arts

Public art studio, complete with velociraptor sculpture, opens at Amazon HQ2

By Daniel Egitto
1/3

An art studio featuring free classes and a light-up scrapyard velociraptor opened its doors yesterday (Wednesday) in Pentagon City.

Catherine Anchin, executive director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington (MoCA), cut the ribbon for the new Innovation Studio + Store alongside several local officials at Amazon’s second headquarters. The project, a collaboration between Amazon and MoCA, seeks to take a fresh approach to connecting the public with contemporary art.

“It’s really about innovation and helping people to understand contemporary art a little bit better, and get excited about being creative,” Anchin said.

The studio at 525 14th Street S. will rotate through artists-in-residence every six weeks. The first of these creatives, Arlington artist Adam Henry, plans to take an active role in the neighborhood by sketching people and partnering with local restaurants and businesses — in addition to showing off his raptor.

“Our secret is, we make things we like and try to make them, like, really ‘wow,’” Henry said.

The creator soon plans to host the studio’s first class, which will be a vision board workshop. He will also start work on cardboard sculptures with the help of his 17-year-old son and apprentice, who is also named Adam Henry.

Patrick Phillippi, head of community engagement at Amazon HQ2, said the studio is part of Amazon’s broader focus on “being a good partner to this neighborhood.”

The tech giant has already bankrolled $14 million in renovations to Metropolitan Park, adjacent to HQ2. That park hosted the debut of a new farmer’s market when the first phase of the massive office complex opened in June.

New locations of local businesses, such as Conte’s Bike Shop and Good Company Doughnuts, have also opened in ground floor retail spaces since then.

Phillippi said he wants to further the mission of MoCA — formerly known as the Arlington Arts Center — which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. He spoke warmly of his experiences at the Virginia Square museum, which rebranded in 2022, during the ribbon cutting.

“You really just get an immediate sense that art is accessible, that art is open to everybody,” Phillippi said. “And this studio is such a great expansion of that. It is a privilege for Amazon to have you guys here.”

Guests at Wednesday’s grand opening included business leaders, who praised the project from both an arts and a business perspective.

Tracy Sayegh Gabriel, who leads the National Landing Business Improvement District, said she believes the project will serve as “a true cultural anchor” that serves the area’s needs.

“We’ve had a lot of business openings in the last year or so, but our community has really been craving more arts and cultural offerings and programming,” she said. “We’re so thrilled to, with MoCA, have a museum presence in our neighborhood.”

Kate Bates, president and CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, is eager to see how the studio contributes to the area’s sense of community.

“The culture is a huge, important part of what makes Arlington a great place for our businesses to locate in, and those of us who live here as well,” she said. “Congratulations to MoCA. We look forward to 50 more wonderful years and then some.”

Inner Ear Studios demolition falls behind schedule due to surprise structural issues

By Jo DeVoe
1/4

Demolition of the old Inner Ear Studios in Green Valley is expected to start this month, after some delays.

“This project was delayed after the discovery of unforeseen structural conditions with the adjoining building,” Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services Public Engagement Specialist Alyson Jordan Tomaszewski told ARLnow.

“After modifying the construction plans, we are now expecting demolition to start later this month and conclude in spring 2024,” she continued, noting that the issues were discovered in May.

Arlington County acquired the nearly 70-year-old warehouse and building at 2700 S. Nelson and 2701 S. Oakland streets — once the epicenter of the D.C. punk scene — in late 2021.

Deeming the building structurally unsound, the county decided to demolish it and build a flexible open space for arts programming. It aims to create an arts and industry district in Green Valley and make the arts more accessible in south Arlington.

The county approved a contract for demolition work last December and, at the time, work was expected to take 180 days and wrap up this summer. The surprise structural conditions have delayed the timeline several months and depleted the contingency budget down to $15,700, per a county report.

This weekend, the Arlington County Board is set to approve a $100,000 contract increase to cover “unforeseen conditions that are likely to be revealed” during the remaining work, the report says.

“Previously authorized contingency has been expended to implement structural modifications that were required due to unknown structural connections with adjoining buildings,” the report says. “The structural modifications have been resolved and demolition of the building is proceeding.”

