Washington Project for the Arts

Over Thanksgiving break, we learned of the passing of WPA’s incredible founder Alice Denney. She was 101 years old and lived a truly remarkable life that left a deep imprint on DC, contemporary art, and all who knew her. It’s an honor to carry forward her legacy through our work.

As we move closer to WPA’s 50th anniversary year in 2025, we are developing a digital archive and will be prioritizing an early chapter of our research on Alice and her extensive work and vision with WPA. For those who knew and loved Alice, we look forward to hearing from you about your memories and stories.

You can read more about Alice Denney’s inspiring life and legacy here: https://wapo.st/46zgmVz

“Mrs. Denney’s most enduring creation was the Washington Project for the Arts, an organization that she founded in 1975 to provide workshop, exhibition and performance space for experimental artists.

Initially functioning from a condemned storefront space downtown that charged $1 a year in rent, the initiative received funding from the Cafritz Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and remains in operation today.

Mrs. Denney stepped down as director in 1979 to become board chairman. The WPA, as the project is known, rose to national attention in 1989 when it presented a retrospective exhibit of photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe, many of them sexually explicit, that had been canceled by the Corcoran amid a political furor over the exhibit’s partial federal funding.

“Imagine what we would have missed, imagine how much duller the art scene here would be,” Post art critic Paul Richard once wrote, “had there never been a WPA.”

Photo Credit: Alice Denney, Founder and Director of Washington Project for the Arts at the Punk Art Exhibition in 1978. Photo by Paul Fineberg.

meta-meta: book of instructions by Misha Ilin - e-flux Agenda Washington Project for the Arts is pleased to present meta-meta: book of instructions by DC/NYC-based artist Misha Ilin (he/him), with an exhibition on view October 14–November 18 at WPA’s Project Space

The application portal for the next cycle of Wherewithal Grants is now open! DC-area artists may apply for support in areas of Project & Presentation and Research depending on which best supports your practice at this time. This year we are increasing the amount of Project & Presentation grants to $7,500! The deadline for applications is November 14.

Wherewithal Grants Wherewithal provides project-based support for visual art projects within the Beltway of Washington, DC. Courtesy of Washington Project for the Arts and The Warhol Foundation.

We're so excited to share this news with you! Today, our Board announced the appointment of Travis Chamberlain as WPA's next Director. Chamberlain—a curator and director with more than 20 years of experience in museum, non-profit, and for-profit contemporary arts spaces in New York City—will begin his new role on September 1, 2023, becoming WPA's 12th Director.

Chamberlain assumes the role as WPA’s principal executive leader after five years as Executive Director at Queer|Art , a community-based nonprofit with a mission to connect and empower generations of LGBTQ+ artists throughout the nation. Prior to this position, Chamberlain spent ten years as a curator of performance at the New Museum in New York City.

This appointment follows an extensive national search supported by Claire Huschle of Good Insight. His arrival coincides with WPA’s 2023–2024 Season Kick-Off and BBQ on Saturday, September 9. The event will introduce the roster of 2023–2024 Artist-Organizers and the projects they will be producing through collaboration with WPA, invited artists, and local communities. All are welcome to attend!

Please join us in giving Travis a warm welcome to DC!

Our annual Collectors’ Night Benefit Auction is ✨LIVE✨ on Artsy! The two-week auction features over 140 artworks by 81 artists from the DC area and beyond. The auction closes on Saturday, April 29 during Collectors’ Night 2023 which takes place at 800 9th Street SW in Washington, DC.

Ticket and auction purchases will directly support participating artists and WPA’s artist-organized programming so bid, bid, bid!!!

Participating Artists:

Kristin Adair • Rick Bach • Aliana Grace Bailey • Sophia Belkin • Wesley Berg • Jessi Binder • Julia Bloom • Amy Boone-McCreesh • Tom Bunnell • Ainsley Burrows • Asha Elana Casey • Héctor Cataño • Peter Cochrane • Michèle Colburn • Cynthia Connolly • Lely Constantinople • Markele Cullins • Nancy Daly • Nancy Daly & Kim Llerena • Leigh Davis • Catherine Day • Frank Hallam Day • JD Deardourff • Muse Dodd • Brian Michael Dunn • Alexis Duque • Alex Ebstein • Patricia Encarnación • Ghana ThinkTank • Marsha Goldberg • Janis Goodman • Jason Gubbiotti • Jason Andrew Hammond • Kei Ito • Roberto Jamora • Adele Yiseol Kenworthy • Jean Jinho Kim • Shana Kohnstamm • Andrew Kung • Galina Kurlat • Magnolia Laurie • sTo Len • Leah Lewis • Andrea Limauro • Nathan Loda • Robert MacDonald • Jon Malis • Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann • Lex Marie • Rebecca Marimutu • Ebony Marshman • Gordon Matta-Clark • Ryan McCoy • Patrick McDonough • Jayme McLellan • Maggie Michael • Greg Minah • Jonathan Monaghan • Ali Newhard • Jamilla Okubo • Lauren Portada • Taj Poscé • D'Metrius Rice • E. Brady Robinson • Esther Ruiz • Kate Sable • Rachel Schmidt • Sheldon Scott • Saloni Shah • Sharon Shapiro • Ernest Shaw • Ginevra Shay • Anne C. Smith • Bria Sterling-Wilson • Amy Stober • Jia Sung • Tim Tate • Kelly Towles • SHAN Wallace • Dawn Whitmore • Julie Wills

