Westfield Montgomery Mall has announced the first annual Culture Pop, a three-week celebration of the cultures and artistry of the local community that will run from September 16-October 9. The event will feature a three-week long, live-art exhibition curated by No Kings Collective will include a series of free events, installations, performances, and specials. Per Westfield Montgomery:
“Westfield Montgomery prides itself as not just an excellent place to shop, but also as a community-focused meeting space, where members from all around the region come together” stated Zeina Davis, Marketing Director, Westfield Montgomery. “Through Culture Pop, we will enliven and activate the center for three weeks with celebrations centered around the cultures and artistry in our community. We will celebrate the rich artistic diversity in our region, both locally and internationally, as well as engage community members through classes, performances, and other opportunities to express and celebrate their own story!”
The main feature of the event will be a live art mural spanning more than 100 feet of Nordstrom Court and into Center Court. The mural will be a collaboration between an eclectic group of local artists including Jamilla Okubo, Aniekan Udofia, Christina Wing Chow and Juan Pineda. The mural will wind through the Nordstrom wing to the Center Court with additional surprise pieces throughout the space. Artists will begin live painting opening weekend, kicking off at 5:00 pm on Friday, September 16 and will continue throughout the next three weeks.
Below is a sampling of some of the key events planned for Culture Pop with more being added to the Westfield Montgomery website every day. To sign up for events, please visit this Eventbrite link.
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Opening night with live mural painting kicking off at 5 pm with live DJ, Jerome Baker III
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Kickoff of Under Armour’s new retail space (Under Armour is offering a premium gift with purchase)
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Beatbox Dads with Max and Root, Sunday September 18, 10:00 am. RSVP link here.
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Montgomery Makers & Mini Makers series kickoff with Creative Outlets, several events throughout the week. (Sign-up required for select classes. Link for limited seating series here). Montgomery Mini Makers & Dream Aero will also activate with miniature plane painting and craft activities from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm on September 17 and October 9. Open event. No registration required.
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Musical Petting Zoo with Bach to Rock Bethesda. September 24, 2:00 PM. Open event. RSVP here.
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Retrospective Film Festival Screening of French Film, “Breathless”, In partnership with Alliance Française of Washington (AFDC), September 26, 7:00 pm. All ticket sales go to AFDC, tickets on sale here (Rated R- intended for adults).
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Job Fair Jam, Community event with live DJ, chances to win prizes, healthcare services, volunteer opportunities from community partners, and job opportunities from throughout the center, Thursday, September 22, 4:00pm (RSVP for more information here).
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Kid Fest with Koo Koo Kangaroo, Saturday, October 1, 10:00 am. Opening act with Beatbox Dads and musical features from Bach to Rock Bethesda. Free dessert for every group from California Pizza Kitchen and Malia’s Kitchen Food Truck onsite through event. Free with a donation of coat or sweater for Interfaith Works. Must register with link here.
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Secret Walls, featuring live DJ music and top artists from the area. Friday, October 7, 5:00 pm. RSVP for a chance to win personalized art by featured artists here.
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B-Boy/B-Girl Battle, featuring top break-dancers from around the country and Baltimore-based top DJ, DJ Fleg, Saturday, October 8, 12:00 pm. RSVP here.
In celebration of this cultural event, Dream Aero will offer a 20 percent discount code, CulPopDream, for weekday reservations (code active during event) and Valet Spa will also offer a 20 percent discount using code: CULTUREPOP22. Reservations can be made here, limitations may apply.
More deals, promotions and events from Westfield Montgomery retailers will also be available throughout the three-week celebration.
For a full schedule and sign-up pages for each event, visit Westfield Montgomery Culture Pop events page https://www.westfield.com/montgomery/event-detail/Culture-Pop.
Per Montgomery County:
For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 10, 2022
The sixth annual Wheaton Arts Parade and Festival is six months away, but planning is in motion for the event that grows in stature each year. Entries are now being accepted for the poster design contest that will add to the enthusiasm for this year’s event. The contest’s entry deadline has been extended, and in addition to high school and college students, the contest has been opened to artists and designers who live or work in Montgomery County.
The poster contest entry deadline has been extended to Monday, March 21. The parade and festival are scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 25, in the Wheaton Triangle and the Marian Fryer Plaza.
Poster designs should celebrate art and Wheaton’s diverse cultures and communicate the fun-filled spirit of a parade and art festival.
