At the age of 12, Latisha Atkins had her first taste of D.C., or as she knew it to be “Chocolate City” – the dawn of annual summers spent assisting the family business and developing a passion for entrepreneurship and communal reform. After she moved to the District to attend law school, she dove into local politics with a commitment to serve and advocate for others, working to revitalize the Ward 7 community.
Today, the executive director of Pennsylvania Avenue East Main Street (PAEMS) celebrates D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s annual Art All Night as a reflection of how far the District has come, particularly east of the Anacostia River.
She recalls attending the inaugural event in 2011, which at the time was held downtown and not nearly as accessible to residents in certain areas, a change she considers to be “the beauty” of the reformed festival.
“I think having Art All Night east of the river expands one’s view of the District of Columbia, particularly if you can never come [here],” she told The Informer. “Once you come here, you see the beauty of our communities, you see the history of our communities, and you see the beauty of our people and our culture.”
The Art All Night celebration is back Sept. 27 and 28 from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., showcasing the District’s wealth of diverse and captivating talent across all eight wards.
While there will be Art All Night programming throughout the city, activities in Wards 7 and 8 aim to inspire and engage guests with its rich history and culture, utilizing futuristic themes and arts education to underscore the creative economy flowing east of the river.
“There’s so much creativity in our community in Ward 8, and you see that throughout every single storefront in our residential areas, and also for our local businesses,” said Ashley Templeton, program and marketing manager for the Anacostia Business Improvement District (BID). “For us, it’s [about] putting them on a higher platform in terms of visibility, to make sure that their artistry is getting out into the wider D.C., not only in Southeast but across the river.”
A Peek Into Art All Night
In a massive collaboration, the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD), DC Public Library, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the DC Main Streets programs and the Business Improvement Districts work to amplify the city’s vibrant arts scene with programs that showcase each ward’s respective contributors to the arts.
Since its debut in 2011, the beloved overnight festival has presented a variety of performances, installations and interactive opportunities for participants to gauge the local artistry and creators that shape the District, while driving economic development through promotion of small businesses.
“Art All Night brings our community together in a celebration of creativity and culture that defines the artistic and innovative energy of D.C.,” said Rosemary Suggs-Evans, DSLBD director. “From live performances to pop-up galleries and delicious food, there’s something for everyone. It showcases the talent and ingenuity that make our city special, while bringing new foot traffic to small and local businesses in the District of Columbia.”
In the arts and culture district, Anacostia BID is gearing up for an innovative Art All Night installation. In partnership with Washington Performing Arts, the nonprofit will debut a “Let’s Dance!” theme, which will include playback theater, live paintings, and a celebration of go-go culture, featuring artists like Crazy Legs.
Additionally, residents can enjoy a live stream casting across all the Art All Night programs in the city, an invitation to unite in celebrating all the arts of D.C.
“Our mission is to celebrate community and our local businesses through arts and culture. Being an arts and culture district is about amplifying togetherness, arts, creativity, entrepreneurship, and all the good things that we do in Ward 8,” Templeton said. “The whole district corridor is going to come very alive for Art All Night.”
Creating a ‘Center Stage’ for Pennsylvania Avenue
On Pennsylvania Avenue, PAEMS – a member of DC Main Streets, which revitalizes communities with business recruitment, commercial development and consumer attraction – is implementing the theme “Art to the Future” in Ward 7. This activation will represent the legacy of the community while shining a light on the intersection between art and technology.
“[We] wanted to integrate the arts, but also the art of technology and see how that plays into where we’re going next. Art is evolving, and as art evolves, I want to make sure that we get those experiences right here in the community,” said Mary Blackford, site manager and curator for Pennsylvania Avenue East Main Street’s 2024 Art All Night. “So we integrated traditional art, medium, visual arts, painting, drawing, performance art, but then also some really cool technology advancements into this actual Art All Night experience, including a virtual reality museum, virtual reality gaming, virtual adventures.”
Established in 2020, the comprehensive Pennsylvania branch program combats structural issues to achieve economic prosperity and business engagement, with events like Art All Night serving as a testament to the need for arts and economic education.
“It’s going to happen with or without us. The saying goes, ‘If you don’t have a seat at the table, chances are you are on the table.’ So, if we’re not at the table, that means we’re not getting our voices heard. That means critical components of our needs and our desires are missing out of the conversation…We need developments that serve us,” Atkins explained.
In his docuseries “Ward 7 Rising,” which will host a first-of-its-kind brief screening on Sept. 27 at DC Dream Center, Paul Grant of Ascendor Communication analyzes the evolution of political leadership and values in the District. He hopes the presentation will both push viewers toward civic engagement, as well as expand the future of filmmakers in the area.
“When we think of the arts in the D.C. area, a lot of times, the first thing that comes up, and rightfully so, is Go-Go music. But there’s a rich film community here,” Grant said. “I think that Art All Night and events like [it] allow for a showcase of the best and brightest of the east of the river, and you’ll get a chance to come and see a community that you probably didn’t know existed.”
As each ward gears up for transformative Art All Night installations, Blackford emphasized the significance of arts education and creative spaces where artistry thrives and the future of D.C. culture reigns supreme.
“We have a big creative economy here in D.C., and we want to keep the art culture alive for the next generation of youth that are actually buying into art and want to be artists,” Blackford said. “I think it’s important to create an economy that is sustainable and equitable for them, and so that’s what we want to do. By keeping Art All Night alive and supporting this great event, it brings equity to those spaces and equity to communities that have creative economies that they want to grow and survive.”
Of course, there’s a multitude of arts of all types throughout D.C. proper and throughout the entire D.C. metropolitan area—-every week and weekend. There are arts-related things to do literally every week and weekend, everywhere in the region.