RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

We make space for art. From working with developers on affordable housing for artists to offering key services to emerging arts organizations and expanding audiences for arts programming, Cultural Development Corporation (CuDC) grows DC's arts industry and creative business infrastructure. Among CuDC's recent accomplishments over the past two years:

• Renovated Source on 14th Street, NW and successfully completed the $3.5M campaign to purchase and rehabilitate the performing arts center, providing office, classroom, rehearsal and performance space for Source resident companies and DC-based groups;


• Produced two Source Community Opening Houses, welcoming hundreds of families and friends for workshops and performances by Washington Improv Theater, Constellation Theatre Company, The In Series, Sol y Soul, Young Playwright's Theatre, Adventure Theatre, Step Afrika!, Maru Montero Dance Company, BosmaDance, Sahara Dance and more;


• Produced two Source Festivals, a three week performing arts event inspired by the former DC theatre mainstay the Washington Theatre Festival. Source Festival has showcased 43 world premiere 10-minute plays, 11 one acts by local and national playwrights, 12 interdisciplinary commissioned pieces and 17 plays written, rehearsed and performed in 24 hours;


• Provided rehearsal and class space in the Dallas Morse Coors Dance Studio at Flashpoint enabling 200 Sahara Dance classes, 48 Dissonance Dance rehearsals, 48 Maru Montero Dance Company classes & rehearsals and 10 Dhoonya Dance workshops and participated in Dance is the Answer Week;


• Hosted more than 300 performances and rehearsals in the Gilbert & Jaylee Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint, including theatre, music, dance, cabaret, improv and film;


• Presented 16 art exhibitions in the Flashpoint Gallery, including DCist Exposed, a show presented in partnership with local blog DCist. The exhibition — designed to give exposure to emerging photographers in DC — was attended by more than 2,000 people.


• Presented Construct: Space Transformed, featuring the work of five artists in four vacant retail spaces in Washington, DC's NoMa neighborhood. Construct was created in partnership with the NoMa Business Improvement District and featured walking tours plus a series of self-guided cell phone tours.


• Presented 11 productions as part of the Mead Theatre Lab Program at Flashpoint including new works by emerging local theatre companies, world-premiere dance, music and sculpture collaborations as well as original devised projects.


• Hosted 48 events through the Business Center program, including monthly resident organization meetings at Flashpoint and Source, New Space and Arts Leaders Who Lunch Roundtables plus workshops for individual artists;


• Graduated five Flashpoint resident organizations: Maru Montero Dance Company, now residing near the Petworth neighborhood on 14th Street NW; Step Afrika!, having expanded from one to three full-time staff members moved into larger office space with access to rehearsal space; Black Women Playwrights' Group, now with a national membership, moved to larger shared office space; Washington Improv Theater, with expanded staff and programming moved into Source; The In Series, also with expanded staff, took up residency at Source;


• Awarded the 2008 Mayor's Arts Award for Excellence in Service to the Arts for the tremendous impact CuDC has had on the arts community as well as the community as a whole;


• Received the 2008 Meyer Exponent Award in recognition of Executive Director Anne Corbett and her work as a visionary leader;


• Connected gallery entrepreneur Craig Appelbaum with vacant space on the second floor of Conner Contemporary Art through our Technical Assistance program, leading to Industry Gallery;


• Received the Women Who Mean Business Award in recognition of Executive Director Anne Corbett as one of the DC region's most influential women;


• Consulted with iStudios Architects on the redesign of the Takoma Park City Council Auditorium;


• Contracted to work with Abdo Development on the Catholic University South Campus Redevelopment;


• Began providing consulting services to Artspace Projects in the development of 40 affordable live/work apartments for artists in the Brookland neighborhood;


• CuDC partnered with JAIR LYNCH Development Partners and AHD Inc. to install public art by local artist, Nekisha Durrett, in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, DC.