If approved, the new funds will bring the total contract with Demolition Services, Inc. to nearly $547,750. Even with the contract increase, the overall budget for this project remains unchanged at $1,136,633, the report says.

Meantime, this August, the county released the final design plans for the new, temporary art space. It will be nestled among the Arlington Food Assistance Center and the Arlington Cultural Affairs building — now home to an outpost of Arlington Independent Media — and across from Jennie Dean Park.

A project webpage projects the space will be installed and open in 2024.

The designs take inspiration from Inner Ear Studios and nearby Four Mile Run, according to a video.

A plywood drum riser salvaged from Inner Ear Studios will sit atop a small outdoor stage, which has as a backdrop the corner of a wall saved from the original building.

“This small performance area serves as a monument to the creativity of the hundreds of local and national bands that recorded on this site from 1990 to 2021,” the video says. “Through a public workshop the wall will be decorated with wheatpasted print media including historical and cultural contributions from local communities and reprinted album covers from records recorded here.”

Thin blue and teal lines will criss-cross the pavement, evoking “a flowing river,” while string lights will serve as “gateways into the space,” the video says.

Lawns on either side of the small, Inner Ear-inspired stage will have outdoor sculptures and a mobile stage with a screen for movie projections. Planted berms and concrete blocks will provide a seating while a pergola will double as a shade structure and outdoor art gallery.

Inner Ear Studios has since relocated to the basement of owner Don Zientara’s Arlington house.

Barcroft Apartments developer bringing new community art space to the Pike

By Caroline Gage
A new sign is installed at Studio PAUSE on Columbia Pike (courtesy of Krista Brick)

The real estate company renovating and redeveloping the Barcroft Apartments is helping a local art studio expand its reach.

After renovating a Western Union in the Barcroft Shopping Center on Columbia Pike, owner Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners donated the lease to Studio PAUSE. There, the Arlington-based studio will host art and writing workshops, which will be free for Barcroft residents but for a fee for other community members.

With loans from Arlington County and Amazon, Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners the Barcroft Apartments in 2021 with plans to set aside all 1,344 units for affordable housing. At the time, it also purchased a Penske rental facility and nearby strip mall, which the company says it has no “immediate” plans to redevelop, but could nonetheless figure into future plans.

Instead, Jair Lynch views the shopping center as a place to foster the existing community at Barcroft — through the arts.

“The Barcroft Shopping Center adjacent to the Barcroft Apartments property is not just a convenient location for an arts center, it is already occupied by beloved retail tenants like Goodwill and Café Sazón,” Krista Brick, a representative for Jair Lynch, told ARLnow.

“The location along the Columbia Pike Corridor encourages members of the Barcroft community and our neighbors to learn from each other in a setting that fosters understanding and expression,” she continued.

The former Western Union space will be the third location for Studio PAUSE, which has also received donations from the county.

“Working with local community advocate BU-GATA and the Columbia Pike Partnership, the location was identified as a prime opportunity to work with Studio PAUSE to celebrate the diversity of Barcroft and empower our residents to tell their story through art,” said Mark Hannan, an investment manager at Jair Lynch, in a press release.

Studio PAUSE — an acronym for “People, Art, Understand, Share, Explore” — was started by Sushmita Mazumdar in 2013. The writer, artist and educator wanted to create a space where people could share stories and explore their creativity. Mazumdar is also part of the Columbia Pike Documentary Project, which will display photos, books and interviews in the new studio space.

The studio currently runs programs in the Gates of Ballston apartment complex, run by nonprofit affordable housing developer AHC Inc.

“We believe the collaboration between Barcroft Apartments and Studio PAUSE will provide a much-needed space for creativity, arts, and mental wellness,” said Columbia Pike Partnership Executive Director Kim Klingler in the press release. “We look forward to collaborating and making this a welcoming space for the community.”

Rosslyn Jazz Fest to return in September for its 31st year

By Hallie LeTendre
1/4

The Rosslyn Jazz Fest is returning for its 31st year, with groups coming from as near as across the Potomac and as far as New Orleans.

The free outdoor event will take place on Sept. 9 from 1-7 p.m. in Gateway Park (1300 Landston Blvd).

Throughout the afternoon, performers will take the stage to play a variety of music styles, from R&B to soul and hip-hop to traditional jazz, a press release said. There will also be food trucks and games for attendees to enjoy.

