“SUMMER of PLAY”

Making A Big, Collaborative, Fence Artwork

Barcroft Apartments • August 2026

This summer, Studio PAUSE invites children and adults to join Studio PAUSE artists and community in a fun art project to create a big artwork TOGETHER and display it on construction fences at Barcroft Apartments.

“Our art will make the fences beautiful as homes are being renovated!”

AT: School Supply Drive and Backpack Distribution, Barcroft Community Center

DATE: Wednesday, August 19, 2026

TIME: 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

The INSPIRATIONS

I have been inspired by the work of our creative Studio PAUSE community, and had been imagining a big collaborative art activity for the children at Barcroft. As I talked with the artists and others who are part of our community, the idea emerged…

  1. At the reception for Angelina Ribeiro Jones’s exhibit People’s Park Myriorama Deck at our Buckingham studio, Angelina invited the guests to draw their favorite park or place to play. Barcroft resident and PAUSEr Sarah Manrique drew The Arches at Barcroft.

  2. Teaching a children’s summer camp at Arlington Presbyterian Church this summer where campers got to see our exhibit “Stories of Music”: A Community Art Exhibit and learn from it, they saw the huge painting by Girasol O’Neill who has been part of Studio since he was 18. Now a Carlin Springs Elementary School art teacher and mural artist, Sol advised me on what materials would work best to create a temporary outdoor art project that was cost-effective.

  3. I then prepared the materials and asked Sarah to re-create her artwork while responding the some prompts I had created with Angelina. Then I “collaborated” with her artwork as I responded to prompts that I had picked.

  4. At the National Night Out event on Aug 4 at Barcroft, I asked children what their favorite songs were. They saw Sarah’s artwork and made their own drawings of what they liked to draw. They got postcards to come to the event.

  5. I tested out the prompts and music with the participants of Arlington Weaves Etc. who come to the Studio twice every month for Art PAUSE. They each shared their favorite song, made an artwork in response to various prompts, and then we joined the panels together. We added the red tape strips like in Angelina’s exhibit, and they wrote the lyrics of our favorite song on it.

  6. Soon, the PAUSErs will join in the project too! Stay tuned…

The EVENT

As families line up to get their back to school supplies on Wed, August 19, we invite the children to participate in our activity. They play our version of musical chairs to their playlist while making art, hopping from one art panel to the next and adding their drawings to multiple panels taped to the table.

The CELEBRATION

The completed collaborative panels will create a large temporary artwork when installed together on the fences. At an event before school restarts, the Resident Resources team will invite the families, staff, and artists to come see and celebrate their work. And in the Spring we will make another artwork!

We are go grateful for the fun partnership with the Barcroft Resident Resources team! Stay tuned for more photos to come…

At the reception for Angelina's exhibit, Sarah Manrique Chiriboga shares her drawing of The Arches at Barcroft Apartments, where she loved to play as a child
At the National Night Out event at Barcroft, children shared what they liked to draw and what their favorite songs were.
"I like to draw princesses!"
A participant of AWE uses prompts given by the children to draw flowers and a dragon. He then added the red tape and put the lyrics of his favorite song on it, which we played as he made his artwork.
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Residency at Arlington Presbyterian Church, Columbia Pike