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Event: Friday, April 25th from 6pm to 10pm
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A community-oriented, arts-centered evening at the intersection of Rhode Island Avenue and 34th Street.
The Mount Rainier Circle and intersecting streets of Rhode Island Avenue and 34th street will come alive for one evening of music, workshops, parade, performances, open studios, arts activities, and more. This year, creative placemaking activities will feature Lesole’s Dance Project, Urban Eats Arts and Music Café, Adinkra Cultural Arts Studio, Beloved Community Mosaics, artist Kenny George and Patrick McDonough’s Chard/Hops spot, a Hoop Jam by Noelle Powers to the body rollin’ tunes of BOOMscat, an open studio at Ani Kasten Ceramics, a pop-up exhibition by Krista Schlyer and family crafts with Community Forklift.
BetterBlock.org calls the model of Better Block a “demonstration tool that acts as a living charrette so that communities can actively engage” with the spaces they call home. Art Lives Here partners the artist community with local businesses, two community development corporations, four cities, and Prince George’s County to increase regional visibility for the Gateway Arts District and enliven our two-mile corridor using a mix of temporary and longer term projects to support existing small businesses, attract commercial in-fill, prepare for a new round of anchor developments, and further strengthen our diverse and streetwise creative communities. Funded by ArtPlace America’s creative placemaking grant, Art Lives Here seeks to empower community organizations and artists as activists.
Joe’s Movement Emporium, a partner and fiscal agent for Art Lives Here, has produced Mount Rainier Better Block for the past three years with its community partners, including Mount Rainier Business Association Better Block Night in Mount Rainier promises to be bigger and bolder than ever. Organizers are dedicated to ensure passing traffic engages with the actual gateway into the Gateway Arts District. Located on the border of the District of Colombia line with Route 1/Rhode Island Avenue running through it, Mount Rainier features local, independent eateries, businesses, and organizations.
For additional information about Art Lives Here, contact Neena Narayanan, Art Lives Here Coordinator, at Joe’s Movement Emporium, at [email protected] or 301-699-1819. Please visit www.ArtLivesHereMD.wordpress.com and www.myGatewayArts.org to learn more about Art Lives Here and the Gateway Arts District.
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