Potter, painter, sculptor, musician: Visual and performing artists have found a haven in the galleries and studios at the Montpelier Arts Center for 30 years.

And if the crowds at the Oct. 18 anniversary open house are any indication, the center has matured into a venue that easily attracts arts patrons to its exhibit galleries, fine arts classes and concerts.
T
he original arts center, pushed for by a group of Laurel organizations, was to be built in a 60-year-old horse barn on the grounds of Montpelier Mansion. The barn burned down before the renovations began, on Dec. 12, 1976, leaving only the silo. The local groups obtained grants from the state to assist in rebuilding the barn to house the center. The completed project cost more than $800,000 and featured one of the first solar heating systems in a public building in Prince George’s County.

The two-story building was built to look like the original barn and included space in the original silo. A facility of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, the Montpelier Cultural Arts Center was dedicated Oct. 20, 1979, and quickly became known as Montpelier Barn. About three years ago, “Cultural” was dropped from its name and the center became Montpelier Arts Center.

Richard Zandler, a local sculptor who had been an artist in residence at Bowie State University, was hired as the center’s director, a job he still holds.

At last weekend’s open house “we had a roaring good time,” Zandler said. “It did my heart good.”

As a highlight of the open house, the Montpelier Jazz All-Stars played to a standing-room-only crowd squeezed into the main gallery. The All-Stars is composed of musicians who have been regulars in the center’s jazz concert series, including such names as Davey Yarborough, James King, Buck Hill, Chuck Redd, Ethel Ennis and Dick Morgan. Live jazz recordings of the concerts are produced by Montpelier Arts Center’s own label.

In addition to jazz, musicians compete to perform in the Sunday afternoon recital series, also held in the main gallery.
Zandler credits the county parks and planning commission with helping the center add a new classroom wing, new heating system and upgrades to meet ADA codes. The center now has a full range of computers and programs for animation and digital photography and can offer classes in these art forms for all ages.

Zandler said he expects the center to continue to expand, adding even more classroom space and perhaps a larger performing arts venue.

“We are so happy that things have gone so well, not just over the first 30 years but into the future,” Zandler said.

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