My favorite DC Art Galleries, Organizations and Artist Grants
I chatted with City Cast DC about the DC Art Scene and shared some of my favorite art galleries, arts organizations and artist grant recommendations for their newsletter.
Here's a quick round up on my recs, but check out their archives for the full interview!
I always recommend Lost Origins Gallery in Mt. Pleasant, IA&A at Hillyer in DuPont, Mehari Sequar Gallery on H street and Transformer DC in Shaw for art galleries. I love going to gallery openings to connect with people in the art community and fellow creatives to chat about what's on the horizon.
Other arts organizations that deserve a shout out that offer public events and programming include:
- Pyramid Atlantic
- Capital Hill Arts Workshop
- 52 O Street Studios
- Torpedo Factory
- Arlington Arts Center
Then, of course, there are murals throughout the city that are of my favorite ways to experience art. many that can be seen as part of the DC mural museum or DuPont underground!
When it comes to being an artist and in DC, the community is small compared to other cities, but there’s a TON of support and interest from residents. Not to mention that all Smithsonian museums are free to visit. The D.C. government is also very supportive of the arts, with a variety of grant opportunities available through the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities.
Finding art studio space to work out of can be tough, but networking and looking in less central spots is the move, I think. I recommend checking out Mount Rainier and Hyattsville, Maryland.
For DC news about the art scene, I’d follow the organizations mentioned above on social media, as well as the accounts of journalists who report on arts and culture in the city. A few sources that I always come back to are: WAMU’s “Get Out There” guide, 730dc, and East City Art. I also made this google map list of arts spots in the city I would recommend!