News

The Sitar Center is featured on Metro Talk with Jerry Phillips on Washington Post Radio - 107.7FM
January 7, 2007


The Sitar Center receives a generous gift from The Streisand Foundation - The Washington Post, Reliable Source
December 21, 2006

WAMU's Metro Connection profiles Rhonda Buckley during its November 10th segement.
November 10, 2006

Rhonda Buckley Receives Meyer Foundation's Exponent Award
September 27, 2006

Rhonda Buckley Receives Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman 2006 EXCEL Award
September 22, 2006

Sitar Center Purchases Adams Morgan Space
April 7, 2006

The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts completed the purchase of 10, 700 square feet of condo space at 1700 Kalorama Road, NW in Adams Morgan on April 7. The purchase guarantees the Sitar Center’s permanency as a center on the city landscape where low-income youth can study the arts.

“This purchase was possible because of the generosity, tireless energy and countless hours of work by many individuals,” said Founder and Executive Director, Rhonda Buckley. “The Sitar Center will continue to concentrate on providing excellent training in the arts to our students because we know we are here to stay.”

The purchase was made possible through a combination of public financing from the District of Columbia Department of Housing and Community Development and a loan from M&T Bank. The Sitar Center is undertaking a Capital Campaign to reduce and help pay off the loan when it comes due in five years.

The Sitar Center began leasing the space, located on the first floor of 1700 Kalorama Lofts Condominiums in 2003. Renovation of the space began in early 2004, and the Sitar Center officially began operating its programs at 1700 Kalorama in September 2004. For the past two years, it has been working to raise the money to operate in the larger facility and purchase the space, which will ultimately save the Sitar Center approximately one million dollars over ten years.

“The Sitar Center is a well-run organization with great leadership and sense of purpose,” said Councilmember Jim Graham. “Everything the Sitar Center does is in the best interests of the children and youth it serves.”

The Sitar Center’s state-of-the-art facility contains a full-size professional dance studio, recording studio, pottery studio, multiple practice rooms, photography dark room, classrooms, art gallery, arts library, and an intimate theater. Architect Greg Kearley of Inscape Studio received the Pro Bono Publico Award from the Washington Architectural Association for the design of the space.

The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts is a community arts center providing after-school arts education in music, dance, drama, creative writing, and visual art primarily to youth from families with low incomes who live in Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant, and Columbia Heights. Most of the classes are taught by volunteer teachers from the community. Partnerships with many of Washington’s finest arts organizations including Arena Stage, CityDance Ensemble, the Corcoran Museum, the Levine School of Music, National Symphony Orchestra, The Washington Ballet, Washington National Opera, and Washington Performing Arts Society further enrich the programs. The Sitar Center is named after Pat Sitar, a local artist and community activist, whose love for the District’s children inspired the vision for the organization.

Women of Washington features the Sitar Center
January 2006

Women of Washington, an affiliate of W.O.M.E.N., inc. (Women Organized for Mentoring, Education, and Netowrking), chose the Sitar Center as a 2006 featured non-profit through its Non-Profit Alliance. The Non-Profit Alliance facilitates awareness, exposure, and networking opportunities for local non-profits.

Sitar Center founder and executive director Rhonda Buckley spoke at a Women of Washington event on January 23rd called "The Future of Washington, D.C.: Through the Eyes of the Candidates for Mayor of the District of Columbia." The Sitar Center thanks Women of Washington for the opportunity to share its mission with a wider audience.

Sitar Center receives 2005 Vision Award
December 12, 2005

The Committee of 100 on the Federal City awards The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts with a 2005 Vision Award in the category of Arts and Community on Monday, December 12. The Vision Awards recognize vision in planning and design in Washington, D.C. Sharing recognition with the Sitar Center in the Arts and Community category are The ARC and The H Street Playhouse.

Washington Architectural Foundation Awards Sitar Center Design
October 21, 2005

The Washington Architectural Foundation honored Greg Kearley, Inscape Studio architect, with the Pro Bono Public Award for the design of the new home of The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts. The award recognizes outstanding design in the public interest.

