The DC Public Library celebrates art and exhibits as a source of learning, discovery, growth, and connection. The Art and Exhibits Program at DC Public Library is a portal to the library’s resources and a laboratory for engagement with Washington, D.C.’s past, present and future. The Art and Exhibits program is guided by the criteria outlined in the Library’s Art and Exhibits Policy, in support of the Library’s goal of making arts and culture inclusive for all residents of the District of Columbia.
Download an excerpt of the Library's Art and Exhibits Plan to learn more about the Library's priorities throughout the system.
Public Art
Public art installations can be found at libraries throughout the system, including permanent works and rotating displays of artwork from District government and private collections.
Download a self-guided tour of works on loan from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank collection at the MLK Library.
Exhibits
Exhibits at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library are key to expanding visitors' knowledge of the District’s rich past and are a portal to engagement in the District’s present and future. Exhibits may also be featured at neighborhood libraries.
Exhibits may be curated by the DC Public Library, co-sponsored by a partner organization, or selected through an annual open application process. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed each year in the fall. The review for 2024 has already passed. You can still submit an application for the next review in fall 2025. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Visit the "Apply Now" section of this website, below, for more information. Read on for more information about current, upcoming, and past exhibits.
Current Exhibits
Service is Everywhere in DC
January 9—March 2025: Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library
The Negro Motorist Green Book
MLK Library, Great Hall
November 2, 2024 - March 2, 2025
Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Always to Return
MLK Library, Floor 1 (East)
October 18, 2024 – July 6, 2025
Creating Space and Opportunities Portrait Exhibit
MLK Library, Floor 4 (East)
August 28, 2024 – April 6, 2025
Capital Connections
MLK Library, Floor 5
June 26, 2024 - March 3, 2025
Up From the People
MLK Library, Floor 4
Ongoing
Alma Thomas: Life is Color
MLK Library, Floor 2
Ongoing
Upcoming Exhibits
National Museum and Center for Service
Multiple Locations
April 1—June 30, 2025: MLK Library
ARTivism: New Beginnings
MLK Library, Floor 5
March 24—June 6, 2025
A City of Trees—How D.C. Trees and Art Define Our City
Multiple Locations
April 1—May 30, 2025: MLK Library, Floor 1 (West)
June—September: Neighborhood Library Locations
Looking Back—Looking Forward:
Sources of Artistic Inspiration
Presented in partnership with the Washington Sculptors Group
June 12—September 1
MLK Library, Floor 1 (West)
Not Without Us: A Celebration of Disabled Joy
DC Public Library x Georgetown University’s Disability Cultural Center Collaboration
September 18—December 1, 2025
MLK Library, Floor 1 (West)
Posting Peace: Peace Corps Posters 1961-2022
October 1– November 24, 2025
MLK Library, Floor 5
Past Exhibits
We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist D.C.
MLK Library, Floor 1 (West)
March 30, 2023-September 29, 2024
Planning Washington: Capital and Community
MLK Library, Floor 1 (East)
June 6 – September 1, 2024
West End Neighborhood Library
September 4 - 29, 2024
Gratitude Powers DC
August 1 – 30: Lamond-Riggs (Lillian J. Huff) Library
Undesign the Red Line
Cleveland Park Library
April 12–July 11, 2024
DC & Me
Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Library
April 24-May 30, 2024
Anacostia Neighborhood Library
June 1–August 25, 2024
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
July 26–September 10, 2024
Gratitude Powers DC
May 1–May 30, 2024: MLK Library, Floor 1 (East)
June 1 – 30: West End Neighborhood Library
In a Moment of Tenderness
MLK Library, Floor 5
April 13 - June 9, 2024
DC & Me
Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library
April 24–May 30, 2024
Let This World Be Beautiful: Celebrating the Life and Art of Alma W. Thomas
MLK Library, Floor 1 (Great Hall)
February 17, —April 14, 2024
Literary Arts and Urban Journalism Program
MLK Library, Floor 5
November 1, 2023 – April 2024
Freedom is Not Guaranteed by Xaviera Simmons
MLK Library, 9th and G Corner (Exterior)
Presented as part of Banned Books Week
Through October 2023
Alpha Sorority, Inc.®, Xi Omega Chapter: Centennial Exhibit
MLK Library, Floor 1
August 11 - September 16, 2023
Todas Las Manos: Commemorating 50 Years Since the Military Coup in Chile
MLK Library, Floor 1 (Great Hall, East)
September 9 - October 22, 2023
Imagining the future. Leonardo da Vinci - in the mind of an Italian Genius
MLK Library, The Labs, A Level
June 21 - August 20, 2023
Leonardo's Lab
MLK Library, Floor 2 (Children's Area)
June 21 - September 30, 2023
Checkin' Out Mingering Mike: Washington D.C.'s Imaginary Soul Superstar
MLK Library, Floor 1 (Great Hall, West)
June 7 - August 28, 2023
Doo-Wop in D.C.: From the Street Corner to the Stage
MLK Library, Floor 1 (Great Hall, East)
June 1 - July 23, 2023
Pass the Story On: Shakespeare's First Folio at 400
MLK Library, Floors 4 & 5
April 1-30, 2023
Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See
MLK Library, Great Hall
Jan. 26 – March 12, 2023
Apply
The DC Public Library Art and Exhibits Program highlights the history and culture of the District of Columbia through arts and humanities exhibits displayed in the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. The MLK Library hosts temporary exhibits throughout the building, and limited slots are available. The review for 2024 has already passed. You can still submit an application for the next review in fall 2025. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Exhibit Proposal applications can be submitted anytime via the online form linked below. Applications will be reviewed once a year by the library’s Exhibits Committee.
Exhibitions that will be considered include: art exhibitions featuring multiple artists as well as themed exhibitions exploring a topic in local history and culture.
Important notes:
- It is highly recommended that applicants review the Guide for Exhibit Applicants and visit the MLK Library before preparing an application.
- Please note that we are not accepting solo art exhibitions at this time.
- View a recorded infosession about this opportunity.
- Questions about the exhibit application process may be sent to MLKexhibits@dc.gov.
Please check this website for updates about the deadline and application process.
Apply here: Application form
Library News
Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus to be Displayed in the U.S.
-The DC Public Library is proud to announce that the exhibit "Imagining the Future - Leonardo da Vinci: In the Mind of an Italian Genius" featuring 12 original Leonardo da Vinci drawings from the Codex Atlanticus, will be on display at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Presented by Confindustria, in partnership with Biblioteca Ambrosiana , the exhibit marks the first time the Codex Atlanticus has been displayed in the United States.
The Phillips Collection News Release
The Phillips Collection, DC Public Library, and The Nicholson Project launch new
fellowship for DC artists
