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Okay. So, do you want to just introduce yourself? Tell us who you are, where you're from, all that? Sure. My name is Mary Belcher, I just turned 71 years old, I have lived in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C. since the early '80s and there's been a lot of changes in the neighborhood. I'm an artist, a lot of the places I've painted have since changed, since I painted them—I guess that dates me—but, um, it's an interesting neighborhood, the people— there's still a mix of folks here, and that's really a high priority for me. So, in your time being here, what kind of places did you see as, like, really good spaces for the community and for community building? How have those maybe changed or stayed the same since you moved here? That's a question I can't really answer. I don't know that there was ever an ideal space for community meetings, I think what happens in this neighborhood sort of happens organically and not by design, but we've seen the Adams Morgan Plaza disappear, taken over by developers. We've seen certain park spaces disappeared to pavement and playgrounds. I don't know, it's just, you know, like I said, I don't think there's a great deal of community organizing in the time I've been here. I know before I was here there was, at the time of home rule coming about and people were taking back the power in the neighborhood. So in the time I've been here, I guess the most competitive situation I've encountered—or contentious situation—has been between the businesses and the residents. The businesses including developers. So, you know, this is a residential neighborhood. I wish there were more emphasis and attention put on the residents. So.

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So, like, in what ways do you wish there was more attention to the residents? Like, what concerns maybe are there conflicts over? Um, I guess the concerns here are affordable housing just like everywhere in D.C. We have none. We have none left. We have people who probably could learn to read better, you know. We need fewer, less emphasis on drinking establishments and more on community establishments. We need a community Center. We need a library. We don't have a library in Adams Morgan it's one of the, you know, most dense neighborhoods in the city. And why we don't have a library is probably because the real estate is just too expensive to build a library here. It would be better served in the eyes of the city for it to go to a business that can generate taxes. So. And then, are there any spaces that either are around now or were around before and maybe it's closed down that aren't necessarily formal community spaces, but to you just kind of scream Adams, Morgan? That mean a lot to you? Well, yeah, the 18th and Columbia Road plaza is the most glaring example of that. And for about a year now, Now it's been under a concrete barrier and fencing even though I'm part of a lawsuit by a community organization to try to declare that a public space. We're, you know, we're caught in court, we don't know what's going to happen in court. So.

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What are—do you see any positive changes happening, negative changes, what kind of things are you seeing? And what are you hoping to see? I think it's good that there are a lot of young people coming through the neighborhood, and there seems to be young people who are of a creative bend. That's positive. I think that the restaurants along 18th Street and Columbia Road have adapted well to COVID, to the need for outdoor space. I wish there were more non-commercial outdoor space, but maybe we'll get that back. But I, you know, I think it's a neighborhood that's always going to be...in flux. There's just always a diversity of people here and that's a good thing. So I know when I go out of town and I'm around other cities, you sometimes see just black neighborhoods, or white neighborhoods, or Latino neighborhoods but we have everything here. Including Asians [looks ate friend Joan Yoshiwara and smiles]. I guess. What do you like love about Adams Morgan— I'm looking at a friend of mine who's Asian, Asian American.

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What do you love about Adams Morgan, kind of to thr question on the side of the van. Like, who is Adams Morgan to you? What does that community mean to you? What does the community mean? It means diversity. It means activism. It means push back. Often that is romanticized and it shouldn't be, it has to be based in action. And we have a very strong history here. I've been involved, as I said, in trying to preserve a cemetery of 1,000 black people who were buried right After the Civil War in one of our parks. And we've also got two National Underground Railroad sites, so, I was involved in both those efforts. So I feel strongly that the neighborhood has all it needs except for greater emphasis on the folks who live here. And is there anything else you want to say about the neighborhood, about yourself, kind of shout out, talk about? I think people feel welcome here and that's a good thing. So that's, that's really, I think the most important thing about a neighborhood is, nobody's out of place here in Adams Morgan.

00:06:48.500 - 00:06:57.300

I have several, but I wanted to ask one question. That place across the street I used to love, Avignone Freres, was it open when you moved here? Yes, uh huh. Can you talk about it? I didn't—I wasn't a frequent visitor. So, I can't really talk knowledgeably about it.

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I'll ask another question, can you tell us about your art? How did you become an artist, and about your experience, about painting? Well, I was—I used to be a newspaper reporter, and then I went to work with us the prosecutor's office for several years, and working with lawyers for seven years turned me into an artist. I just decided: enough of that, I'm ready to go do something different and— Did you have a background in art? I studied photography and a half-hearted way, but, you know, people who are artists just pretty much are always artists from the time they're kids. It just depends on how much you want to pursue it professionally. And I was lucky enough to be able to do that and make a living at it. So, that's—I think life circumstances have a lot to do with whether or not you can pursue your art.

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Are you in a gallery in this area? No, I just sell my artwork myself. I've sold at Eastern Market for 24 years, but COVID put an end to that, so. I like your map of Adams Morgan. Thanks. A lot of people have copied it.

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I think so, and you did all that by hand? [nods] Yeah. Because when I first looked at it I said, "oh, somebody did a graphic map," and then I looked at it and it's so detailed. It's a painting, yeah, It's a painting.

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I wish you would show Corinne your hands, [tuns to Corinne] she has the most steadiest hands to do all of that work. [from off screen] Are you getting her [talking about Angie]? Not entirely if—some of it might pick up, but the mic is up there, so some of it. She doesn't want to show her hands. [Mary holds out her hand] Such steady hands, to draw all of those fine, intricate lines, that's amazing.

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I like detail. Yeah. Let me tell you, your work is beautiful. Thank you, thank you, I appreciate that. The colors and contrast, they breathe.

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I'm glad it speaks to you. So I thank you for talking, I will not torture you any more. Well, thank you for those, those lovely compliments. I appreciate it.