Artisphere

Artisphere was an arts center located in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, Virginia. The center encompassed four performance venues, three visual art galleries, an artist in residence studio, a 4,000 square foot ballroom, studio space, social gathering spots, food service facilities, a bar and lounge area as well as outdoor terraces. Programming includes visual art, theatre, live music, film, new media, family programs, dance, conferences and private events.

The Artisphere campus included the main building at 1101 Wilson Boulevard and the nearby Spectrum Theatre at 1611 N. Kent Street. The main building is recognizable for a large dome shaped architectural feature. The Spectrum Theatre is situated on the ground floor of the mixed use Rosslyn Plaza complex.

The Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington County, Virginia originated the institution, which opened in October 2010. Previously, the main building housed the Newseum. The Spectrum was originally built as a cinema.

The Newseum opened in 1997 and attracted 2.25 million visitors before closing in 2002 to move to a larger venue in Washington, D.C. After the Newseum vacated the Rosslyn space in 2003, multiple groups considered using the space as a museum. In 2007, the space hosted the controversial Bodies: The Exhibition exhibit. At that time, the space was known as The Dome. In 2009, Arlington County accepted the landlord's offer to lease the space to the county rent free for 20 years for use as a cultural center. The lease was offered in conjunction with the site plan for a new skyscraper, also located in Rosslyn.

The Spectrum Theatre was originally built in the late 1960s. Then known as the Rosslyn Plaza Theater, it showed motion pictures. Arlington County eventually took over operation of the space and renamed it Rosslyn Spectrum. In 2004, it hosted the popular Broadway show Defending the Caveman. Due to the show's popularity it was held over through April 2005. Later that decade, it was home to Synetic Theater until Synetic moved to Arlington's Crystal City neighborhood in 2010 The Spectrum was incorporated into Artisphere later in 2010 and is now known as Spectrum Theatre at Artisphere.

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