March 16, 2022

Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment District Seeking Thoughts of Residents Via Community Survey

The Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment District is seeking community input on the priorities residents have regarding the arts, placemaking, and different elements of maintaining an Arts and Entertainment District. 

The community survey can be found here

Silver Spring is undergoing the redesignation process for an Arts and Entertainment District by the State of Maryland. Every 10 years, the State requires a new application be submitted for review to be redesignated. This year, both the Silver Spring and the Bethesda Urban Partnership are submitting applications to continue their work making the arts a viable and exciting part of Montgomery County. 

Montgomery County currently has three Arts and Entertainment Districts: Silver Spring, Bethesda, and Wheaton. Each has its own unique character reflecting the priorities of the arts organizations, artists, and public who live and/or work within each district. For example, when Wheaton was redesignated as a district in 2016, the community survey found 85 percent of respondents indicated they would like the Wheaton Arts and Entertainment District to celebrate the ethnic and cultural diversity of Wheaton and 82 percent said they wanted to support the traditional arts. Programming and planning in the Wheaton Arts and Entertainment District since redesignation has reflected a commitment to the cultural diversity of Wheaton. 

Community members in Silver Spring can help shape and expand upon the aspects that make the Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment District unique. Silver Spring features a variety of performance, film, and entertainment venues. Prior to the COVID-19 health crisis, it hosted more than 500 public events each year. Many of these events and activities are expected to return to the district. 

Residents who have additional ideas that could contribute to the arts and entertainment can complete the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BQ8R3QK.