From the, always spectacular, District of Columbia
Oh hello. It appears you’ve found my little place on the internet.
I’m Kathleen, a longtime DC resident in my sixth decade of life, if you can believe it. I barely can.
I’m child free, pet free, and car free by choice. I lost my husband of over 30 years in 2018, my best friend of over 50 years in 2020, and the last steady freelance graphic design gig of my 35+ year career in 2022.
Life in DC in 2025 is decidedly difficult. However, I love art, music, history and all things urban—including urban people—and those things help get me through this otherwise super shitty time in world history. Also, I love lager beer. Lager beer helps.
Questions?
You can probably reach me by e-mailing kathleencole@me.com.
Hello neighbor! My traffic control box art wrap at 12th & C Street, SW
Installed in April 2025, it sits across from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and close to the Potomac & Anacostia Rivers.
The box was designed for SWBID, and features illustrations of some of SW’s “neighbors” living in and around the nearby rivers — crabs, heron, ducks, and striped bass (Rockfish).
The Traffic Control Box Beautification project is part of DDOT’s Arts in the Right-of-Way (AROW) program.
Where ya’ll from?
I was born in Boston, MA and grew up “downt tha Cape,” a place I never really liked. I left as soon as I was able, post college, and moved to Washington, DC, partially because I was obsessed with Dischord Records and the DC punk rock scene.
Ever since September 1989, I have lived near 16th & U Street, NW — just one block south of Meridian Hill / Malcolm X Park and 12 blocks north of the White House.
For over 10 years, I’ve maintained a Tumblr blog called “It’s art if I say so,” a quote from my favorite conceptual artist, Marcel Duchamp, as well as my answer to the eternal question “what is art?”
I have a YouTube channel.
It’s made up of short clips from various concerts I’ve attended over the past few years, and is meant to demonstrate that Washington, DC is a very cool music city. Every clip is under a minute because otherwise I'm living in the moment.
The above photo is from the UK’s Lambrini Girls at the Howard Theater on 5/4/25.
It’s not a lie to say my art is in the Smithsonian!
Or, at least that it’s available to buy, exclusively through the experience of using an Art-o-mat® machine! Go find it on the 3rd floor of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Gallery Place / Chinatown neighborhood of NW.
Visit artomat.org for a full description of artist Clark Whittington’s “right smart” longterm conceptual art project.
I’m a huge fan of Go-Go, both the homegrown genre of music and the G-League basketball team.
The Capital City Go-Go play from November to March at CareFirst Arena in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Southeast (South! South! East!).
Once a month, during weekend night games, a local go-go band plays on the sidelines of the game during halftime and timeouts — AND IT’S AWESOME!
Available exclusively through the experience of using an Art-o-mat machine! Like the one in SAAM!
