Already, the area where Brookland meets Edgewood has become a hub for the arts, thanks to over 30 years of work from Dance Place as well as Abdo and Bozzuto's Monroe Street Market and Edgewood Arts Center. With Dance Place's newest development planned, there will soon there will be a brand new art space added to the mix.
The third and final phase for the Arts Campus on the edge between Brookland and Edgewood will break ground on March 31 at 4 p.m. This phase will redevelop an empty alley on Kearny Street between Dance Place and Brookland Artspace Lofts. The alley will become known as 8th Street Arts Park and will host free community programming like concerts, dances, and community gardening. Dance Place will commission five artworks from local artists to further add to the design of the park. These artists will include Charles Bergen, Tim Kime, and Valerie Theberge.
The previous phases that have developed Brookland and Edgewood's Arts Campus dealt with constructing the low cost housing for artists, known as Brookland Artspace Lofts, and expanding and renovating Dance Place.
In order to create the park, Kresge Foundation awarded Dance Place a $500,000 grant. For the first round of art commissions, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities awarded Dance Place a Public Art Building Community grant.
Lee & Associates Landscape Architects and Blue Skye Construction are working alongside Dance Place to design and construct the project.
• Dance Place [Official Website]