The arts and cultural center, at 1101 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn, will now be closed to the public on Monday and Tuesdays, except when an evening event is scheduled. It will be open 4:00 to 11:00 p.m. on Wednesdays through Fridays, noon to 11 p.m. on Saturdays (or later if programming warrants), and noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Whereas Artisphere was once open to the public for some 85 hours per week, it is now only scheduled to be open 37 hours per week.
If you’re still looking for something to do as the night cools down, maybe taking in some live music would warm your spirits. Urban folk musician Justin Trawick, who lives in Arlington, is holding a CD release show.
He’s performing at Artisphere’s Dome Theater along with pop-rock act Andy Zipf and opening act Amanda Lee. Trawick is promoting his new album “You and I,” which will be on sale at the event.
Artisphere Executive Director Jose Ortiz admits that errors have been made, but hopes that even Artisphere’s most ardent critics can place their focus on the future.
“We have all acknowledged we didn’t meet the unrealistic goals set in the original plan,” Ortiz said. “Not all of these ideas and thoughts were great and now we’re fine tuning that.”
Circuit Court Judge to Retire — Arlington Circuit Court Judge Joanne F. Alper, the first woman appointed to the Arlington Circuit Court, has announced her retirement. Alper plans to retire on May 31, 2012, after serving on the circuit court since 1998. “Judge Alper developed a reputation as a tough, fair, hard-working Trial Judge,” the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office said in a press release. “She enjoys complex litigation, challenging legal issues, and is known as a champion for Victim’s Rights.”
Adios, Artisphere Salsa Tuesdays? — Tonight may mark the end of Salsa Tuesdays at Artisphere, one of the few regularly-scheduled features of the financially-challenged arts facility in Rosslyn. Artisphere’s new business plan calls for the facility to be closed to the public on Tuesdays. Salsa dancing at Artisphere may return, however, on different days. [Washington City Paper]
Arlington County Board members on Tuesday expressed cautious optimism about the plan, which would cut Artisphere’s hours, close its restaurant, and generate more revenue via private event rentals. Critics we spoke to, by and large, agreed that the new business plan was an improvement over the flawed, original business plan. But they also questioned whether the County Board should have even bought in to the original business plan in the first place.
“In retrospect, it’s unfortunate the Board didn’t have the foresight presented in the task force’s business plan,” wrote Tim Wise, president of the Arlington County Taxpayers Association. “That said, it’s not clear the new business plan will fix what needs fixing. What is clear, however, is that government should restrict itself to core government functions such as police enforcement, and stay out of places where it doesn’t belong, e.g., the arts.”
A revised business plan, which will be presented to the County Board this afternoon, will suggest slashing Artisphere’s hours, shuttering its restaurant and retail store, and generating more revenue via corporate event rentals.
Even if the plan is implemented, however, the task force expects Artisphere to burn through more than $2.3 million in taxpayer funds in financial year 2012 and another $1.6 million in financial year 2013. If the new plan is shelved, Artisphere will require nearly $2.7 million in taxpayer support in FY 2012, the task force said. The one-year-old venue’s original business plan projected only $739,975 in county taxpayer support in FY 2012.
This announcement comes the same week the Arlington Commission for the Arts released its final version of a long-term plan, called “Arlington Arts 2030.” The report specifically mentioned Artisphere and the challenges it faced when opening a year ago. But the report also called Artisphere a successful first step in implementing the county’s arts vision.
Low revenue, low attendance, a lack of a restaurant for seven months and staffing issues plagued Artisphere from the start. But it revamped its business plan earlier this year and appears to be on a better track. Earlier this month, the venue hosted a birthday party to celebrate one year in existence.
The year-long process of devising the report has involved several revisions based on comments gathered at public meetings and through emails. Committee members had noted during the public meetings that although it’s difficult to predict exactly what the county’s needs will be in 20 years, Arlington has experienced a steady push toward urbanization. The report assumes such a push will continue, and therefore arts programs should expand accordingly.
The report suggests that although desire for arts has increased in the community, avenues for acquiring funding have decreased. As a result, among the more than two dozen recommended actions listed is the idea of restructuring grant programs. Other suggestions include raising funds for an arts facility renovation, revising policies for renting facilites and marketing the arts to promote audience growth.
Depends who you ask.
Artisphere turned one year old yesterday, but the young venue has yet to become a consistent draw or even a household name. Instead, scenes of young people having fun at an Artisphere birthday bash over the weekend contrast with the cold, hard numbers from a recent Washington Post article: attendance 70 percent below expectations, operating expenses more than 25 percent over budget. Although Arlington County taxpayers helped front Artisphere’s $6.7 million build-out cost, only 28 percent of visitors are actually from Arlington.
The art space and venue has seen its share of trouble during its year in existence. There was no restaurant on site for the first seven months, the executive director didn’t start until three months after opening, and both attendance and revenue were low.
But earlier this year, Artisphere revamped its business plan. Staff say it has taken a little longer to get there, but things appear to be back on track. The hope is that the birthday bash will introduce new patrons to the venue and what it offers.
The outdoor installation is Arlington’s entry into Park(ing) Day, “an annual, worldwide event that invites citizens everywhere to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good.” A sign posted on the sidewalk invites passersby to “relax, hang, be Zen.”
Despite the chilly weather, a few people have taken refuge in the space, which was designed by Apartment Zero, a “multi-disciplinary design and curatorial studio.”
BRAC Not Too Bad, After All — Today is the deadline for the transfer of military offices affected by the Base Realignment and Closure Act. By today, 17,000 jobs were supposed to have moved out of Arlington County (mostly Crystal City) and into secure military installations like Ft. Belvoir. But in the end, the feared deadline is coming and going “with little fanfare.” The Associated Press reports that 10,000 of the 17,000 BRACed jobs are still here and expected to remain through as late as 2014, thanks to extensions granted by the Department of Defense. [Washington Post]
Pumpkins Arrive in Clarendon — The first pumpkins of the season showed up yesterday at the Clarendon Farmers Market. [Clarendon Culture]