Washington Project for the Arts: 42nd Annual Collectors' Night Benefit Auction 2023 | Artsy Washington Project for the Arts x Artsy present Washington Project for the Arts' 42nd Annual Collectors' Night Benefit Auction....

Save the date for Collectors' Night 2023 on Saturday, April 29 at 800 9th Street SW in Washington, DC! 🌸🌿

The evening will begin with a cocktail reception and dinner followed by a not-to-miss after-party including music, dancing, and plenty of art viewing and bidding!

Join Host Committee members: Brittany Bansak, Yolanda Cole & Randy Mueller, Jennifer A. Duncan, Charlotte & Timothy Fox, Jacqueline Francis, Jill Gibson & Terrence Johnson, Ashley & J.K. Givens, Mike Hickok & Ann Anderson, Alexa & Brent Kaye, Jair Lynch & Jocelyn Sigue, Marvin Morris, Dorothy Moss & Stockton Williams, Frederick P. Ognibene, M.D., Liz Oyer and Geoff Wyatt, Jim Ritter, Robert Roche & Nancy Hirshbein, Dr. Paul G. Ruff IV & Jill Ruff, Angie & Colin Shah, Art Silpasuvan & Debbie Tang, Paul So, and Kim Tignor.

And our Corporate sponsors including: Goldman Sachs, Hickok Cole, Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners, JBG SMITH, Of Place, Shah & Shah Distinctive Jewelers, Courtney Abrams and TTR Sotheby's International Realty, and West End Plastic Surgery.

To become a supporter, please email Alexandra Silverthorne at [email protected]

Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 17!

Join us March 31-April 2 at our spring Symposium! 💚

How can we gather now? - e-flux Agenda Washington Project for the Arts presents an experimental symposium about gathering

Gather with us this Spring in DC 💚 This project has been in development for years and we are SO excited to share it with you all. More details to be announced soon but for now, save the date!

HOW CAN WE GATHER NOW?
Symposium in Washington, DC
March 31-April 2, 2023

Co-directed by Prem Krishnamurthy & Asad Raza

with Richard D. Bartlett & Natalia Lombardo, Black Techno Matters, adrienne maree brown, Melani Douglass, Mindy Seu, Tiffany Sia, Naoko Wowsugi, and more!

Tickets go on sale at the end of January

For more information, please email [email protected]

Supported by DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, Eaton Workshop, Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, Goethe Institut-Washington, and Terra Foundation for American Art

DC-area artists and collectives, the deadline to apply for the next cycle of Wherewithal Grants is THIS Monday, November 14, 2022 at 11:59 pm EST. You can apply for either a $5,000 Research Grant or a $5,000 Project Grant. To learn more about these grant opportunities and to apply, please visit wherewithalgrants.org/

Join us Wednesday evening on Zoom for a ✨VERY✨ special conversation with artists Ayana Evans and Tsedaye Makonnen alongside esteemed conceptual artist and cultural critic, Lorraine O’Grady.

Earlier this month, Evans, Makonnen, and O'Grady were key participants in Simone Leigh's Loophole of Retreat in Venice. We are so honored for the opportunity to now listen to them in conversation thanks to artist-curator Yacine Tilala Fall who organized this program as part of “Being/Becoming: The Act of Portraiture,” on view through November 12th.

On Difference: Reflections & Actions
With Ayana Evans, Tsedaye Makonnen, and Lorraine O’Grady
Wednesday, October 26 from 6:00-7:30 pm
RSVP here: https://www.wpadc.org/civicrm/event/info?id=137&reset=1

"Being/Becoming: The Act of Portraiture" reviewed by Kriston Capps in the Washington Post

Four art shows spotlight Black portraiture Exhibitions at Transformer, Stable Arts, Washington Project for the Arts and the National Portrait Gallery center Black artists

The application portal for the next cycle of Wherewithal Grants is 💥OPEN💥

DC-area artists and collectives, you can apply for either a $5,000 Research Grant or a $5,000 Project Grant depending on which grant best supports your practice at this time.

The application deadline is Monday, November 14, 2022 at 11:59 pm EDT.

Applications will be reviewed by an independent panel of artists and arts professionals with up to 12 grants total awarded. The grant period is from January–December 2023.

