MilkBoy ArtHouse, The Newest Addition to the Neighborhood

On one of my regular visits to Nandos in College Park over the summer, I noticed a new building on the same strip. What immediately caught my attention was the indoor-outdoor seating that you would typically see in the DC area. After doing my research I discovered that MilkBoy ArtHouse was opening there. MilkBoy ArtHouse is a collaboration between a Philadelphia-based group of music-friendly clubs and the University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. I am a University of Maryland College Park alumni and an art enthusiast, so I was pretty excited for it to open. The venue has a restaurant, bar and a performance space, which makes it the perfect addition to College Park.

(photo cred: maryland.ourcommunitynow )

Last week I got the opportunity to see The Bitter Game by Keith Wallace. The Bitter Game is a solo performance where Keith uses his childhood experience in North Philly to tackle some very prominent issues in the African American community. He examines the effect of racism, by narrating the black man experience of being pulled over by a cop for no apparent reason besides the fact that he is black. He also used his performance to critique and examine the use of excessive force by police officers and the overall black man experience growing up. The medium he chose was perfect in order to reach a larger audience.

(photo credit :Jim Carmody)

What I love the most about MilkBoy ArtHouse is the inclusiveness of the community. Keith Wallace tackled an important issue and I love the fact that there were a lot of young kids at the performance.I later found out that they partner with the K-12 School Partner Program to create a dialogue with a younger audience regarding these various issues and to also expose them to live performances. Also, what makes Milkboy ArtHouse unique is the fact that they provide a platform for artists to not only entertain but to bring awareness to various issues.

There are a variety of performances on the lineup for this season at the Milkboy ArtHouse, especially for the Jazz lovers. The link below will take you to the list of performances.

https://theclarice.umd.edu/series/2017-2018-milkboy-arthouse

It goes without saying that I highly recommend checking out Milkboy ArtHouse. Whether it is for a performance or bite to eat you won't regret it.