The winner will receive a $300 commission donated by IHOP Wheaton and Los Chorros Restaurant. If the winner is a student, an additional $100 will be awarded to their Montgomery County school for art supplies. If the winner is not a student, the $100 award for art supplies will go to a County school selected by the winner.
Designs must be original and may not include images that are copyrighted by anyone other than the applicant. Designs may not use stock images or those taken from commercial design applications.
Design entries should use no more than five colors (including black and white) and should include space for graphic elements that will be added with event information, such as date/time, a logo, hashtag and web address.
Only digital entries will be accepted. Entries should be 8.5 x 11 inches and saved as a 300 dpi to-size JPEG or vector PDF format. In addition to the design, entries must include the artist’s first and last name, mailing address, phone number and email address. The student’s school and grade must be included, as well as the name of the student’s art teacher, if applicable.
More information about the contest, including an entry form, can be found at https://www.wheatonartsparade.org/2022-poster-contest.
Details about the first five Wheaton Arts Parades and Festivals, and the posters that highlighted each one, can be found at https://www.wheatonartsparade.org/archives.
Crafted from plastic newspaper delivery bags and reused straws, a large art installation with an environmental message has been suspended from the ceiling in the Takoma Park Community Center.
Per the City of Takoma Park:
The artwork by D.C. artist Jessica Beels critiques our careless consumption of disposable products which can cause serious environmental harms. Beels fused dozens of plastic newspaper delivery bags into 20 colorful flag-like grids which are connected by straightened metal clothes hangers and reused plastic straws.
“I am intrigued by the large destructive environmental impacts caused by our small decisions,” Beels said. “Newspaper bags and straws often aren’t recycled, and they can become microplastics in our oceans where they can disrupt entire ecosystems.”
The artwork was purchased by the City of Takoma Park’s Arts and Humanities Division using public art funds.
“We’re excited to add this meaningful artwork to the City’s permanent art collection,” Arts and Humanities Coordinator Brendan Smith said. “The installation illustrates the City’s commitment to public art and protecting the environment.”
The installation was previously displayed at the Takoma Park Community Center in 2019 during the Art of Evolution exhibition. It will be on display indefinitely in the atrium at the community center at 7500 Maple Avenue. The center’s operating hours are posted on the City’s website.
Beels creates sculptural work which usually addresses environmental themes. Her work has been shown at Strathmore Mansion, Black Rock Center for the Arts, and other venues. You can see more of her artwork at jbeelsdesign.com.
The Olney Theatre at 2001 Olney Sandy Spring Rd in Olney has announced that due to multiple breakthrough cases of COVID-19, they have been forced to cancel the remaining performances of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, which was scheduled to run through January 2.
According to the theater, the final 12 performances of the run were lost due to successive COVID-19 infections among the cast.
Full press release below:
OLNEY THEATRE CENTER FORCED BY COVID TO CUT SHORT RUN OF GROUND-BREAKING DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST PRODUCTION
Olney, MD — December 29, 2021 — Olney Theatre Center informed patrons on Monday that multiple breakthrough cases of COVID-19 had forced the cancellation of the remaining performances of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, which had been mostly sold-out through January 2. The enormously successful run had garnered national and international attention due to pieces about lead performers Jade Jones and Evan Ruggiero in People, MSNBC, and The Washington Post. In all, the final 12 performances of the run were lost due to successive COVID-19 infections among the cast. The announcement came just a day after Olney’s companion production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch resumed performances after missing more than a week due to its own COVID-19 cases. In all instances, those testing positive were either asymptomatic or experienced only mild symptoms.
“Though this news saddens all of us, there’s much we must be thankful for,” said Artistic Director Jason Loewith. “First and foremost, those in our company and on our staff who have contracted the virus via a breakthrough infection experienced mild symptoms and expect a swift recovery. Second, and almost as important: in the 48 performances we managed, our production made headlines across the country and inspired thousands across the globe. As one patron wrote recently,
“As the mother of three daughters (11, 11, and 9), I’m grateful for productions that embrace beauty and love in many forms. Those performances play a part in instilling values – shaping who our children become and how they see themselves. Middle school is rough, and I welcome any messaging that says, ‘You are unique, and that’s what makes you beautiful.’ We need to see more of that in the world. Bravo to the cast, to the orchestra, and to the visionaries who saw fit to showcase true beauty.”
