The cultural center, at 1101 Wilson Blvd, will be hosting the exhibit’s 150 inflated silver balloons — on loan from the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh — until Sunday, Oct. 20, and it will host a kickoff party for the event tonight (Thursday) from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Silver Clouds will be presented free to the public in Artisphere’s Terrace Gallery. The clouds, which are filled with a delicate balance of air and helium, are free for visitors to walk among and touch.
Man Launches Write-In Campaign for County Board — Stephen Holbrook, a retired FBI agent, is launching a write-in campaign for Arlington County Board. Holbrook, who lives in the condominium adjacent to the planned homeless shelter in Courthouse, says he’s launching the campaign because he’s fed up with the current County Board. [Sun Gazette]
‘Gourd Palace’ in Virginia Square — Just in time for the upcoming start of fall, a “Gourd Palace Spirit House” has been built on the grounds of the Arlington Arts Center (3550 Wilson Blvd). The “living structure” was designed by Chloe Fugle, a 7th grader at the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program. [Washington Post]
Remembering the Wilson Theater — There’s a reason the condominium building at 1800 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn has a blade sign and an art deco sign above the entry way. The signs are meant to recall the previous building to stand at that location, the former Wilson Theater, which first opened in 1936. [Preservation Arlington]
Sketch of a concept for the future Nauck Town Square
Sketch of a concept for the future Nauck Town Square
Lucky Seven site in Nauck after building demolition
Sketch of a concept for the future Nauck Town Square
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced 59 “Our Town” grant awards totaling more than $4.7 million, and an Arlington project is among the recipients.
Arlington Economic Development-Arlington Public Art has been granted $75,000 to develop a public art project in the planned Nauck Town Square, which is intended to be the anchor for the Nauck Village Center. The County Board must give final approval for the grant as a formality, and that’s expected in September.
“The residents of the Nauck Community are truly thankful to the National Endowment of the Arts for their grant to assist us in planning a Town Square where all can enjoy its benefits and especially learn the history of Arlington County’s oldest African American community dating back to 1844,” said Nauck Civic Association President Dr. Alfred O. Taylor, Jr.
The NEA received 254 applications from across the country for this year’s Our Town grants. Grant amounts ranged from $25,000 to $200,000 with a median grant amount of $50,000.
“It’s very competitive. We’re very excited to be one of 59 chosen from across the country,” said Public Art Administrator Angela Adams.
The Lucky Seven store, which closed after a fire last year, previously occupied the site but was torn down earlier this year. The county had purchased the property at 2406 S. Shirlington Road in 2010 for $1.4 million.
The square eventually will take up the entire block between 24th Road South and South Shirlington Road. The county website says, “It will serve as a gathering place for residents to host a variety of community events and an area to showcase the neighborhood’s rich cultural heritage with its collection of public art.”
Arlington Public Art has commissioned landscape architect and artist Walter Hood to devise the plaza’s final design. Hood will engage Nauck residents and community leaders in the design process to create a plaza that tells the story of the Nauck community and its heritage. Adams credits Hood’s involvement as one of the reasons the NEA considered Arlington for the grant.
“I think that what we’re going to get with Walter’s involvement is a very sophisticated design that continues to make great public spaces here looking contemporary and fresh, but also reflective of the community,” said Adams. “The Nauck community has waited a long time for this.”
Community meetings to discuss the design of the project are expected to start this fall and go into next year. Construction is expected to begin in 2015.
“The County is looking forward to engaging Nauck residents and community leaders in the process of designing the plaza and art elements,” said Helen Duong with the Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development.
The famous Andy Warhol exhibit Silver Clouds will make its first visit to the region in the fall at Rosslyn’s Artisphere.
Silver Clouds will consist of 150 silver balloons suspended in the air after being filled with a careful mix of helium and air, according to Artisphere. Artisphere has started an IndieGogo campaign to try to raise $10,000 to offset the cost of maintaining the balloons’ delicate inflation balance.
The exhibit will open Thursday, Sept. 12 in the Terrace Gallery and will be free to the public. Silver Clouds will be on loan from The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pa., and will be open until Sunday, Oct. 20.
Artisphere is located at 1101 Wilson Blvd. Opening night will be from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
“This uplifting installation defies the traditional perceived constrictions of art,” the Artisphere press release announcing the event states, “as the Silver Clouds interact with the viewer and each other, inviting response and igniting a sense of wonder.”
The exhibition will be complemented by a series of public programs, including a commissioned dance piece and interactive workshop by Dance Exchange. Spanish new media artist Sergio Albiac will be creating a commissioned generative portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama inspired by Andy Warhol’s signature portraiture.
The Arlington County Board is scheduled to decide over the weekend on a series of grants for local arts organizations and artists.
