8/31-9/6
This week: See DC through artists' eyes in an underground setting, meet studio artists where creativity happens, and more.
This Week
Opening Reception: ALT-DC: video + stills [Gallery Opening] September 5, 7-9 PM | Dupont Underground | Pay What You Can
This exhibition challenges those dominant narratives about DC having a predominantly political culture by showing the city through the eyes of its artistic community: a living, shifting place full of tension, beauty, and creativity. Digital projections of video and photography illuminate some of these untold stories and ask us to contemplate what defines this city beyond its monuments. Set in the raw and gritty environment of Dupont Underground (a former transit hub turned experimental cultural venue), the exhibition becomes part of the story about transformation and hidden histories. It's a view of DC not as a seat of power, but as a place in motion where art reveals what is, imagines what could be, and advocates for what should be. Tickets
Fall First Friday at DC Arts Studios [Studio Tour] September 5, 5-7 PM | DC Arts Studios | FREE
Become more intimately acquainted with artworks by meeting the people who make it in the spaces where it happens. DC Arts Studios opens its doors for the fall season, giving you rare access to working artists in their actual studios. It's not a polished gallery experience, but rather the real deal where you can see work in progress, ask questions about technique, and understand the creative process from the inside out. Whether you're an art lover, a fellow artist, or just curious about how creativity happens, this is your chance to be part of the artistic community rather than just observing it from the outside. Info
Soft Monuments [Exhibition Opening] September 6-October 11 | 1353 U Street NW | FREE
Kat Thompson asks a powerful question: What if monuments didn't have to be permanent, grandiose celebrations of colonial power? Her latest work examines Caribbean monuments through a different approach: intimate pieces built from personal archives rather than traditional materials, like bronze and marble. Using photos, found images, video, and sculptural works, Thompson explores Seneca Village, the 19th-century free Black community destroyed to build Central Park, while questioning who gets to decide which histories deserve remembrance. This exhibition is an important reminder that the most important stories are often the ones that powerful people try to erase. Info
Looking Ahead
Opening: Melvin L. Nesbitt Jr. - Your Lil Friends [Gallery Opening] September 13, 4-7 PM | Hemphill Artworks | FREE
Melvin L. Nesbitt Jr. challenges a world that often feels harsh and divided through radical gentleness. His paintings portray children simply going about their day, but they draw out universal concerns that connect us all. What's more vulnerable than a child? How do we best nurture and protect them? Nesbitt, who came to DC in 2006 from South Carolina, has created public murals for local schools and returns annually to his elementary school to conduct collage workshops for nearly 500 children. His inaugural exhibition at Hemphill shows the importance of exploration of innocence within the human experience through the lens of art. Info
