Daniel Brooking:  

I retired from government service after 39 years. I am married with two children. I am a native Washingtonian. As an artist I exhibited at the Discover Gallery, of the National Collection of Fine Arts and locally under the auspices of Operation Heritage with Geogette Powel. I also exhibited at ArtOMatic 2000 and 2004 and the Graham Collection Gallery-2005. I exhibited at Art Miami Basel in 2006 and I exhibited at Gallery 13 in Paris, France in June 2008. I also curated 2 exhibits at the Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum in Bethesda, Maryland. Phillip Ratner was my art instructor at Anacostia Senior High. In 2009, I co-curated the Black Exhibit at the District of Columbia Art Center (DCAC). In 2010 and 2011 I exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the A.I.R. gallery in New York City, The Corner Store Gallery in Washington, DC, The Exxon-Mobile Corporate Headquarters in Virginia and the Village of Friendship Heights in Maryland. My papier-mache masks were exhibited in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. My masks have been influenced by my travels to Africa, Asia, South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the American west. Currently, I am a member of the Museum of Contemporary Art in DC and Black Artists of DC (BADC), its Archivist and one of the Summer Bridge training instructors. I have also produced catalogues of our art exhibitions. Thanks to artists James and Audrey Brown, I am learning to be a textile artist and I've found that I really enjoy Shibori, a 8th century Japanese art form, which is done on silk. Francine Haskins instructed me in making my first art doll and Gwen Aqui-Brooks instructed me in producing my first art quilt. I was a founding member and Artistic Director of the Encore Theatre Company, which represented the United States at the Toyama Theater Festival in Toyama, Japan. I directed dramatic productions which were showcased on local stages and won a Best Production Award in the D.C. One-Act Play Festivals. I designed and edited the Encore newsletter and United States Department of Agriculture Travel Club Newsletter. I have also been a member of the Coalition of African-American and Latino Unity (CAALU) and a member and Poetry Director of DC Black Writer's Workshop. Travel is my first love. I enjoy meeting people and learning about their culture and art. I have had the pleasure of enjoying art on five continents and trust me it's better in person than in a book or film. I have visited Brazil four times; it's my favorite place. My second love is food. I am an accomplished cook and have cooked and dined with Martin ...Expand for more