Headlining the event is New Orleans-based quintet Galactic, which has performed with famous acts such as Dave Matthews Band and the Allman Brothers Band, and at high-profile venues, including Coachella.

Other groups include:

  • Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez
  • D.C.-based Oh He Dead, a six-piece group known for playing everything from soul to rock and putting on energetic live shows
  • DuPont Brass, a nine-person group that got its start playing in D.C. Metro stations

“Over the last three decades, Jazz Fest has become Arlington’s largest outdoor music festival that the community has come to know and love,” said Mary-Claire Burick, the president of the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, which co-sponsors the event. “Jazz Fest exemplifies the vibrancy of our region and this year’s diverse lineup of artists will fill Gateway Park and bring us together to enjoy an afternoon of great music and fun with family and friends.”

This year’s lineup will get audience members jazzed about the wide-ranging genre, according to Josh Stoltzfus, the director of the Arlington County Cultural Affairs Division.

“Fueled by the deep creative well of jazz and its extensions, Jazz Fest is a showcase for artists who are inspired to take music in new directions,” he said in a statement. “From the Afro-Cuban jazz throughline of Pedrito Martinez, to Galactic’s fresh take on the musical mash-up of New Orleans traditions, to the soulful Oh He Dead, this year’s high-energy mix of genres will keep audiences on their feet.”

Ticketing for the festival will open on Aug. 1. Guests are not required to register for the event, however, it is encouraged in accordance with the park’s capacity limits, the festival webpage said.

Synetic Theater’s Paata Tsikurishvili injured in “serious” crash, delaying show

By Matt Blitz
Synetic Theater’s Beauty and the Beast (photo courtesy of Synetic Theater/Johnny Shryock)

Synetic Theater’s premiere of War of Worlds has been delayed after co-founder Paata Tsikurishvili suffered what are described as serious injuries in a vehicle crash.

In an update last Friday, the Crystal City-based theater company said that its co-founder and artistic director Tsikurishvili had been hospitalized for a number of days “as a result of injuries he sustained in a serious car accident.”

The injuries included “several broken bones” but no head trauma, the theater company said. He’s expected to make a full recovery and “is recovering faster than expected” but he is in need of a several-month rehabilitation period, Synetic said.

The crash was first announced in early December, but few details were provided.

“The Tsikurishvili family thanks the many people who reached out with words of support. Those who wish to send good wishes may do so at [email protected],” the update notes.

Due to the co-founder’s need for recovery, the theater’s “largest and most ambitious production in its history” is being pushed back from the spring to the fall.

The Tsikurishvili-directed War of the Worlds was set to debut at Synetic Theater in March but now is planning a fall premiere, per the update:

Prior to the accident, Mr. Tsikurishvili was finishing work on the world premiere of War of the Worlds-Synetic’s largest and most ambitious production in its history-which was scheduled to begin workshopping and rehearsals immediately after the holidays. In order to give him the time and space to focus on his recovery, War of the Worlds, slated to open March 3, 2023, will be postponed until Fall 2023 (precise dates to be announced).”

The production is based on the famed 1897 H.G. Wells story about an alien invasion of Earth and the threat to humankind. The sci-fi tale has been continuously adapted over the last century, including by Steven Spielberg for his 2005 movie starring Tom Cruise. Synetic is now set to adapt it into a physical, wordless stage production.

“In [this] latest iteration, War of the Worlds leaps off the page and onto the stage through Synetic’s wordless Physical Theater style and its signature immersive, multimedia production design,” reads the website’s description.

In the show’s place, a revival of the 2014 production Beauty and the Beast will now take the stage in March. It’s being choreographed by the other half of Synetic’s husband-and-wife founding duo, Irina Tsikurishvili, and directed by managing director Ben Cunis.

The show will run until April 2 and the theater warns the show is for ages seven years or older.

“This production of Beauty and the Beast contains fantasy violence and may be scary to younger children,” the theater warns. “Parental guidance is advised. Please note that this is not the Disney musical.”

Known for its physical and nearly wordless theater, Synetic Theater first moved to Crystal City from Rosslyn in 2010. It nearly lost its lease at 1800 S. Bell Street in 2018 but building owner JBG Smith backtracked and agreed to let them stay. Like many performing arts venues, Synetic ceased live performances for more than a year during the pandemic.

