Members of the Columbia Pike Artist Studios will open their doors to the public this weekend, with a goal of demystifying art for the broader community.
“A lot of people are intimidated” by the artistic process, Laura Bollettino, one of the 22 artists in the cooperative, told ARLnow.
Those who visit the family-friendly event will be welcomed with open arms, she said.
“We’re friendly — we love talking about our art, our process,” Bollettino said.
Since 1989, Columbia Pike Artist Studios has been located on the second floor of 932 S. Walter Reed Drive, around the corner from the entrance to Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse.
The open house will run Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14-15, from 2-5 p.m. each day. Admission is free, and parking is available in the “No Fringe Parking” lot behind McDonald’s or at the Arlington Public Schools’ lot adjacent to the Grace Hopper Center.
“Enjoyment of art is one of the reasons to come and talk to the people and get the story behind the art,” said fellow artist Ursula Seckel.
Seckel works in a field called “creative reuse,” using items that otherwise would be discarded. During the open houses, which take place several times a year, she encourages attendees to join in.
“I invite people to do art with me,” she said.
The nearly two dozen artists working out of the space span a wide swath of visual art.
“We have everything — pretty much the whole spectrum,” Bollettino said.
For those who wish to purchase art, “there’s every kind of budget item,” she added.
Attendees tend to come not just from the Columbia Pike corridor and elsewhere in Arlington, but from throughout the D.C. region.
“We have a lot of people who come to every one,” said participating artist Joanne Mazarella.
One who has been involved since the beginning is Anne Hancock, who helped found the initiative more than 35 years ago.
She credited now-retired county official Tom Parker with helping artists find the space, and the late philanthropist Preston Caruthers with funding its transformation from a factory-outlet store to a creative cocoon.
The current property owners have “kept it up pretty well,” Hancock said.
In addition to Bollettino, Hancock, Seckel and Mazarella, Columbia Pike Artist Studios members include Karen Bland, Rhys Conlon, Johnny Dukovich, Helen Ginberg, Paula Lantz, Susan McElhinney, Nan Morrison, Bridget Murphy, Robbie Namy, Anna Radjou, Ruth Sievers, Margaret Stewart, Monica Stroik and Alice Whealin.
Andrew Schneider, executive director of the Columbia Pike Partnership, plans to attend the open house. He called it “one of my favorite annual events on the Pike.”
“We not only get to celebrate this diverse collection of artists who share their talents with the community, but it is also a wonderful reminder of all the cultural and artistic diversity we have,” he said.
Schneider said there was a growing appreciation of the importance of art throughout the Pike corridor, pointing to the recent dedication of a large mural on a west-facing wall of the Goodwill building near Barcroft Apartments.
“We are grateful to have so many great artists and outlets to celebrate the arts and support the Pike’s long-term economic development,” he said.
