Ideas proposed for expanding art opportunities in Mason District
At its final meeting on May 16, the Mason Arts Advisory Committee reviewed its priorities for expanding art opportunities and supporting local artists.
Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez formed the committee in February with the goal of proposing art-related activities in Mason District that align with the county’s Master Arts Plan and his promise to make Mason a cultural hub.
At the committee’s previous meetings, people brainstormed ideas in five categories for building a supportive community for the arts in Mason District.
Related story: Annandale celebrates Art in Daily Spaces
On Thursday, committee chair James Albright listed some of the ideas that generated the most interest:
- Events – Plan an art and music festival, partner with existing events, hold an outdoor art show, and display art in businesses.
- Facilities – Convert space in vacant office or commercial buildings for art-related activities, such as affordable art studios, exhibit spaces, classes, and multidisciplinary performance spaces.
- Artistic resources – Connect artists with the community and improve communications about art-related opportunities.
- Artist community – Create networking opportunities through an events calendar and social media.
- Public art – Install sculptures in public spaces, such as plazas, parks, and trails, and display art on hallways in government buildings
The group discussed several possible locations for art displays, studios, and performance spaces, including underutilized churches and the James Lee Community Center. They also talked about challenges, such as zoning rules and leasing arrangements.
The committee will present its findings to Jimenez, who will then determine whether the committee should continue to research some of its proposals and which ideas should be advanced.
HOW ABOUT EXPANDING IDEAS ON LOWER CREME, BETTER EDUCATION AND LOWER TAXES? And Yes – I am screaming!
Crème brûlée? Crème fraiche? Crème de cassis?
HOW ABOUT LEARNING TO SPELL – And Yes I am screaming!
Ha ha! “Lower Creme”. Scream more carefully.
What pays for better education and lower crime if not taxes?
Exactly.
I would like to see some murals painted on some commercial buildings and along the underpass on Columbia Pike.
I love this idea!
Have to agree with Mark 100% here. I love the arts… support the arts. But all this effort isn’t going to make our community a cool hip artsy place to live. has no idea what he’s doing and has no sense of priorities for a vibrant safe community. More code enforcement ! More law enforcement! Less trashed out rentals, fewer burned out buildings and thrift stores and homeless people defecating in the post office , less murders at ATM and in the parks.
The crème de la creme.
GT, Response and Rhonda – yep I didn’t catch my spelling error…and you laughed…that’s on me…but, laugh next time someone you know is a victim of crime, someone you know overdoses on fentanyl, you fill up on gas or look at your grocery bill or your property tax bill goes up again because people are fleeing Fairfax and Virginia – out migration…and please, don’t respond with the population of Virginia and Fairfax is growing…
Wow, that’s quite a list. Seems you’re mixing up local issues with national and international ones. Inflation has been worldwide and actually lower here in the U.S. Fentanyl isn’t just a Fairfax problem. Oil is a commodity so prices go up and down for lots of reasons. No one is pro-crime but screaming isn’t going to make anything better. Exactly who are you screaming at?
Mark,
I will agree that VA and Fairfax have their share of problems (like just about everywhere). However, you state people are fleeing Fairfax and Virginia, and yes, I looked at the latest Census results (2020) and a projection (2023) and that’s not the case. The thing about your posts Mark is that you make these statements/accusations and never, ever back them up with facts, sources, etc. so I will ask you, please share what you using to show people are fleeing VA and Fairfax. Just saying they are because you think so is not sufficent.
Mark, you’re more then welcome to flee as well. Might I suggest West Virginia. I hear they’re doing great in terms of crime and drugs. Just make sure you’re looking at absolute numbers, not per capita. That way you’ll continue to be deluded into thinking you’re correct
I own a home in WV, and a home in Mason District. The people in WV are the nicest and most hospitable I’ve encountered in the U.S. It’s such a breath of fresh air when I make it out there.
