Minnesota Avenue Main Street to Host Inaugural 'Art All Night: Made in DC' on Minnesota Avenue NE

WASHINGTON, September 28, 2018 (Newswire.com) - The Minnesota Avenue Main Street, an initiative of the Washington Area Community Investment Fund, Inc. (Wacif), announced today that it would be hosting "Art All Night: Made in DC" on the Minnesota Avenue commercial corridor, joining Mayor Muriel Bowser, the D.C. Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD), the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and Main Streets organizations across the District to celebrate local artists in a free, overnight arts festival taking place from 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 29 through 3:00 a.m. the following morning. On the Minnesota Avenue corridor alone, more than 300 people have RSVPed to join Wacif on Saturday between 7:00 p.m. and midnight for art and photography exhibitions, movie screenings, live musical and dance performances, and live painting at five venues throughout the neighborhood.

“We are excited to join Mayor Bowser, DSLBD, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and our Main Streets partners in celebrating the work of artists, makers, and innovators who shape D.C.’s culture and keep our creative economy thriving,” said Wacif Executive Director Harold Pettigrew. “I’m excited that our neighbors will get to experience Minnesota Avenue’s creativity and dynamism, just as we have in managing the Minnesota Avenue Main Street program.”

Art All Night: Nuit Blanche DC was first produced in 2011 by Ariana Austin and Alexander Padro of Shaw Main Streets and funded with a grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The original festival exceeded all expectations and brought unprecedented attention the D.C. metropolitan area’s art scene. With support from Mayor Bowser and DSLBD, Art All Night has expanded to include eight participating Main Streets organizations. On September 21, 2018, "Art All Night: Made in DC" was recognized by the Guardian newspaper as one of the world’s 10 best night-time festivals this autumn.

“'Art All Night: Made in DC' is an opportunity to showcase this community’s talent and small businesses through an evening of art, dance, music, and poetry,” said Anaia Peddie, Minnesota Avenue Main Streets Program Manager. “We are thrilled to bring this initiative to Minnesota Avenue for the first time and thank Mayor Bowser for the opportunity to do so.” 

Minnesota Avenue’s "Art All Night: Made in DC" activities will take place between 7:00 p.m. and midnight on Saturday, September 29 at five sites throughout the neighborhood, including: an Artistic Smorgasbord at Benning Neighborhood Library (3935 Benning Road NE); a Mobile Art Gallery at East River Park Shopping Mall (322 40^th Street NE); a Glam & Glow fire, photo, and fashion exhibition at DC Eagle (3701 Benning Road NE); Airbrush and Selfie Exhibits at CarrotsDC (4057 Minnesota Avenue NE); and, a New Beginning mural painting at (3905 Dix Street NE).

RSVP here for "Art All Night: Made in DC events."

On October 4^th, Wacif will celebrate its 31^st Annual Celebration with the launch of new small business initiatives. For more information about sponsoring or attending the celebration, please visit www.wacif.org.

About the Washington Area Community Investment Fund

The Washington Area Community Investment Fund, Inc. (Wacif) is one of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area’s leading Community Development Financial Institution’s (CDFI) focused on small business development. Wacif’s mission is to increase equity and economic opportunity in underserved communities in the Washington DC area by investing knowledge, social, and financial capital in low-and moderate-income entrepreneurs. In the last seven years, Wacif has closed more than $9.2 million in loans and assisted over 2,000 entrepreneurs with coaching and technical assistance, sustaining more than 300 local jobs. Learn more at http://wacif.org.

About the Minnesota Avenue Main Streets Program

Minnesota Avenue Main Street, a Downtown Ward 7 Initiative, was designated in 2017 and is operated by the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif). Minnesota Avenue Main Street aims to: revitalize the commercial corridor of Minnesota Ave NE and Benning Road NE, enhance the commercial district through clean teams and streetscape improvements, and promote the neighborhood, individual business owners, and entrepreneurs. Learn more at http://wacif.org/minnesota-ave.

Source: Washington Area Community Investment Fund