The Arlington Commission for the Arts recommended that 18 arts organizations and one individual artist receive direct financial support as part of the county’s Fiscal Year 2014 art grants. One of the organizations set to receive a grant, Signature Theatre, withdrew itself from consideration after it accepted a $250,000 tax bailout from the county in May.
The following are among the recipients of the $199,100 worth of proposed grants.
The American Century Theater — $9,780.00
Arlington Arts Center — $39,118.00
Arlington Philharmonic Association — $1,356.00
The Arlington Players — $6,457.00
Bowen McCauley Dance — $19,108.00
Dominion Stage — $2,421.00
Educational Theatre Company — $4,970.00
Encore Stage and Studio — $11,923.00
IBIS: A Chamber Music Society — $4,564.00
Jane Franklin Dance — $2,891.00
The Metropolitan Chorus — $3,951.00
National Chamber Ensemble — $2,362.00
Prelude: The Arlington Youth Orchestral Program — $3,420.00
Synetic Theater — $39,701.00
Teatro de la Luna — $14,969.00
UrbanArias, Inc. — $8,160.00
Washington Balalaika Society — $4,947.00
Washington Shakespeare Company — $14,002.00
Hendrick Sundquist for “Supply and Demand, A Natural History of Consumption” — $5,000.00
Additionally, the following are to receive facilities and technical services grants from the county:
Alma Boliviana, The Arlington Artists Alliance, The Arlington Children’s Chorus, The Arlingtones, BalletNova Center for Dance, Bangladesh Center for Community Development, Inc., Cambodian American Heritage, Inc., Carmen de Vicente Spanish Dance Academy, Centro Cultural Peru., Dance Asia, El Tayrona, Festival Argentino, First Draft at Charter Theater, Halau O’Aulani, Hexagon, Indian Dance Educators Association, Los Quetzales Mexican Dance Ensemble, Matices DC, Old Dominion Cloggers, Opera NOVA, Potomac Harmony Chorus, Prio Bangla, Inc., The ProBolivan Committee, Signature Theatre, Tinkus Tiataco USA, Vietnamese Cultural Society of Metropolitan Washington, Washington Area Mongolian Community Association.
Instagram Has Video Filter Called ‘Clarendon’ — Updated at 2:25 p.m. –Yesterday, Facebook-owned photo app Instagram rolled out a feature that allows users to record video. As with photos, users can apply filters to the video. One of those filters is called “Clarendon,” but it turns out it was named after a street in San Francisco, not the Arlington neighborhood. [Instagram, All Things D]
Abingdon Book Bus Returns — After a successful summer of book distribution last year, the Abingdon Elementary book bus will return on July 9. The book bus is one of several summer reading initiatives for Arlington students this year. [Arlington Public Schools]
Road Closure For Art Festival — A road closure is planned for the inaugural Arlington Festival of the Arts in Clarendon. N. Highland Street will be closed between Washington Blvd and N. Hartford Street. Wilson and Clarendon Blvds will remain open during the festival, which runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. [ArtFestival.com]
Pike Sculpture Honored — Echo, the sculpture on display at Penrose Square on Columbia Pike, has been honored as a “top 50” public art project for 2013. The sculpture “provides a modern interpretation of Arlington’s significant contribution to the history of communication.” [Arlington County]
Disclosure: Art festival promoter Howard Alan Events is an ARLnow.com advertiser. Hat tips (Instagram item) to @reddusfoximus and @jeffchin21.
Funeral for Arlington Firefighter Injured on 9/11 — A funeral will be held today for an Arlington firefighter who was a first responder on 9/11. Phillip McKee III suffered a severe leg injury while battling fires at the Pentagon following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack. He also inhaled toxic dust and later suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. His family says McKee, 41, died from complications from those injuries. McKee, who held degrees from Yale and Harvard, was openly gay and is survived by his husband and partner of 15 years. [Washington Blade]
County Officials: No Subsidies for Gov’t Agencies — With the county still reeling from the impending loss of the National Science Foundation, Arlington officials are sticking to their guns and saying that offering tax breaks and other financial incentives to lure federal agencies is bad policy. Arlington Economic Development Director Terry Holzheimer is pushing for the General Services Administration to disclose additional information related to the decision to move the NSF to Alexandria by 2017. “None of it makes any sense,” Holzheimer said of the decision and its impact to other government tenants in Ballston. [Washington Business Journal]
Bluemont Trail Improvements — Arlington County crews will be widening a section of the Bluemont Trail between Buchanan Street and the Ballston Holiday Inn this month. Crews will also be removing obstructions and landscaping around the trail. [Bike Arlington]
Democratic Primary Today — Democrats will go to the polls today in Virginia to vote in the primary for lieutenant governor and attorney general. Among the candidates is Arlington resident Aneesh Chopra, who’s running for lieutenant governor. Polls will remain open in Arlington from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. [Arlington County]
A large-scale performance art festival is coming to office lobbies, rooftops, parks and other public places in Rosslyn this weekend.
