D.I.Y. in the District

In the 1970s, both Washington, D.C., and the contemporary art world were undergoing radical changes. Urban renewal projects led by the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA) and the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation (PADC) reshaped downtown, temporarily leasing buildings to artists and arts organizations. Spaces were offered at little or no cost, fueling a surge in arts activity. This section highlights just a handful of many arts organizations that benefited from these leases. With inexpensive, available space, downtown became a hub for studios, galleries, and artist housing, at least until the agencies were ready to move forward with development plans.

This period in D.C. coincided with the alternative arts boom of the 1970’s, which saw the emergence of artist-centered arts organizations in cities across the country. Bill Warrell, founder of d.c. space, saw an opportunity: “Nobody was doing conceptual art. Nobody was doing video art.” Vernard Gray founded Miya Gallery in response to a friend who said, “ain’t no Black galleries downtown.” With cheap or free rent, and little restriction, these artists carved out spaces for art, music, and free expression.

This section highlights a few influential spaces that were founded, maintained, and run entirely by artists during this time— D.I.Y. endeavors that still shape local culture today. In the exhibit playlist and slideshow, access clips from oral history interviews with artists who founded and ran these venues.

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Washington Project for the Arts Storefront, 1976
Washington Star Photograph Collection © Washington Post
The People’s Archive at DC Public Library

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The Black Arts Review, July-Aug 1979
Courtesy of Julee Dickerson-Thompson

Arts publications not only promoted local exhibitions, they also were a vital source of support and employment for artists. When she moved back to D.C. in 1977 to be part of the growing arts scene, artist Julee Dickerson-Thompson got her first job designing layouts for The Black Arts Review, Vernard Gray’s newspaper. This issue features a cover illustration by Gail Shaw-Clemons and an article on Women in Art by Lois Mailou Jones.

Slideshow: d.c. space over the years, 1977-1991
Duration: 6 minutes

Renowned, much-beloved, and idiosyncratic, d.c. space—’district creative’ space— began in 1977 as an extension of the loft jazz scene popular in SoHo at the time. Bill Warrell, his mother Susan, and his artist friends retrofitted a greasy spoon with clear intentions: “Right from the start,” he says, “d.c. space was about thumbing our noses and giving a middle finger to the cultural mainstream of America.” 

With its distinctive lowercase typewriter font and eclectic program, d.c. space was, many recall, where artists from different scenes rubbed elbows. By day, the restaurant served food to federal workers, offering “a bowl of red beans and rice on the house,” helping friends and artists to survive, as former program manager Claudia DePaul Joseph recalls. By night, d.c. space served as a vital incubator for experimental jazz, new wave and punk rock, poetry, film, theater, and visual art. Artists and Corcoran students staffed the bar and kitchen. Photography by Mary Swift, Lucian Perkins, and staff members hung above the bar and in the upstairs loft, which became the Olshonsky Gallery. As the space evolved, young artists came to work for Bill and took the lead booking the venue, including Claudia (DePaul) Joseph and, later, Cynthia Connolly. 
 

Credits: 
Photographs by Claudia (DePaul) Joseph, Robert Preissler, Charles Steck, and Dot Steck courtesy of the artists. Photographs from the Mary Swift Papers courtesy of the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Flyers and posters courtesy of Claudia (DePaul) Joseph, Andy Mitchell, Bill Poole, and Bill Warrell, as well as the Cynthia Connolly Collection and DC Punk Archive, The People’s Archive at DC Public Library. Audio mix of interview clips from the D.C. Art Spaces Oral History Project, The People’s Archive at DC Public Library, with d.c. space radio ads from WGTB courtesy of Steve Caplan.

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Washington, D.C.’s art scene has long adapted to the city’s built environment, where politics—rather than industry—have shaped the landscape. Without large warehouses, artists turned to storefronts, row houses, alleys, and other unconventional venues for exhibitions and studios. In the 1970s, the term “alternative space” emerged to describe galleries presenting non-commercial, experimental work. In D.C., Black-owned galleries such as Barnett-Aden Gallery, founded by artists in a townhouse in 1943, led the way, transforming private homes into spaces for innovative art.

House and apartment galleries, converted storefronts, and even public parks have played pivotal roles in creating opportunities for Black artists, women, Latinx artists, and others across decades when mainstream institutions presented predominantly white, male artists. Many pioneering spaces from the 1970s, such as The New Thing Art and Architecture Center, Market Five Gallery, Sign of the Times Cultural Workshop and Gallery, Inc., El Centro de Arte, and Washington Women’s Art Center, employed and trained hundreds of artists. In the 1980s, artists founded the DC Arts Center to serve underrepresented artists. Both 1800 Belmont Arts Center and Black Artists of DC emerged in the 1990s, in response to the lack of opportunity for Black artists. By the late 1980s and 1990s, rising costs and reduced federal funding forced many arts organizations to relocate, share spaces, or embrace a mobile model. This section highlights a few of the ‘unlikely spaces’ that have shaped the cultural life of the District — against the odds.

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This installation, created in collaboration with Rhizome DC, honors D.C.’s vibrant experimental arts community, which has a long history of experiencing dislocation after dislocation – holding space even in challenging times. Highlighted here are several key venues that embody the spirit of D.I.Y. in the District since the 2000s.

Artist-run spaces have continued to crop up in storefronts, garages - even a tiny gallery in a freight elevator. House galleries like Delicious Spectacle, Outer Space, and Porch Projects emerged, with adventurous, busy schedules, but not many have endured beyond a few years. Among the rare exceptions are nonprofit galleries including Transformer DC, now in its 23rd year, and Rhizome DC, which was been in upper Northwest D.C. for nearly a decade—both of which are highlighted here. 

As the 2000s progressed, Washington, D.C.’s artist-run scene faced new challenges. After a tragic 2016 Oakland warehouse fire spurred code crackdowns across the nation, venues including Hole in the Sky were forced to close, unable to fundraise for needed renovations. In 2019, D.C. made headlines as one of the most rapidly gentrifying cities in the nation. And in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered spaces large and small.

Yet locals continued to adapt and find creative means of resistance. Some, like NoMüNoMü and Uptown Art House, adopted a nomadic model —out of necessity, and as a challenge to the art world status quo. Others activated historic centers of Black culture, including House of Secrets—a 100-year-old LeDroit Park house hosting arts and music events. Dedicated to making the arts accessible, The Fridge DC hosts shows of stickers, graffiti, and street art —and is currently crowdfunding to reopen.  During COVID-19, artists turned to outdoor performances, virtual exhibitions, and microgrants, transforming art spaces into hubs for mutual aid.  The loss of beloved spaces also has built solidarity and strengthened connections among artists, musicians, and creatives.

Rhizome is Home (excerpt)
Short Documentary Film

Access the full documentary, and related oral histories on DigDC, the Library's portal for digitized and born-digital collections.