Artisphere facts for kids
Artisphere was an exciting arts center located in the Rosslyn area of Arlington, Virginia. It was a place where people could enjoy many different kinds of art. The center had four places for performances and three art galleries. It also had a studio for artists to work in. There was a large ballroom, studio space, and places to gather with friends. You could also find food, a bar, and outdoor areas. Artisphere offered visual art, theatre, live music, films, and dance. They also had programs for families and hosted special events.
The Artisphere had two main parts. The main building was at 1101 Wilson Boulevard. It was easy to spot because of its big dome-shaped roof. The other part was the Spectrum Theatre at 1611 N. Kent Street. This theatre was on the ground floor of a building complex called Rosslyn Plaza.
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History of Artisphere
Artisphere first opened its doors in October 2010. The Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington County, Virginia helped create it. Before Artisphere, the main building was home to a museum called the Newseum. The Spectrum Theatre was originally a movie theater.
The Newseum opened in 1997. Many people visited it before it moved to a bigger place in Washington, D.C. in 2002. After the Newseum left, different groups thought about using the space. In 2007, a special exhibit called "Bodies: The Exhibition" was shown there. At that time, the building was known as The Dome. In 2009, Arlington County got a great offer. The owner of the building let the county use the space for free for 20 years. This was so it could become a cultural center. This offer was part of a plan for a new tall building in Rosslyn.
The Spectrum Theatre was built in the late 1960s. It was first called the Rosslyn Plaza Theater and showed movies. Later, Arlington County took over the theatre and renamed it Rosslyn Spectrum. In 2004, a popular Broadway show called Defending the Caveman was performed there. It was so popular that it stayed until April 2005. Later, the Synetic Theater group performed there. Synetic Theater moved in 2010. The Spectrum Theatre became part of Artisphere in 2010. It was then known as Spectrum Theatre at Artisphere.
Arlington County had wanted a cultural center for many years. Building a new center from scratch would have cost about $50 million. But turning the old Newseum building into Artisphere cost much less, about $6.7 million. The Artisphere building was about 62,000 sq ft (5,800 m2) in size.
The name "Artisphere" was chosen by people living in Arlington. It was inspired by the geodesic dome shape of one of the theaters. In October 2010, Artisphere had many opening events. One big party was called "Burst!" It celebrated the launch of Artisphere. The party had music, performances, and cool video art. A balloon artist named Katie Balloons was even filmed there for a TV show!
After its first year, Artisphere got mixed reviews. It was voted the "Best Arts Center" in a Washington Post Express poll. It was also named "Best New Venue" by Washington City Paper. However, the county felt that not enough people visited. Also, the money earned was less than expected. So, a special group was formed to make a new plan. In 2012, they changed the operating hours and updated the programs. Artisphere closed its doors at the end of June 2015. This happened because the Arlington County Board decided not to fund it anymore.
What You Could See and Do (Programming)
Artisphere had many exciting programs. After some popular music shows in 2011, they added more world music performances. Concerts by artists like BelO from Haiti and Diogo Nogueira from Brazil sold out quickly in 2012.
The WSC Avant Bard group performed plays in the Black Box theatre. They put on modern versions of plays by famous writers like William Shakespeare. WSC Avant Bard even got international attention for performing Shakespeare in the Klingon language. This was a language from the TV show Star Trek. Actor George Takei from Star Trek joined them for one show. The BBC filmed a performance with Stephen Fry for a documentary about language. WSC Avant Bard still performs in Klingon sometimes!
The National Chamber Ensemble played classical music at the Spectrum Theatre. UrbanArias, an opera company, performed short, modern operas. The ballroom was a popular spot for salsa, swing, and other social dancing.
Artisphere had three art galleries: Terrace, WIP (Works in Progress), and Mezz Gallery. There was also an Artist in Residence Studio. These spaces showed many types of art. This included political cartoons, sculptures, and interactive media. You could see paintings, sketches, photos, videos, and collages. The Mezz Gallery showed art by artists who lived or worked in Arlington County. The Terrace and WIP galleries showed modern art by artists from all over the world. Artisphere was the only place in the U.S. to show photos from the personal collection of the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. About 2,000 people waited in line to see this special exhibit!
Artisphere Facilities
Artisphere had many different spaces for art and events:
- A 220-seat Dome Theatre for concerts and movies.
- The Terrace Gallery, about 4,000 sq ft (370 m2), for art shows.
- A WiFi Town Square with a huge video wall.
- A Ballroom, about 3,000 sq ft (280 m2) in size.
- A 125-seat black box theatre for plays.
- The 387-seat Spectrum Theatre.
- A retail space where crafts were sold.
How Artisphere Was Run
Artisphere had a yearly budget of $3.1 million. About $300,000 of this money came from the Rosslyn Business Improvement District. Artisphere was home to several performing arts groups. These included the WSC Avant Bard theatre group, the Bowen McCauley Dance Company, and the National Chamber Ensemble.