“Nonetheless,” he continued, “the physical, emotional and financial cost of producing theater through this crisis has been unlike anything I’ve experienced in my three decades as a producer. While I can quantify the dollars – over $500,000 so far between lost revenue from canceled performances and increased expenses for testing and COVID prevention – I can’t quantify the strain this crisis has put on our artists, our crew and our staff members. Most of us only just returned to work after 18 months of unemployment, and the spectre of another period of job loss weighs heavily on our industry’s workers. If you have a freelance artist, an understudy or swing, a theater staffer, a technician, or a box office or front of house staffer in your life, please show them some much-needed love and support.”
Olney Theatre Center is using funds from its federal Shuttered Venues Operator Grant (SVOG) to pay out the contracts of all those involved in the production. “The SVOG and other relief funds have been an important bridge to reopening our Theatre following the long shutdown and loss of work, and we’re really grateful to have been beneficiaries of that support. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, like all shows in the holiday musical slot, are expected to earn revenue that pays for the riskier work in the rest of the season. With so much lost revenue due to breakthrough cases and other Covid challenges, we’re concerned about what lies ahead,” said Managing Director Debbie Ellinghaus. Rehearsals for A.D. 16, a world premiere musical with music and lyrics by Cinco Paul, book by Bekah Brunstetter, and directed by Stephen Brackett are scheduled to begin on January 4.
The omicron-related performance cancellations at Olney Theatre Center join the ranks of other recent cancellations throughout the region, including those at the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, and Signature Theatre.
ABOUT OLNEY THEATRE CENTER
Mission
Olney Theatre Center for the Arts produces and curates theatrical performance for the diverse audiences in our community, and educates, learns from, supports and inspires a more inclusive generation of theater-makers.
Vision
We strive to become an arts and culture powerhouse, redefining the American regional theater movement by cultivating and sharing the creativity of our community.
History
Founded in 1938 as a summer playhouse, Olney Theatre Center (OTC) now produces world and American premieres of plays and musicals, and reimaginings of familiar titles year-round; presents the work of leading companies and artists; tours nationally and locally; teaches students of all ages; and mentors a more inclusive generation of theatremakers. For more than 8 decades, OTC has brought impactful theater performance and education to our community, helping to grow the vibrancy and vitality of our home in the Washington, DC region.
Over the years, some of the biggest names in theater and film have appeared on our stages, including Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Hayes, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Bob Fosse, Phillip Bosco, Eve Arden, Eva Gabor, Burl Ives, Jose Ferrer, Carol Channing, Olivia d’Havilland, Tony Randall, Paulette Goddard, Dorothy and Lillian Gish, Jane Seymour, Anne Revere, Frances Sternhagen, Arthur Treacher, James Broderick, Olympia Dukakis, Sir Ian McKellen, Marica Gay Harden, John Colicos, Uzo Aduba, Alan Cumming, Cheyenne Jackson, Robin de Jesus, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, among many, many others.
Olney Theatre is now the cultural anchor of a rapidly changing region and serves one of the most diverse, best educated, and wealthiest counties in the country. Situated on the unceded land of the Piscataway-Conoy people, the Olney area was once a rural farming community with a unique Quaker heritage. Now the area is occupied by every kind of family that makes up 21st Century America, along with major corporations, shopping districts, civic associations, non profit organizations and a diverse collection of houses of worship. Montgomery County’s 1 million residents play a dynamic role in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, and are a driving force behind the region’s creative economy.
Olney Theatre Center employs 40 full time staff, 20 part-time positions, 26 early career apprentices and players, and more than 400 professional artists annually. The Theatre intends to continue expanding to better meet the needs of our community.
For more information, please visit olneytheatre.org/history
Follow Olney Theatre Center on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @olneytheatre and on Facebook at facebook.com/olneytheatre.
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The Art and Walkability Project is asking for local artists who are residents of Maryland to submit qualifications to paint an outdoor mural celebrating Downtown Wheaton and its variety of cultures. Three semi-finalists will be paid $1,000 each to prepare design concepts. One finalist will be selected to complete their design and install the mural with a projected budget if $32,000. The completion date for the mural is September 9th, 2022.
Artists can submit their qualifications starting January 3, 2022 at PublicArtist.org. The deadline to submit is January 31, 2022.
Hispanic Heritage Celebration Art Exhibit in Gaithersburg
The City of Gaithersburg is hosting a Hispanic Heritage art exhibit at Bohrer Park (506 S Frederick Ave) now through November 21. There will be a reception to meet the artists tonight from 7-8:30pm.
Per the City of Gaithersburg:
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the City welcomes the “Hispanic Heritage Celebration” art exhibit to the Activity Center at Bohrer Park through November 21, 2021. A reception to meet the artists will be held on Thursday, September 23, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Masks are required. Social distancing & limited capacity protocols are in place.