In October, the theater debuted a “bloody” adaption of Dracula. Directed by Tsikurishvili, it turned out to be the last show he will likely direct for at least a year.

Two designs emerge for a community space where Inner Ear Studios used to be

By Jo DeVoe
1/11

Two design concepts have emerged for a temporary outdoor arts space where Inner Ear Studios, the epicenter of the D.C. punk scene, used to be.

Last year, Arlington County acquired two parcels of land — 2700 S. Nelson Street and 2701 S. Oakland Street — and the warehouse that sits on it, which housed Inner Ear, a Ben & Jerry’s catering outfit and, temporarily, part of Arlington Food Assistance Center, while its main building was under renovation.

Shortly after the acquisition, Arlington County began making plans to raze it and build an outdoor entertainment space as part of an effort to implement an arts and industry district in Green Valley.

Dealing with the optics of demolishing a famed recording studio to build an arts and industry district, the arts division argues the space responds to community needs and makes art more accessible.

“Arlington County is prioritizing a community-based vision that is reflective of local needs and ideas for public arts programming,” per a recent report.

So this spring and summer, Arlington Arts and a placemaking and public arts firm Graham Projects engaged with nearly 400 people, nearly half of whom live or work nearby in Green Valley, Shirlington and elsewhere, through in-person and virtual events, as well as an online engagement page.

Participants shared their feedback on colors, themes, local history and programming, which formed the basis of the two designs. Generally, they envisioned an open space with natural landscaping and plantings, murals and temporary sculpture installations.

Respondents suggested creating a space that could host open-mic nights, art classes, festivals, kids performances, movie nights, partnerships with schools and community arts programs, and food-related programming to dovetail off the work of nearby Arlington Food Assistance Center, per the report.

Some requested multicultural programming and an emphasis on ethnically and racially diverse artists to highlight the same diversity in Green Valley. Others suggested a new recording studio to pay homage to Inner Ear Studios, which has returned to founder Don Zientara’s basement in Arlington Heights.

In short, as one resident said, the open space should be “a place to create music and art, and not just another performance venue or theater stage.”

Another resident urged the county not to “replicate things that are already available to the community within Jennie Dean Park.”

After going over the feedback, Graham Projects came up with two designs, dubbed the “Grid” or the “Glade.” Both feature:

  • a large event space
  • a small performance area
  • a temporary public arts space
  • a makerspace
  • natural berm seating and built seating

The “Grid” design features community tables while the “Glade” has some pergolas covering community tables.

A pergola, left, amd community tables, right (via Arlington County)

But not everyone wants to see these features take over the open space.

One had concerns that portable art would be stolen, while some others said the county should consider adding parking for visitors to and staff at the Arlington Food Assistance Center.

“‘Pave paradise’ and please, please, please, put up a parking lot,” one said.

People can provide their feedback on these designs through Monday, Nov. 21.

Demolition could start in late 2022 or early 2023, according to a county webpage for the project.

County approves new satellite location for Arlington Independent Media in Green Valley

By Jo DeVoe
Arlington Independent Media staff at work (via Arlington County)

Clarendon-based Arlington Independent Media (AIM) is expanding to a second location in Green Valley.

The community media organization will be taking over three underused audio-visual production studios at the Arlington Arts’ 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive location, according to a county press release.

AIM, which has a 40-year history in Arlington, produces video, audio, web and digital content for locals and operates the radio station WERA 96.7 FM.

On Saturday, the Arlington County Board unanimously approved a lease agreement for AIM to occupy the studio, office and storage space at 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive. This space was constructed as a Pepsi-Cola bottling plant in the mid-1940s and later served as WETA’s radio broadcast facility, per the press release.

For the next five years, with the option to extend the lease for another 25 years, AIM will occupy up to roughly 1,071 square feet, comprised of three vacant offices, two storage spaces and three studio spaces, according to the county. AIM will maintain its primary broadcast functions in Clarendon at 2701 Wilson Blvd.

