April 17, 2012 | 2:09 PM | By

Art Driving Gentrification?

FILED UNDER: Around the City, Anacostia, Greater Greater Washington, Lumen8Anacostia, Marion Barry, The Arts

hellomarkers! / Flickr

This sculpture is on top of an Anacostia warehouse

The District is funding a series of art events housed in vacant spaces in downtown Anacostia. The idea behind Lumen8Anacostia: to make use of under-used spaces, and also spark some much-needed economic growth in Anacostia. The Ward 8 neighborhood has already seen some professionals moving in, but nowhere near to the same degree as neighborhoods west of the river.

On Tuesday, local blog Greater Greater Washington tweeted that the Lumen8Anacostia could signal “a new dawn for Anacostia” and Washington City Paper pondered whether Anacostia could be the next Williamsburg. That sparked a conversation between locals, including Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry, about gentrification, displacement, race and the arts.

We’ve rounded up the conversation here.

  • Single Newports for sale

    Yawn. 

  • Dgautier

    bringing art and cultural activities into a commercial district of an economically excluded neighborhood is not gentrification.

  • Be

    no, but it’s been proven time and time again that the consumers of those arts and cultural activities soon follow, and set down roots. upper middle class roots. that;s gentrification.