Willow Grove: A Game changer for Our Community Partners

When Cultura Plenera first began using Willow Grove, they saw a great new space for workshops, rehearsals, and programs. What they quickly discovered was something even more valuable: freedom, flexibility, and a true sense of ownership.

A Museum that hears what its community partners need..

Each year, Cultura Plenera hosts its signature outdoor festival event, Puerto Rico in Maryland, at Sandy Spring Museum. The festival ran especially smoothly this year, and programming director Angel Rivera attributes that to what he calls “the most brilliant upgrade [he] has seen any venue integrate into their spaces in all [his] years working with community partners”: Willow Grove Cultural Commons.

With 24/7 independent access to Willow Grove as a Willow Grove Partner, Cultura Plenera could spend weeks rehearsing and preparing for the festival on their own schedule. During the festival itself, Willow Grove served as a staging area, green room, and festival hub. For the 2026 festival, this new space meant less rushing, less physical strain, and a far more enjoyable experience for their members, volunteers, vendors, and community.

But Willow Grove is more than a great facility. It reflects something even more important: a Museum that hears what its community partners need, takes that input seriously, and delivers.  In 2020-21, Sandy Spring Museum solicited input from our cultural partners about how we could better serve them. The response was clear: cultural heritage partners needed accessible space to rehearse, perform, meet, teach, and carry out the work of sharing cultural traditions with others. Willow Grove, which now celebrates one year since its grand opening in September 2025, was a direct result of that feedback. 

That is what we celebrate on Founders’ Day: Sandy Spring Museum is not simply a place, but a community-led space built on partnership, creativity, and trust.

Thank you to everyone who made Willow Grove possible. One year later, its impact is already clear, and we’re excited to see what comes next.