Collage artist & special guest curator Roxana Rojas-Luzon has invited artists whose works communicate what it means to be part of the Hispanic culture. Rojas-Luzon says she is excited with the prospect of bringing together artists whose work she knows and loves. “I have chosen artists from the following Hispanic countries: Argentina, Venezuela, Peru, Costa Rica, Uruguay & Chile,” said Rojas-Luzon. “I found that this group of artists, with different stories and experiences, helps to represent the vast Hispanic diversity. Each is different from the other in terms of style, theme, technique & use of color. But, they have something in common & that is their great creativity. Each one, through their work, generates positive energy, a sensation of beauty & strong emotions. Together they represent the spirit of our Latin roots brought to this country that has welcomed us & is now our home.”
Featured artists include Maria Luisa Benavides, Tony Brun, David Camero, Cristina Debernardi, Carla Duran, Felisa Federman, Mita Lazarte & Francisca Oviedo. There are 50 pieces in the exhibit, including works in oil, acrylics, watercolor, colored pencil & mixed media.
Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival to be Held This Sunday
Per Montgomery County:
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, September 14, 2021
The Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival returns to the streets of Wheaton on Sunday, Sept. 19. For the first time, the festivities will take place in the new Marian Fryer Town Plaza that is part of the Wheaton Revitalization Project on Reedie Drive in Downtown Wheaton.
As in the past, the Wheaton Arts Parade will celebrate the artistic and cultural diversity of the community. Last year’s event was limited due to the COVID-19 health crisis. This year’s outdoor event will ask attendees to follow guidelines to wear masks and observe safe social distancing when situations warrant.
The parade will start at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Grandview and Ennalls avenues. It will move down Georgia Avenue, around the Wheaton Triangle Business District and will end at the festival site on the town plaza above the Wheaton Metro Station.
A map of the parade route can be found at https://www.wheatonartsparade.org/parade2021. The festival will run from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. It will be held regardless of weather conditions.
Everyone can be an artist and join the parade—as long as they push, pull, carry, wear or perform art. There are no motor vehicles, but more than 15 large floats, some old favorites and three expected new ones: a rainbow hummingbird, a black Labrador and a 12-foot-tall colorful tree made from nonrecyclable plastics. The parade will walk to the beat of marching bands, bag pipes and jazz.
The celebration will continue at the festival with 45 tents of original art for sale and three stages of continuous performances from noon-5 p.m. featuring some of Montgomery County’s top talent. Expected performers include the legendary Nighthawks, Strathmore artists Christylez Bacon and Becky Hill and the Trey Sorrells Jazz Ensemble. Olney Theatre’s National Players will provide a sneak peak of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
The festival will showcase performances by Einstein High School’s Visual and Performing Arts Academy, plus local dance groups like Urban Artistry, the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance and Wheaton Studio of Dance.
Additional music will be provided by the Six Degree Singers, the Bog Band, Roadside Attraction and other local musicians.
Food will be available from Wheaton’s award-winning restaurants and delis. Beer will be available from AstroLab and True Respite breweries in the Beer Garden.
Art exhibits will include the works of more than 40 individual artists and exhibits from the Montgomery Art Association, the Washington Watercolor Association, the Capitol Hill Art League, Gallery 209 and the Wheaton Arts Parade Gallery.
Family fun will include balloon art, street chalk art, face painting and displays of art making fun.
A map of the festival tents and the program of entertainment on each stage can be found at https://www.wheatonartsparade.org/festival2021.
Wheaton is one of three Maryland Arts and Entertainment Districts in Montgomery County. The mission of the Wheaton Arts Parade is to bring the community together with art. The parade and festival are sponsored in part by the Montgomery County Government, the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Montgomery Parks and Planning, the County Department of Environmental Protection, Montgomery County Recreation, Montgomery Parks, Greenhill Properties, Westfield Wheaton, the Maryland State Arts Council and numerous local businesses and community organizations.
For more information on the parade and festival, visit https://www.wheatonartsparade.org/wapf2021.
Strathmore to Require Attendees to Provide Proof of Full COVID-19 Vaccination or Negative Test Result
The Music Center at Strathmore at 5301 Tuckerman Ln, North Bethesda announced today that beginning September 7 they will require all attendees to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or negative test results within 72 hours of attending any indoor public performance or event at its complex.
