Arlington County Government, VA / Arts and Entertainment

Arlington County has been busy in 2022! From a new stormwater vault to a new fire station to the recently opened Jennie Dean Park, here are some Projects to Watch this year. See more online with the Projects Map: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Projects-Map

Arlington Public Library Director Diane Kresh hosts Susan Orlean, bestselling author, journalist and essayist the Washington Post calls "a national treasure."

Susan Orlean's newest work, "The Library Book," an exploration of the history, power, and future of these endangered institutions, is a finalist for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Nonfiction. "The Library Book" is told through the lens of Orlean’s quest to solve a notorious cold case: who set fire to the Los Angeles Public Library in 1986, ultimately destroying 400,000 books? Erik Larson, author of "The Devil in the White City" and "Dead Wake," wrote, “After reading Susan Orlean’s 'The Library Book,' I’m quite sure I’ll never look at libraries, or librarians, the same way again. This is classic Orlean—an exploration of a devastating fire becomes a journey through a world of infinite richness, populated with unexpected characters doing unexpected things, with unexpected passion.”

About the author:

Susan Orlean's deeply moving explorations of American stories both familiar and obscure have earned her a reputation as one of America’s most distinctive journalistic voices. A staff writer for "The New Yorker" for over twenty years and a former contributing editor at "Rolling Stone" and "Vogue," she has been praised as “an exceptional essayist” (Publishers Weekly) and a writer who “approaches her subjects with intense curiosity and fairness” (Bookmarks).

In a career spanning more than three decades, Orlean has also written for Outside, Esquire, The Boston Globe, and more. She is the author of "Rin Tin Tin," "The Orchid Thief," and "Saturday Night," a portrait of the varying experience of Saturday night in dozens of communities across the United States. Entertainment Weekly concluded, “I can’t think of a better way to spend Saturday night than staying home and reading this book.”

Orlean has served as an editor for "Best American Essays" and Best American Travel Writing, and her journalism has been compiled into two collections: "The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People" and "My Kind of Place: Travel Stories from a Woman Who’s Been Everywhere." Orlean’s work has inspired two successful films: "Blue Crush," the story of young women surfing in Maui, and "Adaptation," the metafilm directed by Spike Jonze. Meryl Streep, who portrayed Orlean in the film, was nominated for an Academy Award, as were costars Nicholas Cage and Chris Cooper and writer Charlie Kaufman.

Orlean is currently Rogers Communications Chair in Literary Journalism at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada. She is also the host, with actress Sarah Thyre, of the podcast Crybabies, a series of candid conversations with creative guests about the books, music, TV, and movies that make them cry.

Recorded at the Arlington Public Library on April 22, 2019.

Artist/Designer Cliff Garten discusses "Gravity and Grace", a site-specific large-scale, 150-foot long LED public artwork integrated into the architecture of JBG SMITH's new Central Place Plaza in Arlington Virginia.

As part of the Arlington Reads series, "Why Fiction Matters", best-selling author Lawrence Block discusses his 60-year career writing crime, mystery and suspense fiction. Recorded at the Arlington Public Library on October 18 2017.

mmmm... collective artists Eva Salmerón and Emilio Alarcón traveled from Madrid, Spain to talk with Arlington Cultural Affairs Specialist Cynthia Connolly about their public art project on the plaza at 1310 N. Courthouse Rd. in Arlington VA.

Public artist Donald Lipski discusses his proposed sculpture, "The Pike", at the Arlington Public Library in Arlington VA. "The Pike" will be part of the west Columbia Pike Gateway project and is sponsored by Arlington County Cultural Affairs.

ATV's regular roundup of news and notes. In this edition, we take a look at the long-planned sidewalk upgrade on Old Dominion. Bluemont Park renovations celebrate with a ribbon cutting. The county has to BEE careful at a building in Nauck. JFAC is holding an informational meeting on bus storage in the county, which you can stream live right here. The Office of Emergency Management held a HERricane. The Office of Human Rights annual conference on work place discrimination looked at "Overcoming Barriers for Employment and Advancement of Females and Minorities." And we hold a meeting... in a bowl?

Author Glenn Frankel speaks at the Arlington Public Library on his book, High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic. The talk was recorded in Arlington Virginia on June 28 2017.

Author Margaret E. Wagner speaks about her book, "America and the Great War: A Library of Congress Illustrated History". Recorded June 21 2017 at the Arlington Public Library.

ATV's regular round-up of news and notes from around the county. In this edition, the county's new permanent homeless services shelter opens; the eCARE recycling event was rescheduled to October 31; parking meter rates rose 25 cents per hour in the county; we're accepting nominations for this year's Design Arlington Awards (through Nov. 16); the fall leaf collection program is gearing up, and the public art program dedicated its newest public art installation at the Water Pollution Control Plant.

