When patrons walk inside the Arts’tination art gallery at National Harbor, they see vibrant paintings, distinctive clothing and other unique collages.
Tucked in the back of the gallery situates a small room with colorful books such as “Chamber Music” by the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, “How To Become A Successful Artist” and “Radiant Child.”
The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System curated these and more than 400 books tailored to the arts.
Thanks to a partnership with the county’s Arts and Humanities Council, this space called the “Pebble pop-up library” for children and adults will open to the public at 1 p.m. Saturday.
“We want to make sure that the library is visible no matter where people go,” said Roberta Phillips, president and CEO of the library system, during a soft launch Wednesday. “This was just the perfect partnership with the arts council. This is a way for people to get educated about the arts and even for people to get a career in the arts.”
Prince George’s residents with a library card can check out books from the Pebble and return them to any of the nearly two dozen branches. Those books will be picked up and returned to the National Harbor location.
Visitors can not only check out work by local artists, but also register and participate in various programs hosted by the library system and arts council. The council’s celebrating its 40th anniversary this year that will feature a film festival in September.
While on vacation visiting family in the D.C. area, Lionel and Sarah Green of Los Angeles stopped by Arts’tination.
“This place is really cool,” Lionel Green said inside the Pebble library. “I like the artistic expression on all the [book] covers, especially showcasing African American and women history. It’s multicultural. This entire space is really inviting.”
“It feels like a nice place and a great energy in here,” Sarah Green said.
Some of the books people can check out include:
- “Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment” by Parker Curry and Jessica Curry
- “What the Artist Saw” by Faith Ringgold
- “The Entrepreneurial Artist: Lessons from Highly Successful Creatives” by Aaron P. Dworkin
Marie Antoinette, who showcases her collage artwork called “The Mariposa Collective” at Arts’tination, said a library enhances the gallery.
“It’s going to be great. We are going to be offering a series of workshops this summer,” said Antoinette, who taught art in the Prince George’s public schools for three years. “The sooner you introduce children to different forms of art, the better. You let them interpret art the way they see it.”
For more information on the county’s arts council and Pebble library, call 301-772-8943. For more stories like this visit The Washington Informer.
Photo: The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System’s Pebble pop-up library will open inside Arts’tination gallery at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on April 30. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
