Artist Tim Yanke’s artwork for the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. was unveiled in Georgetown on Thursday night.
For months, artist Tim Yanke grappled with how to make his work stand out.
After learning he had been selected to create the official artwork for the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C., he wanted to make something that would be untraditional. It couldn’t just be a painting with a cherry tree and the Washington Monument, he thought.
It took eight months to plan and execute, but Yanke’s vision was unveiled Thursday in Georgetown.
While it does feature cherry blossoms and the Washington Monument, the final piece also includes butterflies to represent the 13 colonies and hidden lyrics from songs such as “God Bless America,” which inspired Yanke to feature the words “from sea to shining sea.”
Artwork done by Tim Yanke was selected for the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. The piece features cherry blossoms, the National Monument, hidden lyrics and 13 butterflies. (WTOP/Scott Gelman)
Yanke said the butterflies serve as “an important symbolism, especially in Native American life. It’s everlasting life, renewal, self-transformation and kindness.”
He hopes viewers see unity, happiness and peace in the artwork.
‘The spirit of DC’
During an event at Sequoia, city leaders and event organizers gathered to reveal plans for next year’s festival.
“It celebrates beauty and spring, but even more than that, it celebrates the spirit of D.C.,” Kimberly Bassett, who serves as D.C. secretary, said of the weekslong festival. “It’s a living reminder of the friendship between Japan and the United States.”
That relationship, Bassett said, started with a gift of 3,000 cherry trees. And, to honor America’s 250th birthday, Japan is gifting 250 new cherry blossom trees.
“To mark this historic milestone, these new trees will stand alongside the original cherry trees as a symbol of peace, respect and renewal,” Bassett said.
Next year’s festival, which is scheduled to run from March 20 to April 12, will start with an opening ceremony at DAR Constitution Hall — the first time the venue will host the event.
Diana Mayhew, the festival’s president and CEO, said it will “nearly double the number of attendees that we’ll be able to accommodate, to see a once-in-a-lifetime show with these world-class Japanese performers.”
Many of the festival’s popular events are returning next year, Mayhew said.
“It’s a sense of happiness, joy, renewal, no matter what’s happening in this world,” Mayhew told WTOP. “The festival comes and people are happy and joyous.”
Festival visitors drive more than $200 million in economy activity for D.C., Bassett said.
The 2026 festival celebrates the 114th anniversary of the gift of 3,000 Japanese cherry trees that are planted around the Tidal Basin in D.C.
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HERITAGE VERY CLOSE TO HEART. WITH EVERY BRUSHSTROKE, ALISON ZAPATA POURS EVERYTHING IN HER PIECES JUST LIKE THIS. BUT ONE THING HAS REMAINED CLEAR THAT SHE HAS NEVER FORGOTTEN HER ROOTS. THROUGH EVERY PIECE, ALISON ZAPATA HAS CREATED THE MEANING BEHIND THEM MAY CHANGE, BUT AT THE CORE, THE MISSION IS THE SAME. JOY, BEAUTY, MAYBE SOME STILLNESS. SOME CALM, BUT ALSO REALLY WRAPPING PEOPLE AROUND WITH LOVE. HER GRANDFATHER WAS BORN IN SAN LUIS POTOSI BEFORE COMING TO PITTSBURGH. A BORN AND RAISED PITTSBURGH. ZAPATA IS A YINZER THROUGH AND THROUGH. BUT GROWING UP, SHE SAYS SHE’S ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD HER HERITAGE. YOU KNOW, HE WOULD ALWAYS TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DON’T FORGET YOUR ROOTS. MAKE SURE YOU SAY YOUR LAST NAME. ALWAYS SAY YOUR LAST NAME THE RIGHT WAY. MAKE SURE THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU HONOR YOUR HERITAGE. AND IT IT SUNK IN. ZAPATA’S WORK CAN BE SEEN ALL OVER THE PITTSBURGH AREA IN RESTAURANTS, IN PARKS, OR BESIDES BUILDINGS. YOU PASS BY EVERY