Retired County Manager Barbara Donnellan remembers her three decades serving Arlington County Virginia and her final five years as County Manager. Ms Donnellan was interviewed by Library Director Diane Kresh and Chief Information Officer Jack Belcher. The interview was conducted on August 25 2015 in the studios of Arlington TV.

Arlington is celebrating the 30th Anniversary of its Public Arts program. Take a look back with us on the beginnings of Public Art in Arlington and some of the things that have happened in the last three decades.

When Arlington Arts Center heard about the County's Urban Agriculture task force, it decided to mount an exhibit that looked at issues of farming, ecology, and sustainability and turn it into a Community project.

Using materials more often seen in highway signs, artist Alicia Eggert explores our relationship with time, anticipation and motion. We'll tell you more about Alicia Eggert's artwork later in our program, but first...

Four hard working entrepreneurs got to pitch their business ideas before a panel of celebrity judges during Ballston's version of "Shark Tank." The Launchpad Challenge program mentored 14 contestants as they developed their ideas into business plans. And there was not one, but TWO winners! The panel of judges included Caps owner Ted Leonsis, Aneesh Chopra, former CTO for Barack Obama; Congressman Gerry Connolly, and Mark Gruhin, of the Saul Ewing law firm. To learn more about business startup opportunities, go to Ballstonbid.com or check out Arlington Economic Development at arlingtonvirginiausa.com.

The work around the Clarendon metro is complete, and the result is an upgraded park and plaza where you can stroll, visit a farmers' market, listen to music, and, of course, catch the Metro. Improvements on the 1.1 acre park were done in conjunction with Metro and have yielded an active, multi-use plaza that's attractive to residents and commuters. The park is also home to the war memorial dedicated to Arlington citizens who gave their lives for our country since World War I. To find out more about park renovations or to find a park near you, check arlingtonva.us/parks.

Arlington Police participated in a recent soccer tournament at Washington-Lee high school to provide at-risk youth with a day of fun and teamwork. The tournament offers teens an opportunity to learn about community recreation programs, and builds trust between teens and the community. Research shows that youth with access to fun, productive activities such as soccer are less likely to become involved in gangs or engage in substance abuse and other destructive behaviors. To learn more, check out www.preventgangsnova.org

Sometimes a sign is just a sign, and sometimes it's a work of art. Alicia Eggert took her illuminated, billboard-style sculpture," You are (on) an island" to the streets of Arlington. Eggert's largest multi-media exhibition to date is on view at Artisphere until February 2. Check the schedule for her work and other exhibits and programs at www.Artisphere.com .

Arlington recently honored four community members with the James B. Hunter Human Rights Award. Leslie Alden, Richard Cobb, Thomas Kelley and Margaret Patterson were honored for their commitment to cultural diversity, human rights, and helping those with little access to government. If you are passionate about helping others and want to volunteer, consider joining one of Arlington's many community groups or the human rights committee. Check our website at arlingtonva.us search commissions.

Well, that's it for another week. Thanks for watching! And we'll see you Around Arlington.

Promo for Artisphere's exhibit of Andy Warhol's Silver Clouds, Sept 12 thru Oct. 20, 2013.

In this edition of Artscape we talk with José Ortiz, Executive Director at Artisphere and Greg Hamilton, Publisher and co-founder of Arlington Magazine, about Artisphere's landmark exhibit of Andy Warhol's Silver Clouds, one of the most delightful exhibits to come to the capital region in some time.

For information on the host of events that Artisphere has scheduled in conjunction with Silver Clouds, go to www.artisphere.com.

And to keep up with everything happening in Arlington, make sure to visit www.arlingtonmagazine.com.

The music for this segment was used by permission of Jakub Alexander. It was specially commissioned by Artisphere in conjunction with the exhibit Andy Warhol's Silver Clouds composed and recorded by Jakub Alexander (aka Heathered Pearls). Jakub will be performing at Artisphere on select Friday nights throughout the exhibit.

For three days in June, the SuperNOVA performance art festival enlivened the streets of Rosslyn, bringing more than 75 emerging and established local, national, and international artists to energize public spaces and engages audiences in unexpected ways. As Arlington TV covered the festival, we wondered what benefits hosting such a festival could bring into our community, beyond the groundbreaking creativity on view. So we spoke with festival producer Philippa Hughes, Cecilia Cassidy, Executive Director of Rosslyn BID and Karen Vasquez, Director of Cultural Affairs at Arlington Economic Development about the ramifications of the festival, both cultural and economic.

