PAST PROGRAMS
APRIL 5, 2025
Artist Talk and Viewing of Break Water, a new public art installation by
Nekisha Durrett
Waterfront Park, Alexandria, Virginia
Join artconnexDC for a special artist talk and viewing of Break Water, a new public art installation by Nekisha Durrett at the Waterfront in Alexandria, VA. In addition, we will hear from Diane Ruggiero, Director of the City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts, about their award-winning public art series, Site See. Following the talk, we will gather for coffee and conversation.
February 27, 2025
Exhibition tour of Hung Liu: Happy and Gay with Director & Chief Curator of the Georgetown University Art Galleries Jaynelle C. Hazard and Founding Director of the Hung Liu Estate, Dorothy Moss.
Hung Liu: Happy and Gay presents a selection of oil paintings and prints from a 2011-12 series by Hung Liu, the renowned Chinese American artist (born Changchun, China 1948 - died Oakland, California 2021). The images adapt and subvert Maoist propaganda cartoons that were published during the 1950s in small booklets for children in China. In the series, Liu revisits cartoons of her youth that were published in children’s books and primers (known as xiaorenshu).
Like the Dick and Jane readers circulating in the United States during the postwar era, the illustrations were used in China to socialize children by instilling values such as hard work, family unity, and patriotism. Liu’s reformulation of this palm-size historic childhood imagery into large-scale, richly-painted contemporary canvases not only turns mass-produced illustrations into paintings but also raises questions at the intersection of ideology, propaganda, and education. Liu invites viewers to think critically about the words and images that shape our collective identities, challenging us to reimagine them, a form of rewriting history. As she often said, “history is a verb. It is constantly flowing forward.
January 15, 2025
artconnexDC: circle
Circle events will bring together colleagues and friends to meet and mingle informally. At No Kisses, we will offer activities to encourage guests at various stages of their careers and with different areas of expertise to meet and get to know each other.
Just a few steps away from No Kisses is Plain Sight, a storefront gallery on Georgia Avenue, founded by Allison Nance and Teddy Roger. Stop by before or after artconnexDC: circle to see their new exhibition featuring work by local artist Julia Chon, presented in partnership with The Nicholson Project.
October 24, 2024
artconnexDC “Meet and Greet” at Hamiltonian Artists.
artconnexDC is thrilled to announce its inaugural program at Hamiltonian Artists on Thursday, October 24, 2024, from 6–8 pm. Learn what artconnexDC is all about and how you can be a part of it.
We will be welcomed by Hamiltonian’s Executive Director Lily Siegel and view the work of Hamiltonian Fellow Misha Ilin, whose work explores the practice of instructions and situations as a medium to reveal the intimate connection between our layered identities and the contractual social interactions that exist around us. The Studios at Hamiltonian Artists will also be open to meet the artists and explore their practices.
A member of artconnexDC will also provide some background information on artconnex dc, our goals, and future plans. This program is free and open to all women-identifying and non-binary visual art professionals. Drinks and snacks are generously provided by Sonny's Pizza and No Kisses Bar. RSVP not required, but appreciated.
About Hamiltonian Artists
Now in its 16th year, Hamiltonian Artists serves as a hub for Washington, DC's creative economy and a vibrant center for contemporary art in the DC area. With its unique investment in emerging artists, Hamiltonian Artists provides resources to aid their development in important business skills, professional experiences, and visibility to support and sustain their art career. Learn more at www.hamiltonianartists.org.
December 11, 2024
Exhibition Tour of Spirit & Strength: Modern Art from Haiti at the National Gallery of Art, led by curator Kanitra Fletcher.
Art flourished in Haiti—the world’s first Black republic—in the mid-1900s. Painters like Hector Hyppolite, Rigaud Benoît, and Philomé Obin were known around the world for their images of Haitian daily life, religious traditions, and history. Their works influenced generations of African American artists. Several, including Lois Mailou Jones and Eldzier Cortor, traveled to and worked in Haiti. Spirit & Strength is the first chance to see 21 works by Haitian artists recently given to the National Gallery of Art. Get an introduction to Haitian modern art and experience the remarkable creations of some of the most prominent artists in Haiti’s history alongside works by artists building upon their legacy today. Through its art, understand Haiti’s significant yet underrecognized importance in the culture of the African Diaspora.
Following the tour, we will gather for coffee and conversation at the Cascade Cafe.