DAY. FOR HER, IT’S ABOUT CARRYING THE TORCH OF ART FORWARD. IT IMPACTED ME IN A WAY THAT WAS ABLE TO SUPPORT THE ARTWORK. SO IF I’M ABLE TO. YEAH. IMPACT OTHERS. I THINK THAT’S THAT’S THE BIGGEST THANKS THAT I COULD POSSIBLY HAVE FOR MY FAMILY. AND YOU KNOW, THE LONG LINEAGE OF ARTISTS THAT HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE ME. AND AS HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH CONTINUES, ZAPATA SAYS SHE WILL CELEBRATE THOSE WHO HAVE PAVED THE PATH FORWARD. SHE WILL ALSO PLAY HER PART IN HER OWN JOURNEY. IT’S A VERY SPECIAL TIME FOR CELEBRATION, FOR HONORING TRADITIONS, FOR HONORING THE COMMUNITY THAT’S HERE NOW. AND TO HIGHLIGHT THE BEAUTY IN THE GIFTS AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF LATINOS HERE IN PITTSBURGH. ZAPATA HOPES TO CONTINUE TO INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION TO BECOME ARTISTS, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SET THE EXAMPLE EVERY DAY. BUT FOR NOW. COVERI
‘Joy of making artwork’: Alison Zapata honors Latino heritage through displays
Alison Zapata, an artist, creates pieces that reflect her heritage and mission of joy, beauty, and love, with her work displayed throughout her hometown. Her grandfather was born in San Luis Potosí before coming to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She said growing up, her parents emphasized the importance of remembering her roots. “He would always talk about , you know, don’t forget your roots. Make sure you say your last name. Always say your last name the right way. Make sure that you honor your heritage, and it’s sunk in,” Zapata said.Zapata’s artwork can be seen all over Pittsburgh, in restaurants, parks, and beside buildings. For her, it’s about carrying the torch of art forward.”It’s part of, you know, the joy of making artwork. If I’m able to, yeah. And impact others, I think that’s the biggest thing that I could possibly have for my family. And, you know, the long lineage of artists that have done this before me,” Zapata said.As Hispanic Heritage Month continues, Zapata celebrates those who have paved a path forward and wants to play her part through her own journey.”It’s a very special time for celebration, for honoring traditions, for honoring the community that’s here now, and to highlight the beauty in the gifts and the contributions of Latinos here in Pittsburgh,” Zapata said.Zapata hopes to continue to inspire the next generation to become artists and will continue to set the example every day.
Alison Zapata, an artist, creates pieces that reflect her heritage and mission of joy, beauty, and love, with her work displayed throughout her hometown.
Her grandfather was born in San Luis Potosí before coming to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
She said growing up, her parents emphasized the importance of remembering her roots.
“He would always talk about [and say], you know, don’t forget your roots. Make sure you say your last name. Always say your last name the right way. Make sure that you honor your heritage, and it’s sunk in,” Zapata said.
Zapata’s artwork can be seen all over Pittsburgh, in restaurants, parks, and beside buildings. For her, it’s about carrying the torch of art forward.
“It’s part of, you know, the joy of making artwork. If I’m able to, yeah. And impact others, I think that’s the biggest thing that I could possibly have for my family. And, you know, the long lineage of artists that have done this before me,” Zapata said.
As Hispanic Heritage Month continues, Zapata celebrates those who have paved a path forward and wants to play her part through her own journey.
“It’s a very special time for celebration, for honoring traditions, for honoring the community that’s here now, and to highlight the beauty in the gifts and the contributions of Latinos here in Pittsburgh,” Zapata said.
Zapata hopes to continue to inspire the next generation to become artists and will continue to set the example every day.
