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Prince George's may not come to mind as the home of a burgeoning art scene, but two up-and-coming arts districts at opposite ends of the county have sparked an arts and cultural renaissance.

Along Route 1 in Hyattsville, a small but growing number of art-themed retailers are popping up as part of the Arts District Hyattsville development. Erica Riggio, owner of the Design Studio Art Gallery, said it's been a rewarding struggle being a part of the development.

"It's great for the community because art inspires," she said. "I just believe art affects everyone, having an arts district brings creativity to the community. I feel like this is a renaissance."

Riggio, 31, said owning an art gallery is a new experience for her. An interior designer by trade, she said she hoped to rent space in the Hyattsville Arts District, but ultimately opted to open an art gallery in October.

"This is a risk right here," she said. "I knew the economy was bad. It's all a leap of faith."

Plenty of others are glad she leapt. The gallery, a mix of urban-centric art by local artists, has become a fledgling avenue for local expression. Since its opening, the gallery has been flooded with local artists inquiring on how to be featured, many of whom have never had their work exhibited, she said.

"It's been really rewarding," Riggio said. "This has really been an education — I've had to learn about public relations and marketing."

And the county's art renaissance has spread to its southern region with the opening of National Harbor in Oxon Hill last spring. The development is being billed as an entertainment destination with a growing arts district.

Food markets and concert series have already made their debuts at the development, which sits along the Potomac River. And planners for the development said they are pushing to attract more arts- and entertainment-themed programming.

"We are out there actively looking for high-profile venues to come to National Harbor," said Rocell Viniard, director of marketing for the development. "The amenities that National Harbor has to offer are a big selling point."

The amenities include retail shops, waterfront views and a plethora of restaurants clustered around four hotels within the $4 billion development. Viniard said that the recent five-week run of Cirque Du Soleil Kooza — a circus-themed production — sold 135,000 tickets.

That's an impressive feat considering current economic conditions, she said. Cirque Du Soleil is scheduled to return to the development in 2010, Viniard said.

"It was extremely successful," she said. "They were extremely pleased with their stay."

But beyond the platform at National Harbor, the development boasts three art galleries and outdoors concerts; Viniard said upcoming events include a jazz festival as well as the second annual Food and Wine Festival in June.

Viniard said the development is a regional attraction, but it continues to draw locals who say these kinds of events are lacking in the county.

"I love it," said Bella Garner of Hillcrest Heights as she browsed recently through an exhibit at Art Whino, an art gallery at National Harbor. "This is something we need in this area."

On the night of the exhibit there was no dress code and a disc jockey spun music from a laptop and mixer, while Garner and other enthusiasts drank beer from bottles and snapped pictures. At first glance Art Whino seems more like a hip bar than an avant-garde gallery.

"Art Whino started from a need; the Washington area doesn't have this kind of art," said Shane Pomajambo, 38, owner of the gallery — one of the first retailers to open at National Harbor.

The gallery originally occupied a smaller space in Old Town Alexandria, across the Potomac River in Virginia, but Pomajambo said once he heard about National Harbor he approached developers with an idea of relocating the gallery into an up-and-coming art district.

"I was like, this is the perfect place because it's a new movement," he said. "Immediately they were very receptive."

The movement included a renaissance of sorts in mixed art, Pomajambo said. The gallery infuses an eclectic mix of street art, mixed media, fine art and pop-surrealism.

Patrons can see anything from hand-painted, graffiti-themed sneakers to suitcase luggage as art, and traditional oil and canvas painting. It's the mixing of the art genres and reasonable prices that appeal to the young and first-time buyers that traditionally don't frequent galleries, said Susannah Parnin, the gallery's director.

"There is a huge intimidation about coming to an art gallery," she said. "It's new and affordable."

Parnin said the gallery is drawing noteworthy rising artists. John Malloy, a Baltimore-based artist whose paintings were on display during the exhibit, said he jumped at the chance to be a part of Art Whino's gallery.

"I really love this place," Malloy said. "There's really no place for this [kind of art] in Baltimore or the District."

Back north, the Hyattsville Arts District is part of a larger economic development effort targeting a stretch of the Route 1 corridor between East-West Highway and the Washington, D.C., line.

The Arts District Hyattsville is one sector of the Gateway Arts District, a planned arts and entertainment district conceived a decade ago that includes the Hyattsville, Mount Rainer and Brentwood communities.

Today, the arts district is bustling with new developments, townhouses and condominiums. And everything from performance studios, galleries and trendy restaurants can be seen sprouting up around the development.

"[Residents are] seeing more artists' studios and more entertainment that they can do close to home," said Cheryl Derricotte, executive director of the Gateway Arts District.

In May the district plans to throw an Open Studio Tour and is encouraging the community to visit artist studios. Derricotte said it is similar to an event in December that featured more than 100 local artists.

"We really have a thriving arts and entertainment district," she said. "[Residents] see it as a way to have viable opportunities in their community."

Inside the district, environmental art has sprung up in the forms of colorfully painted benches near bus stops, sculptures and murals along playgrounds and buildings. Likewise, National Harbor features sculptures and designs along its walls, while three art galleries are clustered together overlooking the Potomac River.

"It's really encouraging, especially for young artists of any kind," Malloy said.

And Parnin added that National Harbor "was a new and up-and-coming area, we're a new and up-and-coming gallery."

IF You Go

National Harbor Arts District

Art Whino

173 Waterfront St.

Features sprawling collection of new pop-surrealism art movement.

Govinda Gallery

120 American Way

Features collection and exhibits of iconic musicians like The Beatles, Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones.

Amber Tree Gallery

177 Waterfront St.

Features authentic African artifacts from various countries in western Africa.

Gateway Arts District/Hyattsville

Design Studio Art Gallery

5702 Baltimore Ave.

Gallery features emerging artists includes mixed-media art and urban genres.

Artmosphere Café

3311 Rhode Island Ave.

Specialty beverage café/lounge and digital art gallery

World Arts Focus and Joe's Movement Emporium

3309 Bunker Hill Road

Organization bringing artists and communities together to study the arts, experience performances, and encourage the preservation of cultural performance traditions through classes and workshops.

E-mail Joshua Garner at jgarner@gazette.net.