BY REBECCA BENNETT — According to Art Works, the non-profit organization will be featured by WJLA-TV on the morning of Friday, July 17. A special free toddler art time drop-in class will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Art Works said, at the organization’s new Marché Florist Building home of 4800 Rhode Island Avenue. Friday’s class will be robot painting.
Catch Art Works — and possibly your neighbors — live during Good Morning Washington Express on NewsChannel 8, which can be found on Verizon channels 8 or 508 or Comcast channels 8 or 808. Segment times, they said, are scheduled for approximately 7:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., and 9:10 a.m.
This feature by a local television station comes one day before Art Works and Prince George’s County officials are expected to break ground on the much-awaited joint art and pizza project with partner Pizzeria Paradiso. Speakers include City of Hyattsville Mayor Candace Hollingsworth, Prince George’s County Councilmember Deni Taveras (District 2) and Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, III.
In Oct. 2014, nearly two years after the building was purchased, Art Works Executive Director Barbara Johnson, who also has a major stake in the building’s ownership, won an appellate victory against the county’s Historic Preservation Commission’s decision in Dec. 2013 that the Marché Florist Building should be classified as a historic site. Some supporters of the building’s non-classification as historic expressed concern that a historic designation could leave the building perpetually empty and lose what could be a flourishing community anchor.
Rebecca Bennett is a former long-time employee of WJLA/NewsChannel 8 and has frequently been found with her daughter at toddler art time.