An eggplant and a giant peach are sprouting controversy on the century-old Main Street in Ellicott City, Maryland. Business owners are being told the public art is too distracting for the historic area, but they feel the towering tributes to produce are fun and add character. Now, they’re fighting to keep the fruit.A massive Georgia peach sits outside Georgia Grace Cafe, where owner Paula Dwyer was happy to see it installed several months ago.”It was this big, beautiful orange peach. And, at first, honestly, I was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it,’” Dwyer said.Across the street sits an enormous eggplant known as the Aubergine. Both produce have been popularized over texting language as playful nods to body parts.David Carney, owner of The Wine Bin, said the Aubergine has brought in business for years.”I guess I don’t quite understand the innuendo because I have one of those body parts and it doesn’t look like that and it’s not purple, so I’m not sure really how that came about. It’s kind of weird. So, it’s kind of comical that people think that,” Carney said.Now, the merchants have since been told to take the art down. Both sculptures are supported through the Fund for Art in Ellicott City.Both pieces of art were also discussed at last week’s meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission, which expressed concern about the art “detracting from the historic buildings.””The Historic Preservation Commission approved the artwork of the aubergine for 12 months, as amended by the applicant. The peach was denied at the proposed location, but the applicant may submit an application for a different location. The established process allows for the petitioner to appeal the decision or propose an alternate location for the artwork,” officials said. “History is really important. So, this is great artwork, but I guess it’s not historic enough for them,” said Ken McNaughton, an Ellicott City resident.Don Reuwer, who manages numerous Main Street properties as president of the Waverly Real Estate Group, helped gather hundreds of signatures to keep the sculptures.”Unfortunately, the chairperson told me that they weren’t interested in the petitions that actually said that the merchants are only temporary, so they don’t matter. And frankly, that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back for me,” Reuwer said.People are far from giving up on the eye-catching produce. “I feel like they fit in with the town. I mean, everyone likes them. We’re a community of business owners and people, and all of them seem to like it. So, I feel like we are the town, also, not just the history. And we are now the history,” said Mark Johnston, an Ellicott City resident. Without approval, the statues must be taken down. Those in support of art plan to appeal the decision, and are even willing to take the issue to circuit court.
An eggplant and a giant peach are sprouting controversy on the century-old Main Street in Ellicott City, Maryland.
Business owners are being told the public art is too distracting for the historic area, but they feel the towering tributes to produce are fun and add character. Now, they’re fighting to keep the fruit.
A massive Georgia peach sits outside Georgia Grace Cafe, where owner Paula Dwyer was happy to see it installed several months ago.
“It was this big, beautiful orange peach. And, at first, honestly, I was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it,’” Dwyer said.
Across the street sits an enormous eggplant known as the Aubergine. Both produce have been popularized over texting language as playful nods to body parts.
David Carney, owner of The Wine Bin, said the Aubergine has brought in business for years.
“I guess I don’t quite understand the innuendo because I have one of those body parts and it doesn’t look like that and it’s not purple, so I’m not sure really how that came about. It’s kind of weird. So, it’s kind of comical that people think that,” Carney said.
Now, the merchants have since been told to take the art down. Both sculptures are supported through the Fund for Art in Ellicott City.
Both pieces of art were also discussed at last week’s meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission, which expressed concern about the art “detracting from the historic buildings.”
“The Historic Preservation Commission approved the artwork of the aubergine for 12 months, as amended by the applicant. The peach was denied at the proposed location, but the applicant may submit an application for a different location. The established process allows for the petitioner to appeal the decision or propose an alternate location for the artwork,” officials said.
“History is really important. So, this is great artwork, but I guess it’s not historic enough for them,” said Ken McNaughton, an Ellicott City resident.
“This is great artwork, but I guess it’s not historic enough for them.”
Don Reuwer, who manages numerous Main Street properties as president of the Waverly Real Estate Group, helped gather hundreds of signatures to keep the sculptures.
