Post 125: Stonebridge Open Space Arts - A Place for the Art of PWC

Stonebridge Open Space Arts - A Place for the Art of PWC

A little history of how Stonebridge Open Space Arts, located at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, Virginia, came to be and where it is going.

OPEN SPACE ARTS at Stonebridge Potomac Town Center PRESENTED BY PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL 

From the annual Stonebridge Tree-Lighting Holiday Celebration to “Artists Sunday,” the national event that took place in many cities around the country on November 28th, 2021; Residents and Visitors of Prince William County were excited to both see and visit the unexpected “Open Space Arts” gallery and the creative works and talents of local artists presented by PWC Arts Council (PWCAC) in conjunction with JBG Smith over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.

The PWCAC Summary

On November 26, 2021, the Prince William County Arts Council members participated in the Tree-Lighting event at the Stonebridge shops of Potomac Town Center in Woodbridge, VA. The annual event hosted well over 500 guests and residents from around the County and featured the local talents of Woodbridge Dance Academy, TEMA Choir USA, Ordway Dance Conservatory, New Dominion Choraliers, Susan & Stephen Acoustics, Suburban Gypsies Belly Dancers, along with a host of street performers that included everything from Ice Carvers, Juggling Unicyclists, Horse and Buggy rides, and so much more. 

 

JBG Smith Management and Leasing Agent Offered the space of the vacant shop at 15000 Potomac Town Place #114 for the Arts Council to utilize for an art/gallery exhibit and performance space during the Tree Lighting event that carried over into the weekend of the “Artists Sunday” (Shop with your favorite local artists), a national event that was presented across the country. "Artists Sunday" was a response to supporting local artists and a way to connect to consumers through art. The Black Friday for the art world became "Artists Sunday." 

 

The name Open Space Arts was utilized to give the visitors the feel that all creative arts were welcome and invited. This idea worked well as not only did visitors come in to see the art work, they also asked questions about the various arts disciplines and how they could themselves get involved, or involve their children. This gave us a great opportunity to offer information about the many arts organizations locally that offered classes, in addition to connecting the community to the offerings of DPRT both verbally and through the collection of information that each of the members provided on their organizations through fliers and brochures. 

 

With a collection of over 80 pieces of culturally diverse visual art on display, artists from Woodbridge, Manassas, Gainesville, Occoquan, and Neabsco were all showing in the gallery, which represents most of the districts in the county. The selected artists were juried in by a panel put together by the Arts Recreation Specialist, with each artist being asked to submit 6 large works and several smaller works for consideration. Once selected, the artists received an email of the chosen selections and were responsible for delivering their work to the space.

 

Sponsorship 

Sponsorship included JBG Smith’s in-kind donation of the space. Prince William Art Society (PWAS) contributed assistance in window design through time and various requests for items to help fill the space. Various ideas came to mind during the initial program planning which included opening event sponsors for themed events as well as art showings and performances for Easter, Black History, Mother’s Day, Women History Month, Hispanic Heritage, Veterans Day and countless others. The space offers a great opportunity and presence for advertising and hosting events and programming with two additional rooms for activities off from the main gallery.

Audiences Served 

Audience metrics were not directly gauged. However, through the interactive activity of asking guests to participate in our “People’s Choice” selection there were well over 200 submissions. That number with an additional 150 or so that did not leave any information, it is safe to say that well over 300 visitors and residents came through the doors. These numbers were very diverse culturally, economically, and demographically which open the doors of allowing a greater vision for community access to the arts, and knowledge that the arts are all-inclusive here in Prince William County. This helps us as an organization to think of tailoring events that will allow for partners in the future.

The verbal feedback from visitors ranged from excitement to see such a space in the area to shock, that PWC had so many talented artists. Other responses were interests in workshops and classes for various art forms, to seeing this kind of facility in other areas in PWC and getting involved in the Arts Council. During the event, all artwork sold were handled through the non-profit PWAS organization which provided their POS system to accommodate all purchases. PWAS was allowed to extend their stay for two additional weeks at the request of JBG Smith Management.

The long term foresight for the project would be to hold various programs throughout the week in the other available rooms in the facility that would include: Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, and more. This too would serve as a space to hold DPRT programs and meetings. Most importantly, it would give the Arts Council an opportunity to have a space for meetings and rehearsals for member organizations as needed. 

-The above information was provided by Herb A. Williams, Arts Recreation Specialist.

The PWAS Summary: Revisiting November and December 2021

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) was asked to host an art show at Stonebridge in the fall of last year and the group rose to the occasion and hosted an art event for about 3 weekends beginning on the day after Thanksgiving through early December. 

The artists of PWAS volunteered their time to work the shifts necessary to have the gallery staffed for the many visitors that were often astounded when they came through the doors for various reasons: that there was a gallery there AND in Prince William County, and that the quality of the artwork was outstanding! They were thoroughly impressed with the beautiful space. Friends and young couples were strolling along the sidewalks window shopping after a wonderful meal at one of the many local restaurants and saw the lights on and the signs up (and the friendly faces!) and came in to say hello - and to see what was going on! Several times, an artist was at the window painting and that certainly caught their interest!

The artist members displaying their artwork would answer questions about the space, the art, and would be asked if their artwork was on display. Well, that was a emphatic, "YES, right over here!" Not only did the artists enjoy the experience, but the visitors LOVED it. They voted on their favorite piece, they took their time and enjoyed viewing the show. Many even made purchases for their homes or for gifts.

The Next Art Show, or the REOPENING

We are THRILLED that Open Space Arts will open again on Saturday, April 2, 2022, and this time the Call for Art went out to all of the Prince William County art groups to extend out to their members as well as posted on social media for Prince William County artists. The first show is scheduled to run between Saturday, April 2 and Sunday, May 1 which will be called "Coloring the County". This show will feature artists from not only Prince William Art Society, but across from Prince William County and its various art groups.

This initial Call for Art has a deadline of Saturday, March 19, so see Call for Art link below! It is FREE to enter if you reside in Prince William County OR are a member of a Prince William County art group.

And Coming in May 2022 and Beyond!

Planned for May is the Student Art Show - who are the future of art. We are working with PWC and various contacts that work with students (under 18) that excel in the visual arts to do everything to make this art show happen in May. This is the plan, so more on this once everything is fully in place.

And ongoing, we have filled our calendar with big plans for the future of art at Stonebridge and for Prince William County - for visitors and creators for 2022 and are planning more for 2023. This is such an opportunity for the art groups and artists residing in PWC!  See our Call for Art and get involved. As stated above, we have various themes, holidays, monthly celebrations and so many ideas to develop so that each month there is something different and of interest to everyone in PWC and all the visitors to Stonebridge.

Tentative Hours: Wednesday - Saturday, 12 - 7pm and Sunday, 12 - 5pm

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Local Art: Also, visit us at Clearbrook Center of the Arts at Tackett's Mill in Lake Ridge, VA on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 – it’s free to see the artwork! Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

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Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

 

 

Photography/Video Credits:
PWCAC