The Sitar Center moved into its new facility in September 2004. The multidisciplinary arts center for inner city youth, located at 1700 Kalorama Road, NW, includes a professional dance studio, recording studio, pottery studio, multiple practice rooms, photography dark room, classrooms, art gallery, arts library, and an intimate theater.

National Multicultural Insitute Recognizes the Sitar Center
May 19, 2005

The National Multicultural Institute honored The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts with its 2005 Nonprofit Diversity Leader Award on May 19, 2005. The award was presented to four organizations in the Washington metro area in the areas of Education, Social Services, Health Care, and the Arts.

The Sitar Center congratulates all the winners and nominees in our shared value of strength in diversity. http://www.nmci.org/new/leadershipawards.htm

Auditions for The Wiz
May 18, 2005

The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts announces open auditions May 18-20 for a full-scale summer production of the award winning stage musical , The Wiz.This is the first full-length production to be staged in the Sitar Center’s new state-of-the-art facility in Adams Morgan.

CASTING STILL OPEN - CALL (202) 797 2145 x107

With favorites such as Home and Ease on Down the Road, The Wiz is a thrilling and funky edition of the classic story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Director A. Lorraine Robinson is excited about the production and looks forward to creating a special Wiz which showcases the diverse community of the Sitar Center and all of its multidisciplinary creative talents.

District youth and adults of all ages and experience are encouraged to audition for solo and ensemble roles in the production. Rehearsals and preparation, including set and costume design, will take place as part of the Sitar Center’s summer arts program, July 5-Aug 14. Participants must be residents of the District of Columbia. To schedule an audition, call the Sitar Center at (202) 797 2145.

Rhonda Buckley receives 2004 Tony Taylor Award
October 13, 2004

The Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington presented Rhonda Buckley, Executive Director of The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts, with the 2004 Tony Taylor Award at its annual meeting on Oct 13. The award is given annually to an outstanding arts leader in the Washington area.

Tony Taylor was an artist, entrepreneur, civic leader, proprietor of Bohemian Caverns and founder of Lettumplay, an organization dedicated to training local jazz talent. He was instrumental in the creation of the Cultural Alliance, and the award is given each year in his honor to a leader who has made a significant contribution to the artistic environment of Washington, DC.

Target Corporation Funds Sitar Center Programs
December 15, 2004

The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts received a $10,000 grant from Target Corporation, which will be used to fund arts programs that promote reading: playwriting, creative writing, The Washington Ballet Dancing With Words, and Early Childhood Music classes.

Target Corporation has a strong tradition of giving back to the communities where they do business. "At Target Corporation we feel it is not only our responsibility to give back to the community, it is our privilege," said Laysha Ward, Vice President of Community Relations. "The Sitar Center is doing incredible things to help strengthen our community."

The Sitar Center thanks Target Corporation for recognizing the arts as a powerful tool for teaching inner city youth the value and joy of expressing themselves through language.

P.N. Hoffman Golf Tournament Raises $20,000 for Sitar Center Programs
September 30, 2004

The Sitar Center expresses its gratitude to PN Hoffman and all the sponsors of the annual golf tournament, held on September 30 at the Worthington Manor Golf Course. The tournament raised $20,000 to benefit after-school youth arts programs at the Sitar Center.

In addition to PN Hoffman, the Sitar Center gives a special thank you to the tournament's Gold Sponsor, Miller and Long, and Silver Sponsor, TDIndustries.

The Sitar Center Moves into its New Home but Still Needs to Purchase
September 18, 2004

The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts opened the doors of its new state-of-the-art facility for local youth at 1700 Kalorama Road, NW for the first time on Saturday, September 18th from 1:00-3:30pm and announced that it only needs another $900,000 to reach its campaign goal of $3.3 million and purchase the space, which it is currently leasing, by the end of the year. Kenny Leon, artistic director of True Colors Theatre Co., joined neighborhood youth and families in a special presentation at 1:30pm.