“Unfortunately, the chairperson told me that they weren’t interested in the petitions that actually said that the merchants are only temporary, so they don’t matter. And frankly, that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back for me,” Reuwer said.
People are far from giving up on the eye-catching produce.
“I feel like they fit in with the town. I mean, everyone likes them. We’re a community of business owners and people, and all of them seem to like it. So, I feel like we are the town, also, not just the history. And we are now the history,” said Mark Johnston, an Ellicott City resident.
Without approval, the statues must be taken down. Those in support of art plan to appeal the decision, and are even willing to take the issue to circuit court.
After living in her two-bedroom apartment in Los Feliz for more than a decade, Debra Weiss encountered a problem experienced by many renters in Los Angeles: She was evicted.
“I moved into the apartment in 2014, and four years later, my landlord sold it to a wealthy family who bought it at a loss,” said Weiss, 69, who works as a textile artist and was evicted last year. “They knew they couldn’t evict us due to rent control.”
In this series, we spotlight L.A. rentals with style. From perfect gallery walls to temporary decor hacks, these renters get creative, even in small spaces. And Angelenos need the inspiration: Most are renters.
When the landlords put the three-unit complex on the market in 2022, however, they offered Weiss $50,000 to move out — far more than the amount required by law — to make the building easier for them to sell. She declined, concerned it would affect her Social Security benefits, as there is a limit to how much one can earn and still receive full benefits.
Then, last February, the three tenants received eviction notices under the Ellis Act, which allows landlords to evict renters from rent-controlled apartments if the building is being torn down or removed from the rental market. It’s currently for sale for $3.2 million.
As a senior, Weiss was entitled to a full year’s notice because she had lived in her unit for more than a year. Still, she knew she would eventually have to move out of the comfortable 1,200-square-foot duplex, for which she paid $2,670 a month in rent.
Artist Debra Weiss stands in her dining room where she often works as a fiber artist.
When she began looking for another apartment in the area, Weiss quickly learned that she could no longer afford to live in Los Feliz. “The apartments were so much more expensive than what I was used to paying, and they had no parking or a washer and dryer,” she said. (Weiss was paid $24,650 in relocation assistance, which was taxed, due to her age and the length of time she lived in her Los Feliz apartment.)
She also visited some small studios and considered purchasing a TIC, or Tenancy in Common, where buyers purchase a share in a corporation that owns a building. However, to secure a loan, she’d need someone to co-sign. “Even though they are cute, they are tiny and not necessarily in the best neighborhoods,” she said. Another option, a Craftsman apartment near USC, wasn’t in a good walking neighborhood, something that was important to Weiss. It was also dark and hundreds of dollars more a month than her previous apartment. “I’m almost 70 years old and I need light to work,” she added.
Handknitted sculptures, embroidered weavings and a tufted rug adorn the guest room.
When her son-in-law spotted a charming two-bedroom apartment near the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for $2,950 a month on Zillow, Weiss decided to check it out.
“My initial reaction was, ‘I want this,’ ” Weiss said of the fourplex.
The rental had high ceilings, oak floors, ample sunlight, an appealing fireplace, a garage and a washer and dryer. A newly redone modern kitchen felt out of character for the 1930s building, but that didn’t bother Weiss. “The kitchen is a blank canvas,” she said of the all-white cabinets and countertops. “The white background makes all of my stuff stand out,” including ceramics by Mt. Washington Pottery and Altadena artist Linda Hsiao.
Weiss knits a sweater for her granddaughter with yarn she purchased in Japan.
Concerned that the landlord wouldn’t want to rent to her because of her age, she was pleasantly surprised when she got the apartment. “The light is amazing,” Weiss said. “I was initially worried about some of the modern touches like the overhead lighting, but it floods the room with bright light that allows me to work at night.”
Nearly a year after moving in, Weiss has filled the apartment with her stitched collages, quilts and the artworks of others, many of which she described as “trades.” “I like color and pattern and objects,” she said as she pointed out some Japanese ceramics on her buffet and a dress that she crocheted with scraps of fabric, yarn and metal.
