Arts Focus: Arlington — Home for Art and Artists

This is a column written and sponsored by Arlington Arts / Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

From the sidewalk to a coffee shop art happens everywhere, as evidenced by the photo above. Called “…one of the best and most innovative projects in the region,” (Washington City Paper, “The Year In Galleries”, 2017), Arlington Arts’ Full Dome Projection Series of artist installations takes place in the David M. Brown Planetarium.

Two upcoming activities invite public input about where art lives, as well as where artists themselves reside.

The Arlington Cultural Facilities Task Force invites you to Visioning Arlington’s Cultural Spaces, a platform for you to explore and envision future cultural spaces in Arlington, from 1-2:30 p.m., this Saturday, March 3 at Kenmore Middle School.

The task force was created to develop a vision and priorities to inform County decision making about cultural facilities, and the public is invited to provide input to guide their work.

The conversation starts by hearing your thoughts on how you express your personal creativity, the events you attend and participate in (whether in Arlington or not), and what resonates with you. You’ll also brainstorm with your neighbors about the future of arts and culture in Arlington, and your vision for Arlington’s cultural facilities and spaces.

But what about space for artists themselves?

Arlington Arts and Artspace invite artists and creatives from throughout Maryland, The District and Virginia to an Arts Market Survey Launch Event and Reception on Thursday, March 22 from 6-8 p.m. Artists within a 50 mile radius of the County are asked to participate in the survey where they’ll identify their current and future needs.

Arlington Arts is collaborating with Artspace, the highly respected national arts-based non-profit based in Minneapolis, MN, to create affordable live and/or work spaces for artists in Arlington. Artspace has consulted with hundreds of cities across the country and completed successful projects in the region, including Washington D.C. and Mt. Rainier, MD, but this will be their first project in Virginia.