Arlington acquired the facility in the early 2000s to house the Theatre on the Run black box venue, rehearsal spaces, dance studios, offices and gallery space. The studios AIM will now occupy were since used for both county and independent projects, such as the recording of a solo album by local bluegrass fiddler Roy “Speedy” Tolliver (1918-2017).

According to a county report, the new satellite location will increase collaboration between the county’s Cultural Affairs Division and AIM on audio-visual production and broadcasting projects.

“I am extremely proud and humbled to lead AIM as we expand into secondary space in South Arlington. As a longtime resident of Arlington, I respect and appreciate the rich history of the County, specifically Green Valley,” says AIM CEO Whytni Kernodle. “Team AIM is excited to bring community media to South Arlington, we look forward to connecting with the local community, meeting residents and business owners, and more.”

During the Saturday County Board meeting, Board Chair Katie Cristol said the expansion is “a long time in coming” for the “powerhouse” in media education and training, and independent art, news and entertainment.

“This unique collaboration will expand arts education and access to the wider Arlington community and provide the opportunity to share knowledge and resources,” Cristol later said in a statement. “The partnership also further the goals and vision for a thriving ‘arts and industry’ in the Four Mile Run Valley Area Plan by bringing community broadcast services as well as audio visual educational programming to the area.”

Arlington began using the “Four Mile Run Valley” name interchangeably with Green Valley — to the chagrin of some residents, who say it erases the historically Black community — in connection with a planning study that proposed an “arts and industry district” in the area.

The county is taking other steps to infuse the area with more arts programming and community facilities. Last year, Arlington acquired the former location of Inner Ear Recording Studios, once the epicenter of D.C.’s punk scene, and has plans to demolish the famed recording studio in a bid, it says, to make arts more accessible in south Arlington.

It now has ideas for a temporary outdoor arts space where the recording studio once stood (2700 S. Nelson Street). Locals can now share feedback on the future creative open space through Monday, Nov. 21.

The county says that AIM’s satellite location will “help to advance the County’s equity goals by offering the opportunity for community broadcast services and education in south Arlington and aligning with AIM’s mission to increase diverse and inclusive access to established and emerging public media for all members of our community.”

Local arts nonprofit develops plans for a new performance venue

By Jo DeVoe
Encore Stage & Studio’s 2019 production of ‘Newsies’ (courtesy of Cindy Kane Photography)

Embracing Arlington Arts has put forward a business plan for a future “Arlington Performing Arts Center.”

And it is taking great pains to prove it will survive on private financial support, and won’t take county funds or fizzle out like the county-run Artisphere in Rosslyn, which suffered from ineffective marketing and a relative lack of engagement from Arlington residents and artists.

The arts nonprofit proposes a roughly 14,300-square-foot performing arts space, with a black box main stage theater seating up to 150 people. The center would have four rehearsal studios, dressing rooms, a lobby with a box office, a concession stand, storage, offices and an art gallery wall.

“We are very excited to publish this business plan for a new venue in the County,” Embracing Arlington Arts (EAA) President Janet Kopenhaver said in a statement. “We know this is a challenge, but we also recognize that Arlington is a great County that can be made better with the addition of a performing arts/live music venue.”

Now, the organization said it is looking for the right site, and will announce its pick after consulting with the county. If the Arlington Performing Arts Center (APAC) is built as planned, the facility could cost $8 to $10 million to build, costs the nonprofit aims to cover with corporate and individual donations.

The proposed layout for an ‘Arlington Performing Arts Center’ (via Embracing Arlington Arts)

“This plan assumes that EAA will raise funds to support the new venue from investors, corporations, the developer, private individuals, foundations and other entities to cover the capital costs of the building,” the organization’s treasurer, Robert Goler, said in a statement. “Furthermore, this plan assumes no management requirement by the County, no County staff expenses, and all operating expenses being paid by the APAC operating entity.”

EAA already has some support from Amazon, which Kopenhaver thanked for “underwriting the consultant’s fees to research and draft this important document.”

“Our work with Embracing Arlington Arts is a part of our broader support of arts-focused nonprofits across the DMV,” Amazon spokeswoman Hayley Richard tells ARLnow, listing nearly a dozen other arts groups it has supported, including Signature Theatre, Arlington Arts Center and Synetic Theater.

