Arts organizations on the move

World Arts Focus/Joe’s Movement Emporium sets grand opening

World Arts Focus, located in the Prince George’s County Gateway Arts District, celebrates the opening of its newly renovated, community performing-arts center, Oct. 16-18.

Private and public sources invested more than $3 million into the center, which provides 30,000 adults and children each year with access to a diverse range of arts programming. World Arts Focus is a nonprofit dedicated to presenting arts traditions – especially, dance, movement and performing arts – from around the world in its effort to revitalize neighboring communities through the arts.

The nonprofit moved into the 20,000-sq.-ft center, a former warehouse in Mount Rainier, at the beginning of 2007. It has three professional dance studios, six artist studios, a lobby and reception area, and administrative offices. The studio facility is known as Joe’s Movement Emporium. This month’s grand opening marks the completion of a 3,200 sq.-ft. performance theater.

The celebration weekend features regional artists in a Saturday night concert, Oct. 17. Free classes and workshops will be offered at Sunday’s Open House and Family Art Day, Oct. 18, noon to 5 p.m.

Media-arts training group serves students at new location

Wide Angle Youth Media hosts an opening-night happy hour, Oct. 14, 6-8 p.m., at its new Baltimore location. Established in 2000, Wide Angle is a nonprofit that provides Baltimore youth with digital-media training for video, audio, animation and graphic design. It also runs a related peer-teaching program.

The approximately 1,100 sq.-ft. space and shared conference rooms at Miller’s Court, 2601 N. Howard St. in Charles Village, allows the nonprofit to serve at least double the number of students it has been working with, says Gin Ferrara, executive director and founder of Wide Angle.

Wide Angle currently works with 500 students a year – ages 11 to 19, Ferrara says. About 95 percent of the students are from Baltimore City. The organization’s annual festival represents the work of another 250 students – fifth graders through twelfth graders, she adds. A major element of the festival is an exhibit of the students’ work at Center Stage during April and May.

Miller’s Court is a mixed-use, renovated building – formerly a manufacturing plant for tin boxes at the turn of the 20th century – that has affordable apartments for teachers and office space with reduced rents for educational nonprofits linked to Baltimore’s public schools.

Coral Cantigas moves to new office space

After years of operating out of the homes of its executive director and artistic director, Coral Cantigas – a Rockville-based Latino chorus – is wrapping up a move into its first commercial office space. The new quarters are at 12320 Parklawn Drive in Rockville.