Even as the streetcar tunnel-turned-arts venue Dupont Underground faces an uncertain future, a new collaboration with a local arts event coordinator hopes to draw support for the space.

Starting on February 9, Dupont Underground and ArtRave plan to host a Sunday arts market with more than 50 different vendors at the underground gallery. Another art market at the subterranean space, Below Zero, debuted in late January with more than 30 vendors. According to the Facebook page for that unrelated event, it will be the first in an annual series.

Kenneth David founded ArtRave in 2010 to develop events that give local vendors the opportunity to sell their work, and he says that he hopes the weekly arts market will demonstrate the importance of Dupont Underground for local artists.

The market will run from 11 a.m.-6 p.m every Sunday through April 12. An exact list of participating artists hasn’t been released. David says the market might include food, live music, and interactive workshops in the future, but the details of those are yet to be determined.

The market comes at an uncertain moment for the Underground, after the non-profit’s CEO, Robert Meins, revealed in November that he and board members had been unsuccessfully trying to negotiate a lease extension with the city for months. Meins said that he had been told by “senior-level officials” in the deputy mayor’s office that the lease, which is up in April 2020, would not be renewed. Meanwhile, Mayor Muriel Bowser has submitted plans that would allow another part of the space to be developed into a nightclub (a vote on that proposed zoning change is scheduled for March.)

A number of D.C. residents and local leaders have come forward in defense of the Underground. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has argued that Dupont “does not need more commercial space.” A “Save the Underground” petition has gotten more than 3,000 signatures, and donors have committed $200,000 to preserving the space, according to Meins, who has not responded to a request for comment about the arts market.

David says he was contacted by Dupont Underground about the market idea market last year. He believes it will provide an opportunity to bring attention to the space and demonstrate its cultural impact in the neighborhood. 

“There’s an energy coming from art and culture that radiates out,” David says. “It doesn’t come from Starbucks and building more condos.”

David says visitors can donate to “Save the Underground” at the Sunday market, and expects that attendance will increase over time as more vendors attend. While the cold weather holds out,  they will provide heaters to regulate the temperature, but he expects the space to heat up as attendance rises.

Local artist Brooke Hirsheimer connected with ArtRave at their 15th and P Street market this past November, and hopes that the new collaboration will allow smaller vendors who cannot afford large-scale pop-ups and markets to build a brand in their community. Vendors usually have to supply their own tent, scaffolding around the tent, and pay entry fees—expenses that Hirsheimer says can add up to hundreds of dollars.

ArtRave allows vendors to set up shop at low entry-fees, and often supplies materials like grid-walls for artists to display their work.

Hirsheimer, who runs a drawing business called Little Dude Gallery, recently visited the Dupont Underground space for the first time after learning about the new market.

“It just has almost this vibe and artistic culture that I always wish I could find in Washington, D.C.,” Hirsheimer says. “I do think the city struggles to some extent with its local art scene. Of course we have all of these beautiful museums, national galleries and everything, but as far as outlets that support the local artists, there’s some that hard to get into, especially for those that are just starting out.”

David had informed her that the space’s lease was up, and it was at risk of redevelopment.

“Without context walking down there, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my god they would convert this to something else?'” Hirsheimer says. “It would be really disappointing especially as a local artist who feels like I just discovered this space and all this potential.”

The market will run on Sundays from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. It launches on Feb. 9 and will run until April 12.