Kate Taylor Davis Named First Director of Anacostia Arts Center

The Anacostia Arts Center, a project of ARCH Development Corporation, has its first director. Kate Taylor Davis joined the ARCH team in late May to launch and lead the new facility, which began hosting events in April.

"We are delighted to welcome Kate to the team," says Duane Gautier, CEO of ARCH Development Corporation. "Her professional background combined with her passion for connecting arts and audiences are exactly what the Center needs to succeed."

The Anacostia Arts Center is already getting attention from local performers and artists. "We have the DC Black Theatre Festival joining us this week; several local artists are sharing exhibitions this summer as part of Lumen8; and we have become a home for producers rehearsing Fringe shows," explains Ms. Davis. "The enthusiasm for this facility has been wonderful. There is so much potential in Anacostia and in this venue. I am honored to join the ARCH team and help move forward their vision of making Anacostia a true arts destination."

Ms. Davis, a DC resident since 1999, came to the center from Imagination Stage in Bethesda, where she was director of external relations. Previously she was the chief marketing and communications officer at Olney Theatre Center, as well as assistant director of education and programs at the Association of Children's Museums. She interned with The Kennedy Center and The District of Columbia Arts Center, among others. She is occasional lecturer on the topics of marketing and event planning at local universities, and has served as a committee member for The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, vice president for The League of Washington Theatres, keynote panelist for Theatre Communications Group, and a grant panelist for Arlington County. Ms. Davis holds an M.A. in Arts Management from The American University and a B.A. in English from The University of Michigan.

Anacostia Arts Center is a project of the ARCH Development Corporation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating a home for small businesses, artists, arts and cultural organizations to fulfill its commitment to the revitalization and sustainable economic development of Historic Anacostia.

The Arts Center is 9,300 square feet, and includes a 1,000-square-foot Black Box Theater, space for five galleries/boutiques, a short-term exhibition gallery called Blank Space SE, Nurish café (opening fall 2013), and a 1,050-square-foot lounge area. The center offers rental options for curators, artists, and performers. It also welcomes proposals for collaborations and events.

Founded in 1991, ARCH Development Corporation (ADC) is, at its core, a small neighborhood-based organization with its entire focus on the economic regeneration of the Historic Community of Anacostia in Washington, DC, using arts, cultural and the creative economy.

ADC believes that properly organized facilities and development programs designed to attract artists, performing arts groups, theater companies and small businesses can serve as the engine for neighborhood economic development.

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