In The Art Of It
A Discussion To Enhance Arts And Culture in Prince George’s
By Kia Lisby
Prince George’s is more than wealth and the next door neighbor to the nation’s capital. It’s the highly underrated birthplace and origin of many talented and notable people.
There are many well-known, diverse and prominent figures of the Prince George’s community who’ve gone on to create amazing works to national and international acclaim.
Many believe the time has come to put Prince George’s on the broad-spectrum of the map. The Prince George’s County Cultural Arts Study (PGCCAS) may be the tool to help make that possible.
The Prince George’s County Planning Department, Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation, and Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council hosted a virtual meeting Oct. 24 to gain feedback from residents and community members to help benefit the cultural arts in Prince George’s.
Vice President of Lord Cultural Resources Joy Bailey Bryant, the project leader for the study, said “The Cultural Arts Study is all about you, the residents of Prince George’s County. We want to explore the ways that arts, culture, and entertainment, can play a role in shaping the lives of Prince George’s County residents and the communities in which they live.”
With over 90 attendees, the meeting revealed how the PGCCAS can be used to increase opportunities for art, advance cultural goals and creative placemaking and help to assist in improving quality of life in communities.
Attendees were encouraged to participate in an interactive survey to express expectations from the arts, experiences and what ideas they had when it came to arts and culture within the county.
“When we talk about arts and culture, it isn’t just paintings and museums. It’s all kinds of arts and culture” said Lord Cultural Resources’ Senior Consultant Eve Moros Ortega, also a project manager.
So much rich history of the establishment of Prince George’s County and its successes are in our own neighborhoods that we overlook and bypass daily.
With the talents and gifts that residents have, meeting participants believe the county’s talented should be highlighted in hopes of inspiring others to want to be a part of history in the making within Prince George’s.
“To fortify the cultural ecosystem and creative economy of Prince George’s County we first need to better understand it and what our community needs from arts and culture,” said Arts and Cultural Heritage Division Prince George’s County DPR, Division Chief Darlene Watkins.
