Letter to the Editor: Macdonald on Arts on the Waterfront

Dear Editor: 

Alexandria has a thriving arts community, and we should support it at every opportunity, in all parts of the City.

Citizens for an Alternative Alexandria Waterfront Plan (CAAWP) argued that the arts would do more to open up the waterfront to public use then a big hotel, more town homes, condos or offices. Indeed, the CAAWP plan, while not perfect, pointed out how arts and history venues might bring life to parts of the waterfront that currently are private for the most part. They also recommended keeping the Art League on the waterfront.

I include in that broad category of “waterfront for all” organizations like the Alexandria Seaport Foundation, which hosted a lovely waterfront fundraiser on Sunday that will benefit their youth apprenticeship program.

I’m not opposed to the Corcoran , if that makes sense for them, but just because it’s a great art institution does not automatically make it right for Alexandria or its waterfront. What we should want, I think, is to tie good ideas with good planning, in order to make certain that such projects will fund our City’s quality of life in a sustainable fashion.

My mother was a fine artist, and I ran an art gallery along the waterfront for a time. Make no mistake about it: I will support the arts if elected as your next mayor, but not projects that just sound like a good idea and have not been screened by the community first.

Andrew Macdonald

Andrew Macdonald is running as an independent to be mayor of Alexandria.