Artworks Now In The News

Aimee Olivo was named as the next executive director of Art Works Now, effective May 31.

She succeeds founding Executive Director Barbara Johnson. Johnson will assume the role of chair of the Board of Directors and current board chair Bill Shipp will stay on as vice chair.

Olivo is a dedicated community builder in Prince George’s County. She has served as Chief of Staff to Prince George’s County Council Member Dannielle Glaros, District 3, since 2014. Olivo was an active member of the Prince George’s Community College Board of Trustees advocating for equity and student success. She served on, and later chaired, the Prince George’s County Commission for Education Excellence. Olivo is deeply committed to equity and social justice issues and has extensive professional fundraising experience. She has a passion for the arts and a firm belief in the power of the arts to transform lives.

Olivo holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in latin american studies from Trinity Washington University in Washington and a Master of Business Administration from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. She and her spouse, Abel, live in Cheverly with their two children, who attend Prince George’s County Public Schools.

“We are thrilled to announce that Aimee Olivo is joining Art Works Now in the role of Executive Director,” says founder, Barbara Johnson, who will be transitioning from Executive Director to a board leadership role as Chair of the Board of Directors.

As Barbara said, “This is an exciting time for us! Art Works Now is my heart and soul. I am incredibly proud of what we have done in our first 11 years. What began as a small and scrappy arts education nonprofit with only a dozen students has grown to support the creative lives of over 4,000 creators of all ages. I am excited about the gifts Aimee brings to our organization and I have no doubt that she will lead us into a future that builds on our past and opens new opportunities for our beloved community. I look forward to working with her in my new role as Chair of the Board.”

Aimee is a dedicated community builder in Prince George’s County who brings to us her deep commitment to equity and social justice issues along with extensive professional fundraising experience. She has a passion for the arts and a firm belief in the power of the arts to transform lives. “I’ve called Prince George’s County home for nearly two decades. During that time, I’ve committed my professional and volunteer work to building community engagement and working toward social justice and equity in this County that I love. I am eager to continue this work as Executive Director of Art Works Now along with the amazing community, staff, and Board. I’m thrilled Barbara will remain engaged as Chair of the Board and am grateful for her confidence in me as her successor,” said Aimee.

“The future of Art Works Now is bright and we are looking forward to continuing to offer engaging high-quality arts programming to our community of creators. And, as always, we appreciate your continued support and participation in our programs.”

The final Friday Art Walk went off without a hitch last Friday night, October 27, 2017. The Friday Art Walk initiative was a series of community events celebrating Hyattsville artists and businesses. Participants followed a glowing path through the alleys from Green Owl Design down to Art Works Now and back again. Local businesses like Pizza Paradiso and Satchmoe Art offered special discounts to participants, while other businesses hosted DIY craft events and pop-up gallery displays. The jazz band Brass Connection added a little rhythm to the streets with feel-good tunes. Don’t miss the fun next year and keep Hyattsville creative!

Art Works Now wants you to make the art, see the art, be the art at their fundraiser this Saturday. Dress as your favorite artist or work of art and raise money for area children at the annual Come As You Art Fall Fundraiser.

Sounds of children shrieking with delight are not unexpected in a neighborhood pizza joint. But at 4800 Rhode Island Ave. in Hyattsville, Maryland, the squeals are about more than melted cheese.

It sounds like an urban planner’s grand experiment: Artists and young creatives are drawn to a community with cheap rents and studios. Cool restaurants and bars follow. Living in the neighborhood starts to become desirable for young professionals, who attract more basic shops and services to the area.

Hyattsville is getting a new place for both food and art: A new Pizzeria Paradiso and, right next door, the non-profit Art Works Now , where everyone from children to seniors can learn and practice art. 

As the organization Art Works Now prepared for their new landmark home in Hyattsville, they teamed up with the building’s restaurant, Pizzeria Paradiso and Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council to embellish the new restaurant space with “Master Pizzas” created by invited artists and arts organizations from the surrounding community. 

Art and pizza lovers rejoice! The much-anticipated, long-awaited Hyattsville locations of Art Works Now and Pizzeria Paradiso are opening soon.

In the wee hours of the morning, Donald Trump became the nation’s president-elect, beating Hillary Clinton. To some, this is sad news. For those seeking solace, Art Works Now is hosting a “Just Love” art attack tonight.

A thief stole a tow truck from a repair shop just outside the City of Hyattsville, according to the Hyattsville City Police Department (HCPD), and then crashed into the greenhouse of the former Marché Florist, which is the future home of the arts non-profit Art Works Now.

At the July 18 groundbreaking of the new Art Works and Pizzeria Paradiso, the excitement surrounding the upcoming art center and pizzeria was everywhere…

 Pizzeria Paradiso chef and owner Ruth Gresser knows that few things pair better with pizza than beer. After all, Paradiso is known for having one of the city’s best craft beer programs….

On Friday, July 17, ABC7 Meteorologist Eileen Whelan was live on NewsChannel 8 at what will be the new location of Art Works. The organization held a special toddler art time in the parking lot…

Click through to see the video

When Barbara Johnson walked into the former flower shop at 4800 Rhode Island Ave. in Hyattsville more than two years ago, she immediately envisioned it filled with kids laughing, playing and making art…

Art Works Now announces its Hyattsville Groundbreaking Ceremony will happen on Saturday, July 18 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 4800 Rhode Island Avenue, Hyattsville, MD.

Few locales excite a certain class of artist as much as a derelict building–where we see decay, they see a vast canvas and Amy Hughes Braden is one such artist. 

It was the day the goldfish died. Late in May 2008, the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs shuttered a sculpture show in an unused warehouse on 14th Street NW; the building’s owners hadn’t acquired the proper permits to host people inside.

art matters gallery, the exhibition project of Art Works Now, is hosting the opening reception of Asha Colquit McCollum’s art exhibit A Year of Color. 

On October 20, after more than a year of debate about the Marché Florist building, the Prince George’s County Council voted 8-1 to overturn the site’s historic designation.

After nearly 90 minutes of discussion, the District Council voted 8-1 to overturn Marché Florist building historic site designation.

On the evening of September 19, the outside of the Art Works Now studio in Mount Rainier looked like a crime scene.

A District Council hearing on October 20 may determine the fate of the much-anticipated Art Works Now and Pizzeria Paradiso project almost a year after the saga began.

It’s hot out, but you don’t hear these teens complaining. They’re too busy making art. Art Works Now launches “Going Public!” an exciting mural project at the Brentwood Route One Farmer’s Market and Bazaar, in partnership with the “Art Lives Here” initiative in the Gateway Arts District.

Art Works Now has doubled their summer camp programing this year. The summer will start off with an expanded teen camp, in partnership with the “Art Lives Here” initiative in the Gateway Arts District.

Art Works Now, along with artist and educator Rushern Baker IV and Annie Rachel Wells are hosting a Drink & Draw Hullabaloo on Friday, May 16, 2014 at 4800 Rhode Island Avenue in Hyattsville, Maryland from 7 – 11 pm.

A bureaucratic tangle over the Pizzeria Paradiso in Hyattsville could be resolved soon. The owners of ArtWorks and the popular Washington eatery have been in a dispute with the Prince George’s Historic Preservation Commission over designating the dilapidated  Marche Florist buildingon Route 1 as historic.