The SUPERNOVA Performance Art Festival, sponsored by the Rosslyn Business Improvement District and produced by Pink Line Project, will take place from Friday, June 7 to Sunday, June 9. Events range from an “art sports competition” to a large-scale grass painting project to an “outrageous” dance party.
“SUPERNOVA is a multi-site, multi-day, transdisciplinary, anti-conventional festival that will include and not be limited to: performance art, live art, body art, relational art, action art, happenings, actions, interventions, works-as-yet-undefined, and those never-to-be defined. Or whatever you want, or refuse, to call it,” according to the festival website.
More than 75 local, national and international artists will take part in the festival.
Performance schedules for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are posted online. Tickets to Saturday’s “Big Bang Dance Party,” which is being held from 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. at Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd), are $15 and available online.
With the exception of the dance party, all events are free and open to the public.
Disclosure: Rosslyn BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser
Shoppers and passersby will be treated to acoustic music and art in Clarendon starting next month.
On the weekend of June 22 and 23, national art show promoter Howard Alan Events will hold the inaugural “Arlington Festival of the Arts,” a “two-day juried outdoor gallery style art exhibit” featuring various works from “100 of the finest artists in the country.”
The festival is free and will take place each day from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., on N. Highland Street near the Clarendon Metro station.
“Festival patrons can expect to see bold and vibrant paintings, contemporary and whimsical art, life-size sculptures, photography, handcrafted jewelry and much more,” said a press release. “A food festival hosted by the Clarendon Alliance will be located adjacent to the Metro Station stop on Clarendon Boulevard and Highland Street. Admission to the art show is free and open to the public.”
In addition to viewing art, festival-goers will, of course, also be able to purchase art. Prices will range from $25 to $30,000, according to organizers.
Also in June, the Market Common Clarendon shopping center (2700 Clarendon Blvd) will kick off a summer-long acoustic music festival. Concert-goers are encouraged to bring picnic blankets or lawn chairs to the free concerts, in the Market Common Clarendon courtyard.
The concerts will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday nights. The scheduled artist lineup is as follows.
New Bikeshare Stations in Shirlington — Two new Capital Bikeshare stations have been installed in the Shirlington area. The stations are located at Four Mile Run Drive and S. Shirlington Road, and at S. Arlington Mill Drive and Four Mile Run Drive. [Facebook]
Notable Trees Recognized — The Arlington County Board recognized 19 “notable trees” around the county on Tuesday. The honor is “an initiative of the Arlington Beautification Committee that recognizes residents who maintain and preserve outstanding trees.” There are now 265 trees registered in Arlington as part of the Notable Tree program, which began in 1987. “I am proud to live in a community that places such value on its trees,” said County Board Chair Walter Tejada. [Arlington County]
Lee Arts Center Lauded — The Lee Arts Center, at 5722 Lee Highway, is “one of Arlington County’s best kept secrets,” according to local arts writer James George. The county-run facility hosts a gallery and studios for ceramics and printmaking. [Examiner.com]
Fatshorty’s Now Open for Lunch — Fatshorty’s, the new beer and sausage restaurant in Clarendon, is now open for lunch, according to owner Aaron Gordon. The restaurant will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Monday, and 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The underground McDonald’s in Crystal City has closed and will eventually be replaced with art studios.
The restaurant, at 2155 Crystal Square Arcade, was not visible from the outside; it was entirely inside the underground Crystal City Shops, and thus got most of its business from lunch-goers who work in the area. The closure comes as Crystal City faces higher office vacancies and fewer workers as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC). As of January, almost 20 percent of Crystal City’s 12.5 million square feet of office space was vacant.
The McDonald’s space is expected to be used as art studio space as part of the Crystal City Business Improvement District’s new “Art Underground” initiative. The project, set to launch on March 16, is intended to transform “five blocks of Crystal City’s interior retail space into a vibrant arts and cultural destination with galleries, studios, interactive exhibits and activities, performance and classroom spaces, and a host of special events.”
The space will be run by the Arlington Artists Alliance and will be open to local artists who are looking for a space “to create, practice and showcase their talents.”
“We’re extremely excited to transform the underground in a way that we think is active and fresh, and really activates the retail space and gives people a reason to come to Crystal City,” said BID president Angela Fox.
Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser
Andy Warhol’s famous Silver Clouds exhibit is open starting tonight at Artisphere.
