DC’s ArtPlace grant leverages several key initiatives that support the growing creative economy here in the District of Columbia.  It leverages the Creative DC Action Agenda (Creative Action Agenda ), the first comprehensive study of the District’s creative economy that assessed its contribution to revitalization and creative placemaking in this city.  Released in May of 2010, the Action Agenda, produced by the DC Office of Planning, included many significant findings including that creative jobs generate an impressive $5 billion annually in earnings.  In addition, there are more than 75,000 direct jobs in the District’s creative sector, which amounts to more than 10% of the city’s job base.  The Creative DC Action Agenda developed a creative District ‘framework’ that identified and categorized key neighborhoods in the city along a continuum, with the intent that policies and strategic investments would be directed towards helping ‘emerging’ creative neighborhoods mature into more ‘established,’ vibrant creative places.  This framework categorizes Brookland, Anacostia and Deanwood as emerging creative neighborhoods.  These are three of the four neighborhoods that will host ArtPlace-funded Arts and Culture Temporiums.

Another exciting initiative that the District’s ArtPlace grant will leverage is the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities’ DC Creates! Public Art 5X5 project.  The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) is responsible for providing grants, programs and educational activities that encourage diverse artistic expressions and learning opportunities, so that all District of Columbia residents and visitors can experience the rich culture of our city.  DCCAH’s 5x5 initiative is a new temporary public art project, which will result in twenty-five groundbreaking temporary public art installations that will be installed concurrently throughout the District of Columbia.  DCCAH will select five highly-experienced and innovative contemporary art curators to select and work with five artists each to develop and present exciting, temporary art works in public spaces throughout the city. The resulting twenty-five projects will activate and enliven publicly accessible spaces and add an ephemeral layer of creativity and artistic expression to neighborhoods across the District. All media and art forms will be considered, including, but not limited to visual art, performance, light, digital, projection, and event-based work. Installations can last up to 4 months.

DCCAH’s 5x5 projects intersects and overlaps with the OP’s ArtPlace grant in that some of the 25 temporary art works will be located in the ArtPlace’s four neighborhoods (Anacostia, Brookland, Deanwood, and Central 14th Street, NW) and will be key components in the Arts and Culture Temporiums in those neighborhoods.  5x5 will be presented during the spring of 2012 with the National Cherry Blossom Festival Centennial Celebration from March 20 through April 27, 2012.  ArtPlace’s Arts and Culture Temporiums  will kick-off during the same timeframe and will include additional programming such as:  arts education classes and workshops;  digital/new social media outreach/engagement;  code camps for digital arts; outside music events with local bands/artists; DC area food trucks and pop-up cafes;  flash mob events;  and other special events.