Artist Statement
Washington, D.C., made a significant mark on the history of punk rock from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, thanks to the development of the harDCore scene. The Corcoran School of Music offers a course in the fall, “D.C. in the History of Punk Rock,” taught by Eugene Montague, that covers punk music and D.C.’s place in its history. The semester I took this course heavily emphasized writing, and Dr. Montague encouraged creative writing that embodied the harDCore era. Our team for this project consisted of Alex Griffin, Oliver Kogod, and me. My idea to create an interactive map stemmed from Dr. Montague’s sample building block of creating a tourist guide. Griffin was a student of the geography department and had the skills and resources to execute a high-quality map for our project.
Kogod and I took the lead on writing “fan fiction” of inner monologues that reflected what it was like to be a part of these significant events in D.C. Our course materials which consisted of oral histories, “Dance of Days,” written by Mark Andersen and Mark Jenkins, and the documentary “Salad Days,” provided us with insight to support our creative writing. We also used some of my previous assignments in the course to embellish our map. I made the ad for the distinguished show at the Hall of Nations in the DIY style specific to the era. I also constructed a zine ad for “Fugazi at the White House” based on the method of the 90s Riot Grrrl zines. While this project heavily consisted of student-made materials, they were all based on historical events and places in Washington D.C.
About Alexis Pantoja
Alexis Pantoja is a recent graduate of the George Washington University. Originally from Orange County, California, she moved to D.C. from the Boston area, where she received an Associate of Science degree in criminal justice. She has been involved in the punk subculture since her teens and continues to enjoy attending live shows anywhere she can find them. Her participation in the course “D.C. in the History of Punk Rock” at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design cultivated her interest in the D.C. punk scene and helped her feel at home in the DMV.