Quadruple A

Stands for Artisphere in AAA magazine. I’d leave at a link to the article, but they won’t let you read it unless you are in the right zip code, and I’ve tried some logical guesses, but apparently there is some advantage to not letting people read something just because they don’t live near there. Sheesh, what a misguided strategy. You can still read it if you really want to look beyond CSS tricks, or you can read it here after the jump. Artisphere is the joint that had the Skateboard Side Effects show. The image above is Lia Halloran’s Dark Skate Backyard. She’s got a body of these long exposure with light trails made by skateboarders that I swore was on S&A somewhere before, but I can’t find it.

– Thanks to Andrew Wahl for the tip.

You know what, there’s nothing about skateboarding in this article. I guess they just liked Lia’s photo.

The newly opened Artisphere in Arlington, Virginia, promises to deliver a new type of cultural center for the Washington, D.C., area: art galleries, performance venues, dance hall, Wi-Fi café, education center and neighborhood gathering spot all rolled into one, welcoming visitors 12 hours a day and offering more than 100 events a month.

On a given Saturday, a visitor might be able to participate in a poetry slam, attend a performance by an international artist, surf the Web, browse the art galleries, do a little shopping and wind up the evening at a late-night concert.

“We want Artisphere to be interesting, provocative and fun, to be a third place that bridges work and home where people can come and involve themselves in the arts in multiple ways,” says Norma Kaplan, division chief of the Arlington Cultural Affairs, which operates the facility.

Located in the bustling Rosslyn neighborhood, just one metro stop from D.C., Artisphere occupies a renovated 62,000-square-foot space that includes the former Newseum facility and the adjacent Spectrum Theatre. The innovative, informal cultural center boasts three art galleries; three theaters; a curated, two-story video wall; and one of the largest non-hotel ballrooms in the region. Artisans Center of Virginia (ACV) operates a retail gallery in the space, selling juried, handcrafted artwork by more than 100 artisans from all corners of the state, according to ACV Director Sherri Smith.

Cultural programming includes national and international artists as well as works by Artisphere’s own resident companies, the National Chamber Ensemble and Washington Shakespeare Company. The ballroom is the site for weekly dance lessons and dancing to live bands—salsa on Tuesdays and a variety that includes zydeco, Cajun, rock, rhythm and blues, and swing on Wednesdays.

Artisphere also hosts a monthly showcase of poetry, music, stand-up comedy and film presented by Sulu DC, a collective of Asian American and Pacific Island American artists. “It’s a great performance space for us and in a location that is accessible to the huge Asian population of Virginia,” says Simone Jacobson, founding director of Sulu DC. “We will benefit from Artisphere’s marketing and from making connections with other arts organizations. Artisphere is bringing an exciting momentum to the region.”

Christopher Henley, artistic director of the Washington Shakespeare Company, expressed similar sentiments. “We are excited to be right in the center of this really vibrant urban community,” he says. “Our company presents the classics, but it’s not your grandmother’s version. We try to do an edgier, more up-to-date take on it.”

The same could be said of Artisphere: it’s edgy, exciting, collaborative—definitely not your grandmother’s cultural center.
—Theresa Gawlas Medoff

If You Go

Artisphere
1101 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia
703/875-1100
artisphere.com
Open daily 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro (blue and orange lines)
Free parking evenings and weekends