Washington Project for the Arts, in collaboration with Arlington Public Art, presented this participatory lecture as part of their 2012-2013 Professional Practices series, for artists and project sponsors interested in sharpening their skills preparing for public art commissions. St. Louis-based artist and Washington University Sam Fox School of Architecture Professor Ben Fehrmann, who recently completed a public artwork ballston*substation in Arlington County, presented Where to Start: Site Analysis and Design Thinking for Public Art. In this talk, Fehrmann discusses what it takes to begin a public work and the processes taken and mindsets engaged when diving into the realm of public art. Fehrmann was introduced by Scott Kratz, Vice President for Education, National Building Museum; Lisa Gold, Executive Director, Washington Project for the Arts; and Angela Adams, Arlington County Public Art Administrator. For more info on Arlington Public Art see http://arlingtonarts.org/cultural-affairs/public-art-in-arlington.aspx

Arlington County celebrated the completion of Phase I of Penrose Square, located at 2503 Columbia Pike. The County's newest square is 17,000 square feet and includes features that incorporate elements of Arlington's vision of sustainability:

"Echo," two-piece sculpture by Richard Deutsch
A tree-covered upper terrace with movable tables and chairs
An inner plaza with a water feature
Small gardens interspersed in the plaza, designed to provide seasonal colors
Sustainable USE OF WATER:
Bio-filtration system underneath the tree terrace to filter storm water runoff and enhance tree root growth
Water recirculation system that allows the water feature to conserve the use of water at the site
The ribbon cutting ceremony was held in front of the square's public art piece, Echo, a two piece sculpture by Richard Deutsch. As a member of Penrose Square's landscape design team, Richard Deutsch created the interactive sculpture inspired by the Three Sisters Radio Towers, formerly located near Columbia Pike and Courthouse Road.

Built in 1913 by the Navy as cutting-edge technology, the towers broadcast the first trans-Atlantic radio signal in 1915, connecting Arlington with the Eiffel Tower. They also introduced regular broadcasts of time signals -- important navigational aids for ships at sea. When National Airport opened in 1941 the towers posed an aviation hazard and were taken down.

Echo provides a modern interpretation of Arlington's significant contribution to the history of communication. The concave elliptical parabolas carved into each monolith reflect and project sound, allowing words spoken into one stone to be heard by listeners at the other. California-based artist Deutsch designs sculpture and environments using stone, water, bronze, and stainless steel. Like Echo, much of his work is marked by an understanding of space and environment and an attention to social context and history.

This edition of Artscape checks in with one of the new Creative Camps being offered at Artisphere. Education Director Lisa Marie Thalhammer introduces us to the new education offerings at Artisphere for teens and adults, including a class on filming Shakespeare!
www.artisphere.com

The DC region's favorite wandering Arts festival has come back to Crystal City -- and it's bigger and better than ever! With over 1,300 artists, 5,000 pieces of art, and over 300 live performances all taking place in 380,000 square feet of former DoD office space, Artomatic 2012 is one of the biggest happenings of the Summer. And Crystal City BID did a fantastic job helping bring the event back to Crystal City for the first time since 2007. There's so much to see and only five weeks to get it all in!

crystalcity.org/
artomatic.org

NewsMakers attends the unveiling of "Untitled", a public art work by Linn Meyers. "Untitled" consists of etched glass in the conference rooms on the first and third floor of the Arlngton County Office building.

Arlington's Sister City connections have led to many trips and cultural exchanges in the past, but nothing like this one. Artists from Arlington and our Sister City of Aachen, Germany took turns hosting each other, first in Germany and then here in Arlington. The result was two intense weeks of work, inspiration, and creation. This segment visits with the group as they spent a week creating together at Arlington's Artisphere.
www.artisphere.com.

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Eric Shaeffer speaking at Arlington Virginia's Beyond Smart Growth conference on Feb. 29 2012.

The exhibit "Frida Kahlo: Her Photos" is making an exclusive US stop at Artisphere thru March 25, and AVNs Here/now camera crew stopped by for the opening reception. This segment also features a live performance of La Llorona by Rana Santacruz, recorded live at Artisphere on February 25, 2012.

Highlighting one of the newest pieces of public art in the county, Wave Arbor by Doug Hollis is a magnificent addition to skyline at Long Bridge Park.

This edition of NewsMakers looks at the artist chosen for the third Art on the ART Bus installation: VIctor Ekpuk.

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. In this episode, we look at a group who are working to capture the diverse heritage of Columbia Pike in pictures. This segment has been nominated for a Capital Region Emmy award.

