Artisphere

The center encompassed four performance venues, three visual art galleries, an artist in residence studio, a 4,000 square foot ballroom, studio space, social gathering spots, food service facilities, a bar and lounge area as well as outdoor terraces.

The Artisphere campus included the main building at 1101 Wilson Boulevard and the nearby Spectrum Theatre at 1611 N. Kent Street.

The Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington County, Virginia originated the institution, which opened in October 2010.

In October 2010, Artisphere hosted multiple opening events including a party titled Burst!

[21][22][23] The WSC Avant Bard performing arts organization (formerly the Washington Shakespeare Company) staged several theatrical productions each year in the Black Box theatre.

[25] WSC Avant Bard gained international attention when it staged a night of Shakespeare partially performed in the Klingon language with actor George Takei from the original Star Trek TV series.

The three galleries in Artisphere (Terrace, WIP {Works in Progress}, Mezz Gallery, along with the Artist in Residence Studio hosted various types of art exhibits focused on topics including political cartoons,[30] collaborative exhibitions with outside groups such as the Washington Project for the Arts, Washington Sculpture Group focussing on sustainability[31] and interactive media[32] paintings, sketches, sculpture, photography, video, audio, collage and other media.

The Terrace and WIP galleries exhibited contemporary work by local national and international artists.

The specific facilities include: Artisphere had an annual operating budget of $3.1 million, of which $300,000 was funded by the Rosslyn Business Improvement District.

[1] Programming included serving as the home of the WSC Avant Bard performing arts organization, Bowen McCauley Dance Company and the National Chamber Ensemble.