will be joined in conversation by staff from The Planetary Society, the world’s largest and most influential nonprofit space organization with a mission of supporting and advancing space science and exploration. Our journey through the night sky will unfold at The Planetary Society’s DC office on Capitol Hill, where we'’ll enjoy a rooftop view of the Capitol, along with beverages and light fare in a welcome reception prior to the main program.

All alumni, current students, and non-alumni guests are warmly invited to register. Space is limited, so secure your spot today! https://brownconnectplus.brown.edu/networks/events/166547

03/08/2026

Last call to join fellow young alums and current students from the Brown in Washington program for pizza and conversation with Angel Brunner ‘94, as she tells her story of activism, adversity, and personal growth while at Brown! (This Monday, March 9 @ 5:15 PM.)

Angel now runs a DC-based real estate firm, bringing investment to underserved areas of the city, and serves on the Brown Corporation. After her talk, you'll have a chance to get to know the students who are here for the semester over pizza!

Please aim to arrive between 5:15 and 5:25 as the talk will start promptly at 5:30 PM. Space is highly limited to ensure an intimate conversation and relationship-building, which will be focused on forging community between young alums (

03/08/2026

This week, we are turning the spotlight back to a former Local Arts Hero – Split This Rock, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that has spent nearly two decades using poetry as a force for social justice. Right now, this impactful organization needs our community's support to keep its work alive!

Split This Rock – previously featured in our 2021 newsletter – has been a vital presence in DC's artistic landscape since its founding, dedicated to cultivating, teaching, and celebrating poetry that bears witness to injustice and provokes change. At the heart of its mission is a belief that poets have a unique role to play in social movements as innovators, visionaries, truth tellers, and restorers of language. Over nearly 17 years, the organization has built an extraordinary body of work: a flagship biennial poetry festival, a weekly Poem of the Week series, and The Quarry (a searchable social justice poetry database), all alongside robust youth programming that invests in the next generation of DC voices.

Now, the organization finds itself at a critical crossroads. Split This Rock is working to bridge a significant funding gap that has limited their programming, paused their publications, and reduced their staff hours and salaries. Even amid these challenges, the team has continued showing up, putting together a Winter 2026 slate of virtual programs and keeping the community reading, writing, and creating together.

In a city and a moment that desperately needs spaces where poetry and resistance can meet, Split This Rock is worth fighting for. To learn more, support the fundraising campaign, or join an upcoming program, visit their website at splitthisrock.org!

03/07/2026

This past Sunday, Brunonians spent an active and educational afternoon on our second annual History of Black Georgetown walking tour with Off the Mall Tours! Our group ambled across the historic neighborhood while exploring the lives and impact of both descendants of enslaved peoples and free Black folk who have lived in Georgetown for generations.

Many thanks to IPC DMV for partnering with us to offer this experience once again and to Off the Mall's Katie Kirkpatrick for her enthusiastic and period-attired guidance of our journey into local history. Be sure to check out Off the Mall's other offerings, which focus on DC's multi-layered and multicultural heritage, and include some special Women’s History Month tours this month!

.ipc.dmv

03/07/2026

Many thanks to all who joined BCDC and A4 for our Lunar New Year/Spring Festival celebration last Sunday! Over a bountiful family-style dinner, alums and their families shared holiday memories and traditions while forging cross-cultural and cross-generational bonds.

Our gratitude also goes out to our hosts at Da Hong Pao, the family-owned DC restaurant that hosted us and stuffed us silly. We look forward to future visits and to our next partner event with A4!

03/04/2026

Join fellow young alums and current students from the Brown in Washington program for pizza and conversation with Angel Brunner ‘94, as she tells her story of activism, adversity, and personal growth while at Brown! (Monday, March 9 @ 5:15 PM.)

Angel now runs a DC-based real estate firm, bringing investment to underserved areas of the city, and serves on the Brown Corporation. After her talk, you'll have a chance to get to know the students who are here for the semester over pizza!

Please aim to arrive between 5:15 and 5:25 as the talk will start promptly at 5:30 PM. Space is highly limited to ensure an intimate conversation and relationship-building, which will be focused on forging community between young alums (

03/01/2026

Thank you to the team at Spooky Action Theater, led by Artistic Director Elizabeth Dinkova and board member Patricia Langan '84, for hosting BCDC and IPC DMV this past Thursday for a spellbinding presentation of "Tambo and Bones" and a pre-show reception! Unsurprisingly, the conversation continued (in true Brunonian fashion) well after the play ended, when we also had the opportunity to speak with the cast and crew.

"Tambo and Bones" is a truly inventive, challenging, and timely work from slam-poet turned acclaimed playwright Dave Harris, and you have just one more week to see its first DC production! Be sure to check out the video snippet from Elizabeth's pre-show introduction to the audience in our highlight reel above, where she shares how the play fits into Spooky Action's mission to stage intimate works that cultivate empathetic connections through offbeat theatrical forms and audience engagement. We look forward to future engagements at Spooky's custom-built, multipurpose performance space on the lower level of Dupont Circle's Universalist National Memorial Church.

Have an idea for the next theatrical or other artistic performance we should check out as a community, or better yet, one you'd like to make happen? As always, drop us a line at BCDCcomms@gmail.com.

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