Author Tim O'Brien speaks at Arlington's Central Library on his critically acclaimed book "The Things They Carried" an extraordinary work of Vietnam War literature. This event is a special feature of the 2011 Arlington Reads campaign, which was recently recognized as an Outstanding Acheivement in Local Government Innovation award from the Alliance for Innovation.

A story on Arlington's Sister City partnerships around the world, including our newest partner: Ivano-Frankivsk in the Ukraine.

A segment of our magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. In this edition, Here/now host Tara Palacios gets a behind the scenes tour at the opening of the Artisphere.

News segments featuring people and events in Arlington County VA.

This special segment of AVN's magazine show "Here/now" takes an in-depth look at Arlington's gift of World Trade Center steel, which was presented to us by FDNY on a very special weekend.

News show featuring people and events in Arlington County VA

A fun look at the hi-tech Shirlington Library in Arlington VA

News segments featuring people and events in Arlington County VA

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. In this episode, we look at an innovative education program run by Signature Theatre, which gives Wakefield High School students, the acting opportunity of a lifetime.

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. In this episode, we look at a group who are working to capture the diverse heritage of Columbia Pike in pictures.

A preview party kick-off, one year before the Cultural Center in Arlington County officially opens in 10/10/10

Remy is back in Arlington with a look at the Cultural Center opening in 10-10-10

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. In this episode, we take a poignant look at the Pentagon Memorial.

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A segment of AVN's monthly magazine program "Here/now", Our Back Pages focusses on Arlington history. In this episode we meet Helen Mulroney, Arlington's oldest employee at 90 vibrant years and going strong. For nearly 40 years Helen has been the director of The Merrymakers, a traveling sing and dance troupe of Arlington seniors.

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. In this episode, Philippa Hughes, founder of the Pink Line Project, and Jon Palmer Claridge, Program Director for Arlington Cultural Affairs, offer a behind the scenes tour of the new Arlington Cultural Center, scheduled to open in the fall of 2010.

A segment of AVN's magazine show, "Here/now", "We're All Arlington" features short biographies of Arlington residents, highlighting our county's amazing diversity. This episode's subject is the man behind the extraordinarily popular You Tube video "Arlington Rap", Remy Munasifi.

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. This episode takes a look at the Arlington Arts Center's annual round up of extraordinary artists from the mid-Atlantic region: Spring Solos.

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. This episode introduces us to Bolormaa Jugdersuren, an extraordinary Mongolian opera singer who also works as a music teacher at Arlington elementary schools. Bolormaa and her friends recently brought a night of great Mongolian music to downtown Rosslyn.

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. This edition features a preview of the latest exhibit at Ellipse Arts Center: Uncommon Beauty.

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. This episode visits a landmark of the DC Punk scene, Don Zientara's Inner Ear Recording Studios.

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. This episode follows Arlington County's own Krowne Lustron House, as it takes up residence for the summer in New York's Museum of Modern Art for the exhibit: "Home Delivery."

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", this segment features a preview of a one of a kind event taking place in August at Lubber Run Park -- "The Odd World of Scopitones." Host Tara Miles interviews Mary Briggs of Arlington Cultural Affairs, who takes us on a tour of some of the wildest music videos we've ever seen.

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. This episode takes a look at the amazing new exhibit of Sewn Art at the Ellipse Arts Center.

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", this segment features a preview of the 2008 Slapsticon Film Festival. Slapsticon is Arlington's annual festival of rarely seen comedies from the silent and early talkie film era. Host Tara Miles interviews AVN's own Rob Farr, one of the founders of Slapsticon.

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", this segment features a preview of the 2008 Rosebud Film Awards. Host Tara Miles interviews two Arlington filmmakers who are finalists for the '08 Rosebud Awards, Rob Parrish and Stephen Guidry, and views clips of their works. Also joining the interview, Arlington Independent Media's Jackie Steven, the driving force behind the Rosebud Film Awards.

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. This episode takes a tour of some of Arlington's permanent public art collection in Rosslyn including "Dark Star Park" by Nancy Holt, Boaz Vaadia's "The Family," Chris Gardner's "Cupid's Garden" and Ned Kahn's "Liquid Pixels."

A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "Artscape" takes a look at all things cultural around Arlington. This episode is all about theatre and it features Arena Stage, Signature Theatre and Synetic Theater.

A segment from the NewsMakers program produced by Arlington Virginia Network featuring the Speaker's Corner, which is a part of the Zero Project. The Zero Project is artist Rosemary Covey's multi-faceted installation at the Arlington Arts Center.

A segment from the NewsMakers program produced by Arlington Virginia Network featuring the dedication of the public art sculpture "Spielschiff." The play structure was designed by Bonifatius Stirnberg as a part of Arlington County's Sister City association with Aachen, Germany.