From the start, art doyenne Philippa Hughes has said she’s all about making art accessible. The only problem with making arts accessible via art party, of course, is that people still must elect to go to the art party.

Evangelizing for performance art might be even tougher. Or at the very least, Hughes says, the form faces a slight stigma, even though it can force a deeper level of engagement.

But Hughes didn’t throw Cherry Blast in order to put Anacostia on the map. ”That’s one thing, and an important thing,” she said. “But what it’s about for me is showing that D.C. is more than politicians and lawyers. It also has a thriving arts and culture scene. Some of it is happening in Anacostia, and some of it [in other parts] of the city.”

Not only was the LUMEN8 festival successful at driving economic  growth, it was also a great moment in which people could get together  and share ideas. “We were thrilled to be part of this amazing  community-based event. It proved that the arts can bring people together and start conversations that might not have normally happened  otherwise.” said Philippa Hughes, founder of The Pink Line Project, who  played a pivotal part in bringing the entire event together. “I’m really looking forward to doing it again this Saturday at Cherry Blast!”

Hughes, while acknowledging that many factors contribute to economic development, subscribes to the tenet that undergirds most temporary-urbanism initiatives: “Nobody’s going to invest in the neighborhood unless they think that people will come.” That’s what Lumen8 hopes to demonstrate.

Philippa Hughes, Founder of the Pink Line Project, at the Lightbox, a former police evidence warehouse that will be a major part of Lumen8Anacostia. Pink Line, together with Alliance Française, is hosting dozens of artists, a Busboys and Poets pop-up restaurant, live music, food trucks, skateboarding, and other performances inside the multi-story building.  (A week after Lumen8Anacostia, Pink Line will host Cherry Blast IV in the same space.)

You call yourself “Chief Creative Contrarian” of the project. What is it about the mainstream culture in D.C. that you oppose?

Well, I have two ideas. One is that I am not an artist and I know there are lots of people like me who are not but still want to be around creative people. So my focus is how do I give access to creative people to the people who are like me, people who are working regular jobs — lawyers, lobbyists — who want to find a way to access creativity. It’s not about becoming an artist, but just surrounding yourself with art.

Last January, the most incredible thing happened: I received an apology letter from a guy who tried to mug me the previous fall. He wrote the letter on lined notebook paper with a pencil in beautiful script, the kind of script your grandparents were taught in grammar school. Delivered to me via the District attorney’s office, the stunning letter expressed remorse and asked for forgiveness that the mugger didn’t expect to receive. The apology didn’t dismiss the crime. The mug had served jail time and I was glad for that. It didn’t matter that a judge may have ordered him to write the letter or that he may have written it to get parole a little sooner.

“Washington is home to some of the most plugged-in, powerful people in the nation, and The Washington Post follows those influencers closely. But not all of the limelight should fall on the Typical Washington Insider, and that’s where D.C. Tweeps comes in. When we created D.C. Tweeps in 2010, our aim was to learn more about the people on Twitter who informed you, entertained you and even kept you fed during an average day. We thought of it this way: If Washington’s Twitter scene is one big, packed-to-the-gills menu, we wanted to hear a little bit more about your daily diet.”

Holiday traditions, whether they’re silly or sentimental, are our favorite all-natural upper — they make you feel all warm and fuzzy, brighten your spirits, and create the feeling of connection, even when you’re far from home. While we have our own list of must-dos around this time of year, we’re always more than a little curious to see how others celebrate. Okay, okay, so we’re a bit nosy — but you’ll thank us when you’re adopting these heartwarming (and hilarious) traditions for yourself. We tapped some D.C. residents who are shaking up the scene in a major way, whether it’s a chef on a winning streak or a tireless — and on-top-of-her-game — media guru. They’ve shared their most-loved holiday traditions with us, and we’re delighted to share them with you before we OD on cuteness. That’s just how we roll — always sharing and caring!

Philippa Hughes, the founder of the Washington-based art company Pink Line Project, saw the wheatpaste depiction of Parsons at 14th Street and Swann, Northwest, Wednesday morning and snapped a photo of it. She said she’s not sure who created it. “Lean and Hungry” is the name of a local theater group, but when contacted, the group denied any responsibility (Exact quote from the group: “Wild. Thanks!”).