“We have already received overwhelming support for this project, but this is only celebrating the end of Act I,” said Rhonda Buckley, executive director of the Sitar Center. “We still need to complete Act II and finish with the finale of purchasing our new home.”

The public opening of the new facility, designed by Washington architecture firm Inscape Studio, included tours and demonstrations by Sitar Center youth, food and beverages donated by local restaurants, and mini interactive workshops in music, dance, visual art, and poetry. During the 1:30pm presentation, Kenny Leon, nationally acclaimed producer and director whose credits include the Broadway hit A Raisin in the Sun and Tambourines to Glory (now at the Lincoln Theatre), presented a master class to young Sitar Center acting students.

The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts provides after-school arts instruction in music, dance, drama, creative writing, and visual art to youth and families in the Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant, and Columbia Heights neighborhoods of Washington, DC, regardless of income. Its new facility contains a full-size professional dance studio, recording studio, pottery studio, multiple practice rooms, photography dark room, classrooms, art gallery, arts library, and an intimate theater designed by Fisher Dachs Associates, which is also involved in the designs of Arena Stage and the Shakespeare Theatre.

The new space will allow the Sitar Center to enroll hundreds more youth in its after-school programs and continue to build its partnerships with many of DC’s finest arts organizations including The Washington Ballet, Washington National Opera, the National Symphony Orchestra, Levine School of Music, Arena Stage, CityDance Ensemble, and the Corcoran Museum and College of Art and Design.

To schedule a tour of the new facility, call Emma at (202) 797 2145 x106 or email emma@sitarcenter.org.

The Campaign for The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts.

Coucilmember Jim Graham Joins the Neighborhood
at the Sitar Center's Groundbreaking
February 26, 2004

On February 26, the Sitar Center broke ground on its new home at 1700 Kalorama Road, NW. Ward One Councilmember Jim Graham joined the community at the celebration. The Groundbreaking Ceremony marked the beginning of construction on a state-of-the-art facility for low-income youth and families in Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, and Mount Pleasant to study music, dance, drama, creative writing, and visual art.

View the Architect's Report

See Groundbreaking Photos

Catalogue for Philanthropy
A Guide to Giving, Washington, DC 2003

The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts is one of 70 organizations featured in the new Washington, DC Catalogue for Philanthropy. The Catalogue for Philanthropy seeks to inspire, promote, and reveal the important role of the philanthropic sector of an area.

This first edition of the Washington, DC Guide to Giving focuses on the smaller organizations of Washington, DC such as The Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts. These organizations crave the chance to publicize their programs and attract much needed funding opportunities. Smaller organizations provide philanthropists with the chance to make a huge difference.

Go to the Washington, DC 2003 Catalogue for Philanthropy

Joel Perez, 12, and Jessica Palencia, 10, participated in the project through their visual art and creative writing classes at the Sitar Center. Joel received special recognition for his project entitled, "The Mexican-Americano," which is being featured in the Diversity category, and Jessica received an award for "Exceptional Photography and Creative Writing."

*see photos from this event

The Sitar Center expresses much gratitude to the Library of Congress and each member of the Juilliard String Quartet for making this exciting event possible.

Announcing Release of Lifting As We Climb, Volume III
and Homecoming 2003 CD Collection
June 7, 2003.

Lifting As We Climb is a collaborative arts project between the creative writing and art classes at the Sitar Center. It is a written and pictorial expression of the childrens' thoughts, emotions and truths. The poets selected their favorite pieces and they were read aloud to the art classes. The artists responded to the poetry with prints, paintings, and drawings that the words evoked. A delightful dialogue of word and illustration evolved. We are happy to share with you the third annual volume of art and poetry.

Homecoming 2003 Collection is a recording of the Sitar Center Music Ensembles.

If you would like to receive a copy of Lifting As We Climb or Homecoming 2003 Collection, please contact us . A tax deductible donation to cover the cost of shipping would be most appreciated.

Go to the publications page to download a copy.

See the Construction Progress - Architect's Report

Thanks to Anonime, L.L.C. who designed and produced this site and to the Fannie Mae Foundation whose grant made it possible.