The Sandy Spring Museum will build a new Cultural Heritage Hub that will “serve regional traditional artists and organizations that do not have their own space in which to rehearse, create, meet, or perform.”
The $2 million project aims to uplift underserved and underrepresented traditional artists. The expansion will feature an indoor studio space and an outdoor amphitheater.
At a construction groundbreaking event on June 9, politicians and community stakeholders celebrated the Museum’s first capital expansion since 2007. Congressman Jamie Raskin, County Executive Marc Elrich, Maryland State Senator Craig Zucker, County Council President Andrew Friedson, and Executive Director of Maryland State Arts Council Steven Skerritt-Davis attended the event.
The addition is part of a “master plan” for the museum’s reimagination, which has been in progress for about five years, according to Executive Director Allison Weiss.
Other elements of the plan include interpretive walking trails, a sculpture garden, increased art studios, an additional amphitheater and improved landscaping to improve the area’s “sense of place.”
The Cultural Heritage Hub received funding from federal, state and county grants, as well as a small number of community donors.
Weiss anticipates that the hub will function equally as a rehearsal and performance space.
“A big part of this is just that we’re providing space. That may not sound like a big deal, but in an area where space is so incredibly expensive to buy or even to rent, it’s a really big deal for us to be able to provide space for artists,” Weiss said.
Completion of the project is expected in January 2025.
Photo courtesy of Sandy Spring Museum
