LEXINGTON PARK — St. Mary’s County residents who want to throw a pot, weld a bracket, laser-cut a sign or fuse a piece of glass will soon have a public place to do it.
The Carver Community Arts Center & Makerspace holds its ribbon cutting at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, followed by an open house until 4 p.m., when the public can tour the space, according to the St. Mary’s County Arts Council. The center occupies the renovated east wing of the Carver Recreation Center at 47382 Lincoln Ave., the former George Washington Carver Elementary School.
The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County have the ribbon cutting on their Nov. 17 schedule, county staff told the board when reviewing upcoming agendas at its Oct. 27 meeting.
$550,000 in state grants
Two state grants totaling $550,000 paid for the roughly 5,000-square-foot project:
- $450,000 from the Maryland State Arts Council’s Arts Capital Grant Program, awarded to St. Mary’s County. The commissioners approved accepting it in July 2025, and the Arts Council says the application scored highest among the 55 others submitted statewide.
- $100,000 from TEDCO’s Maryland Makerspace Initiative Program, awarded to PaxSpace for its relocation and new equipment.
The center is a partnership of the Arts Council, St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks and PaxSpace Inc., a nonprofit, member-operated makerspace that will run day-to-day operations. TruHome Builders Inc. did the construction.
What’s inside
The Arts Council lists equipment and work areas that range from high-tech fabrication to traditional crafts:
- 3D printing, laser cutting and other digital and electronic fabrication machines
- Fiber arts and sewing machines
- A pottery and glazing studio with wheels and kilns
- A stained and fused glass workshop with a small metalworking area for jewelry
- A machining and welding center, a metal shop and a wood shop
- A paint booth and open project space
Kilns, welders and laser cutters are expensive and take up more room than most homes allow, which is the idea behind a shared shop. The Arts Council has not yet published hours, membership costs or class schedules; it says details will come through its e-newsletter.
A busy building in Lexington Park
The makerspace adds to a building that already has classrooms, an indoor basketball court, a performance stage, a gymnasium with bleachers and an adjacent playground. A Boys & Girls Club opened at the Carver center in August.
The east wing needed a major overhaul when partners toured it in January 2025. By July 2026, sagging ceilings and old carpets were gone and electrical work was nearly finished, the Arts Council reported, as the project moved toward its fall 2026 opening target.
