Artists Thomas Sayre of Raleigh, N.C., will begin to construct molds in the earth at Phillips Farm and nearby High Point Farm for large, megalithic concrete sculptures to be displayed at the art center. After the concrete cures for one month, the sculptures will be raised, finished and eventually placed in the atrium lobby of the new BlackRock Center, which is currently under construction at Town Center in Germantown.

The new center, a $7.3 million project, is slated to open in 2002. The 32,000-square-foot facility will include theatres for the performing arts, an exhibition gallery, a children's art and activity studio, outdoor performance space as well as education studios for art, dance, music and literature.

The center will offer a variety of arts programs, with emphasis on participatory education. As a presenting facility for the performing and visual arts, the center will enable area artists and arts-producing organizations to reach a population of more than 300,000 in the rapidly growing Montgomery County and neighboring areas.

On Sunday, the event will begin at 5 p.m. at Phillips Farm, 13710 Schaeffer Road. There will be hayrides. Attendees will also be offered a glimpse of baby farm animals and be able to visit the Germantown History Museum, which is on the property.

Guest speakers at the ceremony will include Tom Hoffman, chairman of the Board of Directors of the BlackRock Center for the Arts. Members of the Kings, Phillips and Snyder families, whose ancestors settled in Germantown, will also speak.