In the guest room, a wall hanging composed of three separate weavings in a gingham check pattern is embroidered with a series of characters she based on her 5-year-old granddaughter’s drawings. “It’s about people coming together in chaos and supporting each other,” Weiss said. “I like the pattern; it reminds me of eating together on picnic tables.”
“I like objects,” Weiss said of the many treasures and collections of things that are featured throughout her rental.
On the opposite wall of the guest room above her sewing machine, a series of metal sculptures she knitted with copper and silver hangs alongside cloth dolls and purses. In the corner, a cowl made of macrame, textiles and yarn adorns a mannequin. There’s also a colorful latch hook rug that she made with acrylic yarn that looks more like artwork than a functional accessory.
In her bedroom, a coverlet that Weiss assembled from vintage quilts adorns the bed.
The long hallway ends at the laundry room and is lined with her colorful quilts, some of which are mounted on Homasote board, along with weavings and stitched works, which, like her cooking, are improvisational.
“I work without planning and respond to the materials and see what it becomes,” she said. “I start knitting and see where it goes. I get excited about the material, and then I go for it. “
The hallway in Weiss’s apartment is lined with her artworks.
Much of the wood furniture in her apartment was made by her father, who died 13 years ago.
“I’ve had this since my kids were little, and you can see all the markings,” she said of the hutch in the corner of her dining room. “My dad made it 40 years ago for the Van Nuys house I grew up in.”
It is here, at the dining room table that her father made, that she works, hosts workshops and teaches lessons in fiber art, collage and stitching. Later this year, she hopes to host a sale of her work at a holiday open house in her apartment.
Weiss is an expert in mixing texture, pattern and color in her Mid-Wilshire apartment.
The mixing of colorful Persian rugs, textiles, natural materials, chunky wood pieces and intricately knitted metal sculptures creates a warm balance throughout her apartment.
Bursting with color and pattern, the rooms offer a sense of calm that Weiss appreciates as a woman who raised three daughters alone and has had to pivot during major life changes. Over the years, she has run a clothing company, Rebe, which closed in 2019 due to economic uncertainty, declared bankruptcy and sold her Woodland Hills house. Most recently, she was forced to weather the eviction process.
“I’ve always been an entrepreneur,” said Weiss, who works six to eight hours a day at home and sells her artwork and sewing patterns on her Specks and Keepings website and at L.A. Homefarm in Glassell Park. “I’ll always figure out a way to make money by selling the things that I make.”
Even though the process of having to move was stressful, Weiss is happy with her new home and neighborhood. “I take the Metro bus everywhere and hardly ever drive,” she said. “I go to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market on Sundays. Kaiser is nearby and I can walk to LACMA. Everything worked out perfectly.”
Weiss pulls out a drawer of her flat files cabinet filled with her artwork.
When I first laid eyes on the stunning work of artist Laura Naples almost a decade ago in the pages of Domino magazine, I was immediately hooked. Since then, I have followed her incredible journey as a contemporary artist and have gained so much inspiration and joy from her personal style and home interiors. It only felt natural to get an inside look at what she has her eye on this season, and there’s no better place to shop than one of our mutual favorite retailers—Nordstrom.
Naples is known for her thoughtful process when it comes to her work, so it’s no surprise that she approaches shopping in the same regard. She gave me more insight into this, sharing that there are three factors that she considers most: “Color, texture, and form [are] integrated across the environments I cultivate, whether in my work as an artist, how I dress myself, or in my surroundings at home.” With Naples’s philosophy, I thought it fitting to have her break down her top picks at Nordstrom with color, texture, and form in mind.
Keep scrolling to check out the artist’s chic fashion, beauty, and home finds, including her signature studio look as well as an array of her gorgeous abstract paintings woven throughout for added inspiration.