Just because there are impoverished areas doesn’t make the whole state irredeemable. Most residents would give you the shirt off their back if you asked nicely.
Your characterization is elitist, snobbish. Mock away, but you’re missing out in my opinion.
Please look at the crime and drug statistics. We’re fairing a LOT better here than most of the areas Mark would consider better, including most of WV. Has nothing to do with being elitist
GT stop – I told you not to do that – please – educate your-self – census measures the population – out migration greater than in migration means more people are leaving then moving in – more out migration than in migration means people are fleeing for one reason or another. Population increase just means people staying are having kids raising the total numbers in Fairfax and the state.
and no GT – everywhere doesn’t have the same problems as Fairfax or Virginia – please stop – you are making excuses for bad governing…and citizens not voting…and citizens voting for incompetent people.
Mark would do himself well by just providing the UVA report and allow folks to see what he’s talking about: https://statchatva.org/2024/01/29/amid-slow-population-growth-virginias-demographic-landscape-is-being-transformed/. I’m no population guy but I don’t know if 2% out migration constitutes “fleeing,” but the trend he speaks to is correct; people are leaving Fairfax county for more rural counties + Richmond. Now the big leap here is why. The article doesn’t spend too much time on the why, hinting that it’s likely due to persistent telework post-pandemic, which I can totally see. I love NoVa, been here my whole life (Alexandria then Annandale). I love the fact that you have access to such a diversity of experience, access to a major city with associated food/art/culture/traffic, access to the mountains an hour away, access access access but dear god you have to pay for it. If I had to leave, I’d give a lot of that up. My in laws live in Winchester and parents in Berryville and I absolutely love decompressing out that way, but if I start jonesing for Pho…I’m shit out of luck and that’s a dealbreaker.
Thanks for sharing, nice to have some data behind Mark’s always fact and data-less statements. I think your assumption of the telework post-pandemic shift is exactly why this is happening.
Here’s the County’s own report about the state of things https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/2022-demographics-report-provides-insight-local-trends
GT – nice try – leave your utopia because of telework? Nope…people can telework from Fairfax. Let me be Captain obvious – people leave Fairfax due to failing schools, high taxes, and crime. Because, why else would you leave if you can telework from Fairfax? After all Fairfax does have internet.
I have to agree with Mark, although in one of his more recent past posts he mentioned man babies and that is when he lost me. Encouraging the arts community to grow in our district is a good start and a novel idea, but it may be a bit naive without addressing the issues that are causing the district to rapidly decline.
However, confirming Mark’s assertions that Fairfax is in decline, just look around: the crime rate list that the Blog posts is so long now it is numbing. The poor performing schools, lessening quality of life and the ever increase of over-populated rental boarding houses resulting in poor property maintenance that is evident in practically every neighborhood.
Diversity is great, but when it tips the scales demographically and economically one has to ask if its working or destroying the fundamentals that made Fairfax a great place to live? I would say that it was an asset thirty years ago. Given the increase in illegals (look at the Annandale Home Depot parking lot), high property taxes, lack of urban savviness, limited leadership skill sets and the outdated tool box that the County leadership has at hand suggests to me that these bubbling up issues may be encouraging an ongoing exit of the middle class and white flight from the County, particularly Mason. And that to me is the inverse of diversity, what it suggests is that this vacuum is leaving Mason with a poorer, less educated population and a demographic that is less interested in favorable community dynamics.
Well said, and I agree with everything you said. Been here for over 40 years.
Yes – vax2themax4 – and its on purpose- how do the elitists stay in power and gain more power? – keep people dependent on government – never though I would be leaving Fairfax – but just can’t see throwing good money after bad –
Mark, its not the elitists you should fear, although there are a few here, but more in the toni areas such as Sleepy Hollow, Ravenswood and most of Arlington where they are relatively benign. However, its the extremists; left and right that we should all be concerned about, for they are the ones destroying our County and Country.