What happens after 18 years in one place? One creates a community. What is a community? How is a community formed? How is it maintained? In 1991 when I started at Eastern Market as an artist in my early twenties, I did not know nor do I believe I cared. In 2010, I have an answer. That is to say people just decide that you are a part of their community. They let you know by stopping by, dropping a line and or giving a call. Community and communication go hand in hand. We create community by sharing our lives with each other.
I did not really notice as Brady, Olivia, Russell, Yaw, the Drabo boys(there are three of them) and other Eastern Market children grew up. I just looked up one day and fifteen years had gone by, everyone was taller than I and talking about college. Now in my fourth decade, I notice that time passes quicker. I have both created a community and have been taken into one. It sketches from Baltimore to Japan and many small and large villages and cities in between. Everybody knows about me and Eastern Market.
I think I met Amy back when I use to live on The Hill. In the dark ages one could find a one bed room apartment for 600.00$ This of course I shared. That was very expensive back in 199? Now when I see Amy she is often followed by a little shadow named Cora her daughter. Cora likes to pretend that I can not see her. It is our game. Amy says I have known her for twenty years, well I will admit to eighteen.
( Cora peeking at me )
One of the after and during college experiences if you are nuts is group house living. I have done my time. And so has Stephen, now married to Sara with one son Nicholas and another baby due in March. I have this memory of Stephen celebrating his thirtieth birthday with his house mates and friends one Saturday in Turtle Park (which is across from Eastern Market on North Carolina) in the middle of a down pour. I was set up at the market looking at these crazy people-that I knew- playing Frisbee in the rain. I now see him regularly walking through the market to take his son swimming at the natatorium. I asked him how long ago was that "day of playing in the rain "? He replied that it was sixteen years ago.
( Nicholas is thinking "I want to go
swimming or this does not taste good)
(The family- Stephen, Sara,
Nicholas and ? we will know in March)
Speaking or rain, I met Allison on a rainy day at the market. In a way this post is about her daughter Rose. I have known Allison for about fifteen years or so. In the early summer of 2008, during the Presidential elections. Rose (she was six) and her mother entered my booth. Her mother and I started talking politics and Rose protested. She shouted and marched in a circle "Girl Power, Girl Power"! Rose told me that "Girls could be and do anything they wanted, including being President of the United States. She and I, while agreeing on this point, were supporting different candidates for the position of President of the United states. I told her that if I lived long enough maybe one day I would be voting for her. She liked this idea. Rose made me mindful of time. I realized how much of my life I have spent at Eastern Market and how many people are apart of my life because of Eastern Market. Rose's older brother Lincoln has made me feel very cool. One day while riding by The Market on his skate board with his buddies, he gave me a shout-out "hey Sonda". What can I say, you know you are cool when a 9 year old speaks to you in front of his friends without his parents around. I made the rings for Allison's wedding. Her husband is Steven.
(Allison dropping a line)
(Lincoln striking a pose)
(Rose laughing at me)
I also made pieces for Katherine's wedding. She married Barry. I had met her around 1991. She got married in May of 1998. I remember before the wedding for about two years meeting her family. Later they sent Katherine old pieces of gold jewelry. She had me melt them down to make earrings for her wedding. I love this picture. It is her daughter Marley looking at the picture of her mother in my flip book in her wedding dress with work I made for the occasion. Her younger brother Phillip plays around. Believable and true, Cora and Marley are best friends. Small world in the Eastern Market Community.
(Marley looking at mommy and daddy and
Phillip playing)
( Katherine dropping a line)
I do not know when I met Cathy-ten years ago maybe? She came to The Market all the time for years, until her children were born. Now, I am more likely to see her husband around The Market usually with one of the boys in tow, running errands-checking off things to do, or pick up from a handy list. I wonder who writes those lists? hum! Danny and Cathy's oldest Drew is a fan of "good eats at the market". I think Cooper the youngest is still working on growing teeth.
(Drew playing at my stand)
(Danny with Cooper in the pouch running
errands)
Coming to Eastern Market is often on the "to do list" of Christina. Christina and I argue all the time about politics. After all, Eastern Market is on Capital Hill and I hear their is a little politics that goes on in The Capital. We also argue about when we met. I say we met through a mutual friend about five years ago. She says no, she met me years earlier by herself at Eastern Market. I am of course right or not. Kayen her son can be very patient with our discussions as long as I give him a big clamp off my display to play with and his mother is giving him some of the "good eats old and new school" from The Market. With clamp in hand and food in mouth Kayen is pacified for maybe, if we are lucky, fifteen minutes. Then he lets 
us know the audience is over and he is ready to move on with his day.
us know the audience is over and he is ready to move on with his day. They are all apart of "My Community". They are more importantly just a small part of the wonderful, supportive and growing Eastern Market Community.
( Kayen "happy")
Witnessing,
Sonda T. Allen
Turtle's Webb
(Christina with Kayen)
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