According to the business plan, rent from theater companies and others will not fully cover the APAC’s operating expenses, and the arts booster group will have to raise about $25,000 a year to break even.

Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol has expressed excitement for the proposal.

“The opportunities that a professional mid-size venue will offer in Arlington are tremendous: It will bring high-quality arts experiences to residents and give local arts groups access to professional rehearsals and performances in Arlington,” she said in a statement included in the plan. “It’s exciting to see multiple sectors come together to support this vision, particularly in our current moment, where the arts are essential to help our community make meaning of and heal from the pandemic.”

The nonprofit surveyed residents as part of its research. While much of the feedback was positive, some predicted, according to the business plan, the APAC wouldn’t succeed because the Kennedy Center in D.C. is close by and Arlington already has too many venues.

EAA said APAC would host performances by local groups that would not be able to afford or sell out the Kennedy Center. A more modest theater would keep ticket prices down, expanding the scope of who could attend performances.

As for making do with what’s around, EAA says none of the nearly two dozen venues across the county meet the needs of several professional, local theater organizations.

Schools are too small and lack the ambiance guests expect when going to the theater, per the business plan. Meanwhile, existing privately run spaces like Synetic Theater and county-run spaces like Theatre on the Run wouldn’t be able to provide the flexibility EAA is seeking to host live music, readings, plays, receptions, artist exhibitions, camps and improv nights throughout the week.

Meanwhile, an earlier county plan that would have seen a developer build a Metro-accessible black box theater in the Virginia Square area fell through, leaving it up to private organizations like EAA to envision ways to fill the void.

“Our goal is to have a lively and vibrant facility that also serves as a community partner and good neighbor,” Kopenhaver said.

Crystal City’s Synetic Theater debuting a “bloody” adaptation of Dracula next month

By Matt Blitz
Dracula returns to Synetic Theater in Crystal City next month (photo courtesy of Synetic Theater)

Just in time for the spooky season, Crystal City’s Synetic Theater is debuting a “bloody” adaptation of Dracula.

The two-decade-old, local non-profit theater is bringing one of the world’s most famous horror stories to its stage next month, with shows starting on October 13. The show is set to run Thursday through Sunday through Nov. 6.

A special Halloween performance on Monday, Oct. 31 is planned. Additionally, on Oct. 28, Synetic is hosting its annual Halloween party Vampire Ball, which will include a performance of Dracula plus food, dancing, physical theater, and themed cocktails.

Located inside the Crystal City Shops near the Metro station, Synetic Theater first opened in the neighborhood in 2010 after previously making its home in Rosslyn. It’s known for its physical and nearly wordless theater.

This adaptation of Dracula will adhere to Synetic’s well-known style, something co-founder and the show’s director Paata Tsikurishvili believes will help tell the 125-year-old story of the “vicious vampire.”

“With minimal dialogue in our storytelling, this production relies heavily on visuals, music, physicality, and most importantly, audience interpretation,” Tsikurishvili told ARLnow about what makes their version of Dracula unique. “Whether it’s Shakespeare or Stoker, Synetic provides room for audiences to find their own meaning in our productions.”

This will be the third time that Synetic Theater has adapted Dracula, with previous performances in 2005 and 2009, and will include a number of actors reprising their roles, including Dan Istrate as Count Dracula.

Tsikurishvili said the 2022 version will have “significant updates to the costumes, choreography, and set design” but the set will continue to be “very minimalist” to allow “audiences to fully focus on the actors, movement, and story.”

It’s been something of a rough go for the venerable physical theater company over the past few years.

In late 2018, Synetic nearly lost its lease at 1800 S. Bell Street, but building owner JBG Smith backtracked and agreed to allow Synetic to stay in the building until at least the end of this year. The pandemic happened just over a year later, forcing Synetic to shut down performances. It was only late last summer when the theater got back into its space and started doing regular performances again.

With all that is happening in the world today, Tsikurishvili told ARLnow that showcasing the story of Dracula now is “very fitting.”

“When you think about the moral of Stoker’s story — it’s about confronting darkness, but not alone,” he said. “In this season and in this show, we explore otherness and what it takes to push differences aside and work together against evil.”

Arlington Arts Center rebrands as Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, debuts new exhibits

By Jo DeVoe
Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington banner (courtesy photo)

In a bid to generate more visitors, Arlington Arts Center has renamed itself the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington.