For full details, including the Criteria & Eligibility and Application Questions, visit wherewithalgrants.org

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

From this weekend’s opening 🖤 Thanks to all of you for coming by to celebrate our first in-person exhibition since 2020! Congrats to our incredible artist-organizer Yacine Tilala Fall and to all the participating artists who made brand new work for this show: Holly Bass, Renee Cox, Muse Dodd, Dominique Duroseau, and Marcelline Mandeng Nken

Another huge shout out to the most amazing art installers Erik Sharar & Henry Cross!

📸 photos by McKenzie Grant-Gordon

“Being/Becoming: The Act of Portraiture" is open now through November 12. We are open Thursdays & Fridays 2-5 and Saturdays 11-3. Come through!

Stay tuned for artist talk & other program details

✨ANNOUNCING✨ “Being/Becoming: The Act of Portraiture,” a group exhibition exploring the self. The project features newly commissioned work by five Black women and gender non-conforming artists, presented as performance-based, embodied self-portraits.

Curated by Yacine Tilala Fall

Participating Artists:
Holly Bass | Holly Bass
Renee Cox | Renee Cox
Muse Dodd | Muse Dodd
Dominique Duroseau
Marcelline Mandeng Nken

Fall invited the participating artists to use portraiture as an action, a movement, and a physical experience. Through their work, they consider how intentional action may transgress limitations of concepts and disciplines. Their portraits are not fixed. They live, breathe, and transform—as we are all constantly becoming.

Join us at the ✨Opening Reception✨ on Saturday, September 10 from 7–9 pm!

Additional programs will be announced soon 🪄

✨We’re Hiring✨

We're conducting a nationwide search for a dynamic and thoughtful leader to join our amazing team and shepherd this next exciting chapter of WPA's history.

Details about the position can be found at wpadc.org/about/jobs

Application deadline is August 6, 2022. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

Questions? Please email [email protected]

Just TWO days left to bid on 127 incredible artworks by an amazing group of artists during our 41st Annual Benefit Auction on Artsy. Bidding closes Friday at 8:30 pm! Register to bid here: https://www.artsy.net/wpabenefit

Image: Sue Wrbican, Before the Ghost #3, 2022

WPA’s 41st Annual Collectors' Night Benefit Auction is open for bidding through next Friday, June 17!✨The two-week auction, hosted online by Artsy, features 127 artworks by 93 artists from the DC area and beyond.

Artworks range in price from $250 to $7,000. The auction closes on Friday, June 17 at 8:30 pm EDT.

Auction purchases will directly support participating artists and all of WPA’s artist-organized programming year-round.

Wondering how to bid? Visit artsy.net/wpabenefit to see the full selection of artwork in this year's auction. Register to bid by creating an account on Artsy, then either place a single bid on any lot you wish, or set a maximum bid.

Questions? Please DM us!

Washington Project for the Arts: 41st Annual Collectors’ Night Benefit Auction 2022 | Artsy Washington Project for the Arts x Artsy present Washington Project for the Arts' 41st Annual Collectors' Night Benefit Auction....

It was so wonderful to be together again last week at Collectors' Night! We want to thank everyone who helped make this such a memorable and successful event. Thanks to our wonderful co-chairs, Brittany Bansak and Nekisha Durrett, the event's Organizing and Host Committees, Susan Gage Caterers, Janel and Anthony, DJ Geena Marie, DAVIS Construction, Springvale Floral, photographer Daniel Swartz, the hundreds of you who attended, and the 93 participating artists who are currently exhibiting their artwork in WPA's 41st Annual Collectors' Night Benefit Auction.

A huge shout out to our generous Corporate Sponsors for making this event possible: AWS, Bernstein Private Wealth Management, Brookfield Properties, DAVIS Construction, Foulger-Pratt, Goldman Sachs, Hickok Cole, JBG Smith, Of Place, Shah & Shah Distinctive Jewelers, Springvale Floral, West End Plastic Surgery, with additional support from Capital One and Squire Patton Boggs.

Collectors' Night is tomorrow!!! 🎊 Dinner tickets are sold out but if you'd like to come to the party, this is your last chance to purchase tickets.

Tomorrow, dinner guests will be treated to a very special musical performance by Janel and Anthony. Beginning at 8:30 pm, Party guests will arrive for artwork viewing, drinks and light snacks, and a dance party powered by locally-based DJ Geena Marie! ✨

All guests will enjoy an exclusive in-person viewing of 93 of the 127 total artworks that will be auctioned virtually on Artsy from June 3–17 featuring work by contemporary artists from the DC region — the auction will go live at 8:30 pm.

Ticket and auction purchases will directly support participating artists and WPA’s artist-organized programming.

We're excited to see you!

For more details and to purchase party tickets:
https://www.wpadc.org/events/collectors-night-2022