Information

UPDATE - March 31, 2022:

Arts Advocates and LAC Artists Speak to Arlington County Board

This week, LAC artists Zack Norrbom, Victoria Truhn, and J.S. Herbert spoke to County Board about the FY23 budget, proposed fee increases, and LAC’s value to the community and local artists.


They were supported by testimony provided by local arts advocates Kathy Freshly and David Carlson. Final decisions and markup are scheduled for April 21. The FY23 budget will be finalized on April 23.

Please show your support of the LAC artists and studios by writing, emailing, or calling County decision-makers. Contact information and sample letters are at saveLAC.org. Please tell your friends and neighbors and ask them to sign our petition.


We need your help now, more than ever, to convince County decision-makers to support our goal of preserving the LAC program, increasing membership, and enriching the community at large.

Brief Description Suitable for Social Media or Newsletters

LAC (formerly known as the Lee Arts Center within the Lee Community Center) is located at the corner of Langston Blvd and Lexington Street. For more than 40 years prior to its 2020 closing, it provided artists and the community with open studios, educational opportunities, and sponsored art events for all of Arlington citizens.

The LAC program is a juried-member studio granting more than 50 artists a place to work without limitations. All local artists are welcome and invited to apply for membership.

The studios have heavy and expensive equipment, printing presses, kilns, wheels, and other gear, that most artists cannot afford or have space for in their homes. Access to these studios give artists, creative hobbyists, and those who want to learn new skills, as well as recent graduates of university art programs, a place to work and grow.

LAC hosted workshops, art exhibitions, and sales — all open to the community — as well as the Arlington High School Apprentice program and workshops for APS art teachers.

The proposed FY23 budget would require that LAC artists pay 100% of direct costs. That means an annual fee increase fromn$998 to $2,200 (ceramics).

No other community studios in Arlington (or the metro area) offers the access and selection of ceramics and printmaking equipment found at LAC. It has been the place for artists to develop skills learned elsewhere and a critical resource for recent graduates of university art programs.


Frequent workshops led by nationally and internationally known artists were open to all. The proposed fee schedule would keep developing artists, recent graduates, and fixed-budget artists from contributing to community building and enrichment in Arlington.

LAC is asking that the County Board:

  • Consider a proposal from LAC to continue and expand the program by:

      • Recruiting and accepting new members

      • Reinstating master workshops, artist-in-residence programs, and monthly exhibitions

      • Open other spaces for meetings and events

      • Reestablishing connections with Arlington Public Schools through programs, such as the Arlington High School Arts Apprenticeship, as well as programs to supplement the APS arts curricula.

      • Developing mentoring programs for all age groups

      • Preserving and restoring the building.

  • Commit to maintaining an arts presence at Langston Boulevard and Lexington Street.


Your support in the form of letters/email to the Board (countyboard@arlingtonva.us 703-228-3130) and County Manager (countymanager@arlingtonva.us) are very important. Please see SaveLAC.org for more information.

Please sign our petition at www.saveLAC.org.

Talking Points

saveLAC.org