Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum Leaves the Building... and Goes into the Community May 7-July 29

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Anacostia Community Museum is leaving the building and going into the community with the dynamic initiative, ACM: Out & About taking place Monday, May 7-Sunday, July 29, while the public spaces (the galleries and a program room) are closed for a major lighting upgrade project. ACM: Out & About will feature collaborative arts and cultural programming presented primarily offsite throughout the Washington, D.C., area. The museum's public spaces will reopen Monday, July 30.

Poetry slams, public arts and behind-the-scenes tours, community history talks, storytelling and Latin dance music forums are among the activities featured during ACM: Out & About. The major offsite offering, the program Citified: Arts and Creativity East of the Anacostia River, will take place at the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall, June 27-July 1 and July 4-8. Citified showcases the arts and cultural expressions connecting residents in far southeast Washington communities, as the final part of the "Call and Response: Community and Creativity" project focusing on urban communities.

"The upgrade project offered us an opportunity we could not overlook, a chance to improve the quality of our visitor experiences particularly as we approach our 45th anniversary this coming September," said Camille Giraud Akeju, director of the museum. "The offsite initiative enables us to work with our cultural partners to showcase the artistry found in communities east of the Anacostia River and provide visitors from near and far, with experiences on the Mall and throughout the District."

More details will be forthcoming and the public is encouraged to follow the museum on Facebook and Twitter and to subscribe to its e-communications via its website at anacostia.si.edu where updates and schedule information will also be posted beginning April 27.

The Anacostia Community Museum opened in southeast Washington in 1967 as the nation's first federally funded neighborhood museum. Located at 1901 Fort Place S.E. in Washington, D.C., the museum focuses on the impact of contemporary social issues on urban communities. Year-round Metro access and free onsite parking are available. For more information, the public may call (202) 633-4820 or (202) 633-1000; for tours, (202) 633-4844. Website: anacostia.si.edu.

SOURCE Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum