Category Archives: Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

April 1: Explore! Children’s Museum April Fools Fest

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

Another family friendly event from Explore! Children’s Museum of Washington DC:

April Fools Fest
Saturday, April 1, 2017
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
5455 3rd Street NE

We’re hosting our third FREE backyard fest – and this time we’re celebrating spring! Enjoy family-friendly activities, meet new neighbors, and learn what Explore! has in store for the Spring! Families and children of all ages welcome; dress for outdoor weather and bring your own smock or old t-shirt for wall painting. We will also be partnering with the Lamond-Riggs Library who will join us with exciting programming!

Activities to include:

  • A saxophone demo with Herbert Scott
  • Music and storytelling with Sylvia Zwi
  • Storytime about Spring and a matching craft activity with the Lamond-Riggs Library
  • Weaving on the collaborative loom
  • Fundred Dollar Bill project
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Snacks and Drinks

RSVP and info at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/april-fools-fest-tickets-32435484407

To volunteer, contact Irina Rubenstein at irina@exploremuseum.org or (202) 248-3490.

January 28: Explore! Children’s Museum Pop-Up Opens at National Portrait Gallery

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

On January 28, 2017, Explore! Children’s Museum, which will be part of a future phase of the Art Place at Fort Totten, will open a temporary pop-up exhibit downtown at the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibit will be free to the public.

The museum held a couple of neighborhood events last year to introduce staff and concepts for the museum. The year-long pop-up is another chance to showcase the museum and test out some exhibits in a cool collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery. Tell your neighbors and friends.

Details from the website:

In Explore! with the Portrait Gallery, kids can experiment with portraiture in an age-appropriate way to answer questions such as “What is a portrait?” “How do I see myself?” and “How do others see me?”. Young visitors will be able to trace each other’s silhouettes, strike a pose for a projected video art piece, and experiment with expression and emotion by building faces out of illustrated blocks.

  • Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:30 am to 6:00 pm on the first floor of the gallery
  • Designed for children ages 18 months to eight years old
  • Text in English and Spanish

Check the website for additional details.

 

WBJ: Children’s Museum Profile

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

The Washington Business Journal profiles the Explore! Children’s Museum, which is anticipated to be part of a future phase of the Art Place at Fort Totten development. The museum will open a temporary location at the National Portrait Gallery on January 28, 2017. We have covered the museum’s progress on this blog in several posts, noting in our year-end neighborhood development profile that there are still open questions regarding the museum. The article provides a few details on the temporary exhibit and notes that museum officials hope to begin construction on the permanent museum here in Riggs Park at the end of 2017:

The portraiture exhibit is one that could be replicated in the eventual permanent museum, though Explore! has not yet decided exactly what exhibits will be installed, said [Executive Director Rhonda] Buckley. She and the other museum principals are still keeping mum on other details on the project as well, including size and cost.

They hope to begin construction by the end of 2017 and open to the public in mid-2019, however. The museum will be built on “Parcel B,” as the developer refers to it, which is in the second phase of the Cafritzes’ Art Place development. . . .

 We will see if this timeline holds. In the meantime, check out the temporary museum at the National Portrait Gallery later this month.

Neighborhood Children’s Museum Fall Fest – Call for Volunteers

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten and tagged with

Update: The volunteer happy hour has been postponed

On October 22, the Explore! Children’s Museum of Washington DC is holding a Fall Fun Fest to offer families a sneak peek of the new children’s museum coming to Riggs Park (see event details below). Volunteers are needed for the event. See the list of volunteer duties here: Fall Fun Fest Volunteer Job Descriptions (pdf)

Anyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to attend the Volunteer Happy Hour at Hellbender (5788 2nd St. NE) on October 20, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm, for a brief orientation and to sign up.

For more information, contact Irina Rubenstein at irina@wdckids.org.
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Fall Fun Fest
Saturday, October 22, 1 PM – 3 PM
5455 3rd St NE, Washington, DC 20011

Curious about the new children’s museum coming to the Fort Totten neighborhood? Come get a FREE sneak peek!
• Fanciful music and storytelling with Sylvia Zwi
• Large-scale whimsical weaving
• Saxophone demo with Herbert Scott
• Make your own bird feeder
• Create a spooky mask

Families and children of all ages welcome. Share your ideas for the museum and learn how to get involved.

WBJ hard-hat profile of Art Place at Fort Totten

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

The Washington Business Journal shared pictures from a hard-hat tour of Art Place at Fort Totten. The article does not provide any new information about the development or incoming tenants. Those of us who walk past the construction site everyday know the building will be massive. Looks like there will be amazing views from the rooftop. Click the link for pictures.

T-Mobile coming to Art Place & other news

Posted by nextstoprp in Cafritz Art Place at Fort Totten

Post updated to add information about other tenants

A resident spurred me to update the site with some not so exciting news about Art Place at Fort Totten. We can confirm that T-Mobile has signed a lease for a 2,635 square foot space at the development. The lease was signed last month. X-Sport Fitness executed a lease for an approximately 42,000 square foot gym some time ago. That leaves close to 50,000 square feet of available space for additional retailers and other amenities, including restaurants, in the first phase.

In related Art Place news, Heather Johnson, Executive Director for Explore! Children’s Museum of Washington, DC spoke at a Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association meeting on March 7, 2016. Ms. Johnson shared news that has been previously shared on this site and at ANC 5A meetings. Specifically, the current plan is to locate the museum in existing warehouses located at Third and Kennedy Street NE. The museum will open in two phases, the first one being an exploratory lab to test out exhibit ideas and the second phase being the full-fledged museum. The first phase is anticipated to open in 2017. They will also open smaller, satellite locations downtown, with a fall 2016 opening anticipated for the first satellite location. See Explore Childrens Museum Brochure