The non-profit arts organization at 3550 Wilson Blvd in the Virginia Square area is one of the largest non-federal venues for contemporary art in the D.C. area, per its website.

But the center’s leaders say it needed a new name to elevate its work to show contemporary art, support artists-in-residence and organize art classes.

“Our new name will help us increase our visibility and reflect our position as a premiere hub for contemporary art and artists and as the only art museum in Arlington County,” Catherine Anchin, its executive director, said in a press release. “Our mission to connect you with contemporary art and artists through exhibitions, education programs, and artist residencies remains the same.”

Over the last year, those involved in the rebranding initiative conducted research and interviews to see how the arts center could improve how it communicates its mission.

Last winter and spring, the arts center searched for and hired a new executive director likewise charged with raising its visibility.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington will be one of the few museums in the D.C. area without a permanent collection on display. Anchin says this will allow “MoCA Arlington” to keep up with contemporary art as it evolves.

“It is our goal that, when you visit the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, you will experience some of the most cutting-edge art by local, regional, national, and international artists, explore the power of your own creativity, engage with living artists, and further embrace Arlington’s place within a global contemporary art sector,” she said.

M0CA Arlington will reopen under its new name on Saturday from 12-8 p.m. with two new exhibits to peruse. The reopening day celebration will feature curator-led tours, art-making activities and visits to the studios of its artists-in-residence.

The first exhibit, “Assembly 2022: Time and Attention,” highlights trends in concepts and materials among today’s working artists. It features 12 artists from nine states, including Virginia, who were nominated by curators at peer organizations around the nation and selected by Blair Murphy, the curator of exhibitions for MoCA Arlington.

The second, “Let Them Kids Be Kids” by resident-artist Lex Marie, uses the playground as “a framework with which to examine the joys of Black childhood and the ways in which issues of race and equity are inscribed on the site,” Anchin said.

After Saturday’s grand reopening, the museum will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 12-5 p.m. through Dec. 18. Meanwhile, registration for fall art classes has opened.

Galleries reopened in spring 2021 and have had several exhibitions since then, Anchin told ARLnow. The museum has been closed so staff could install the forthcoming exhibits.

After the show ends in December, the center will close for two to three weeks to set up for its second show, she said.

MoCA Arlington was founded in 1974, has undergone several name changes and is located in the historic former Maury School. The building is leased through a partnership with Arlington County and holds nine exhibit galleries, studio space for artists, three classrooms, offices, and event rental space.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Sunset along Columbia Pike near the Air Force Memorial (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

County Fair Starts Today — “The Arlington County Fair will take place from August 17 – 21 at Thomas Jefferson Community Center located at 3501 2nd Street S. The Arlington County Police Department will conduct the following road closure to accommodate the event: From approximately 8:00 a.m. on August 17 to 11:00 p.m. on August 21… 2nd Street S. closed between S. Jackson Street and S. Irving Street.” [ACPD]

Fewer Car Tax Notices — “Arlington County Board members as part of their annual budget process eliminated the $33-per-vehicle decal fee… About 20,000 vehicles will thus have nothing owed on them, and the treasurer’s office has decided not to send notices to them. An additional 30,000 county residents who own two or more vehicles under the same name will see their billing information consolidated into a single mailing in order to achieve ‘significant savings on paper and postage,’ Treasurer Carla de la Pava said in an Aug. 15 letter.” [Sun Gazette]

Senators Hail New Law — “U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law: ‘We’re proud that this law will lower the price of prescription drugs, reduce the deficit, bring down energy bills and fight climate change… We will continue to look for ways to support the health and well-being of our communities, decrease inflation, and lower costs for Virginians.'” [Sen. Mark Warner]

Opera Making a Comeback? — “Supporters of Northern Virginia’s opera scene are hoping to reanimate the dormant Opera Guild of Northern Virginia, which through the years has raised funds and provided other support to opera organizations as well as promoting fellowships among those who appreciate the art form and introducing children to the unique and inclusive nature of opera.” [Sun Gazette]

It’s Wednesday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 81 and low of 65. Sunrise at 6:26 am and sunset at 8:02 pm. [Weather.gov]

View More Stories