March is for Artists

The Arts and Humanities Commission is at it again, facilitating Public Art in Takoma Park!

Their latest scheme involves a Call for Public Art with three different projects. The deadline for submitting an entry is Monday, March 1 at 4:30 p.m. The three projects are described in PDF files: LONG BRANCH GATEWAY SCULPTURE, SITE SPECIFIC PUBLIC ART, and GATEWAY ART PANELS.

If you aren't familiar with the Arts and Humanities Commission, you just haven't been paying attention! Who do you think organizes the Third Thursday Poetry Series? And how about the on-going series of art exhibits in the Community Center?

Their guiding document, Creative Vision: A Cultural Plan for the City of Takoma Park, is the best example of a plan that gathers no dust -- i.e., it didn't get written just to sit on a shelf somewhere, these folks are serious! For example, the soon-to-be renovated Auditorium, well, guess whose idea that was? The AHC came to a Council meeting in March of 2007 and requested that the Council conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the feasibility of renovating the auditorium for use as both a venue for the performing arts and a meeting space for official Council proceedings. And three years later, the Auditorium is almost done! (more on that project another day).

They've established a Takoma Park Poet Laureate, celebrated Arts & Humanities Day in the Community Center, established public art in various places, and launched more exhibits in the Community Center than I can count - wow, these people are productive! Most recently the AHC convened Art Swoop 2010, a "mixer and incubator" for creative professionals in the Takoma Park area.
To get email notices of upcoming Arts & Humanities events, send an email request to SaraD@takomagov.org Stay tuned for a new web-based calendar of events coming to a computer near you soon!