Per Strathmore:
Strathmore exists because you believe having a place where we come together to celebrate the arts is essential for our community. We greatly value that convening role and want to support our community’s health and well-being as we reopen our venues. With that in mind we’ve put into place a vaccination requirement for indoor events at Strathmore.
Our goal is to create an environment where we all—patrons, artists, students, volunteers, and staff—may confidently return to experience the arts at Strathmore. Together, we can help stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect our community.
Effective September 7, 2021, all guests attending events inside Strathmore’s venues must show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of the start of the performance, and a photo ID.
Strathmore continues to closely monitor federal, state, and local guidelines and may change or update these policies as needed. While Strathmore is following all recommended practices, these protocols do not offer absolute protection against contracting COVID-19. Each guest assumes their own risk upon entering.
Read more at www.strathmore.org/your-visit/vax-faqs/
DC South Asian Film Festival Aug 28-29 at AMC Wheaton Mall
The DC South Asian Film Festival will take place this weekend, August 28-29, at AMC Wheaton Mall 9. They will be screening four independent feature films and twelve short films. All films will be from South Asian countries or made by South Asians from around the world.
Opening day will feature a short cultural program right outside of the AMC theater featuring dancing and a bhangra/dhol music.
Tickets can be purchased here. More information below:
Rockville Arts Festival Returns September 4 & 5
The 9th annual Rockville Arts Festival will take place September 4-5 at Rockville Town Center.
The outdoor event features live music, demonstrations, and over 140 artists.
Details below courtesy of the City of Rockville:
We’re thrilled to bring the Rockville Arts Festival back to Rockville, Maryland on September 4-5, 2021, 11 am to 5 pm. The Festival celebrates outstanding visual artists, live music and cultural performances, and art demonstrations by VisArts’ professional artists.
Visit and shop at our free, two-day, outdoor festival featuring 140 fine art and fine craft artisans in Rockville Town Square (Maryland Avenue & East Middle Lane). We close the streets to traffic and turn the area into a pedestrian-only thoroughfare for art and fun! Whether you’re shopping for a unique gift or looking for something special for yourself, you’ll find it at the Festival, where artists and artisans from 22 states showcase their one-of-a-kind creations at every price point.
The Rockville Arts Festival is presented by VisArts, Montgomery County’s largest visual arts center.
The Festival is within easy walking distance of the Rockville Metro station (Red Line). Numerous garages are conveniently located around the site with two-hour free parking. For more information about parking and travel, visit our parking and directions page.
The Montgomery Art Association (MAA) has announced the return of its annual celebration of local artists.
Per the press release:
The three-day Paint the Town Labor Day Show & Sale—one of the longest-running and largest art shows in the region—will take place at the Kensington Historic Armory, 3710 Mitchell St., Kensington, MD, from September 4-6, 2021. The event is free and open to the public.
The judged art show features hundreds of pieces of artwork by nearly 150 MAA member artists from the DC area. All works are for sale, in addition to small works, prints and notecards in the exhibition floor’s marketplace.
Renowned contemporary realist painter Joey P. Mánlapaz—an instructor at George Washington University—serves as judge. She will evaluate work in six categories. Best in Show is awarded to the first-place winner of the Kensington category, which receives the esteemed Bertha Clum Prize. Gaithersburg artist Paula Zeller’s painting Intensity was the 2019 winner (The 2020 show was cancelled due to the pandemic).
In addition to the main show, MAA will host its annual plein air competition. MAA members, plus adults and children from the community, have up to eight hours to complete a work within the boundaries of Kensington. The competition is free for children and $10 for adults. Local artists will also offer live demonstrations.
“Paint the Town has been an incredible opportunity to bring artists together with the community for more than 40 years,” said President Alan Rich. “We are so grateful to host this year’s event in person after a hiatus last year.”
MAA cares deeply about our community. We will be enforcing Montgomery County mask mandate, cleaning frequently, and taking other measures to keep our volunteers and guests safe.
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Schedule
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4:
Exhibit floor open 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Plein air art competition, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
Demo: still life artist Jennifer Kahn Barlow, 2:30 p.m.
Food truck outdoors, 6-8 p.m.
Awards ceremony, 6-8 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5:
Exhibit floor open, 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Demo: mixed media artist Ally Morgan, 1 p.m.
Demo: Drawing and mixed media demo and workshop by Marcie Wolf-Hubbard, 2:30 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6:
Exhibit floor open, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Demo: Plein air painting by Tom Semmes, 2:30 p.m.
Customer artwork pickup: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Show website: https://montgomeryart.org/laborday/
