A former Walgreens on Langston Blvd is being converted to host a seven-week arts extravaganza.
The 5,000 square feet of space will provide the backdrop for a succession of mini-galleries featuring the work of dozens of Arlington Artists Alliance members, plus discussion areas, workshop spaces and dining/shopping options.
An opening reception will take place today (Thursday) from 5-7 p.m. A total of 45 artists will be on hand each succeeding weekend — Fridays through Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. — to meet with the public and display and sell their works.
“This is such a rare opportunity,” said Sandi Chesrown, one of the organizers of The ARTS Place Pop-Up, which takes advantage of a space made available by Rooney Development.
Among the participants is Andrea Schellman, who works in oils and was busy last week preparing her exhibition space in the former pharmacy. The store closed in late 2024 in preparation for the redevelopment of the parcel at 3130 Langston Blvd.
“I hope I’m going to meet a lot of people,” Schellman told ARLnow.
She said she appreciated the amount of space available to artists at the show/sale.
“It’s really hard to find space for bigger paintings,” Schellman said. “I like the chance to put things up that are bigger.”
Works in nearly every artistic genre will be on view at the event, which is free and open to the public.
In between the grand opening and a Halloween-themed closing planned for Oct. 25, the space will host art talks, workshops, performances and, in collaboration with Encore Stage & Studio, activities for children.
Potters who formerly used space at the Lee Arts Center further west on Langston Blvd also will participate. When that facility closed, they were moved to studio space in the Four Mile Run area; Chesrown said it would be nice to have them back, if temporarily, in the Langston Blvd corridor.
Now in its 26th year, the Arlington Artists Alliance is a collaborative effort of about 250 artists.
