News Archive: 2004

October 13, 2004

Rhonda Buckley receives 2004 Tony Taylor Award

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.

December 15, 2004

Target Corporation Funds Sitar Center Programs

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.

September 30, 2004

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

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.

September 18, 2004

The Sitar Center Moves into its New Home but Still Needs to Purchase

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.

February 26, 2004

Coucilmember Jim Graham Joins the Neighborhood at the Sitar Center's Groundbreaking

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