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DC's Alternative Art Spaces, Past & Present

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DIY -- Do It Yourself. As applied to music and the arts, DIY usually signifies the show, project, or venue is produced by the artists themselves. Even though not always not-for-profit on paper, usually DIY spaces are run without being part of, or subject to direct oversight of a typical corporation, government agency, or overarching bureaucratic framework. Nor would shareholder be profit the main motive.

The idea of having multiple DIY arts spaces in downtown DC is somewhat of an anomaly today. Many of those arts spaces are located outside the downtown core in group houses, places of worship, or underutilized retail spaces.

A new exhibition (D.I.Y. in the District) located on the first floor of the MLK Library highlights alternative DIY arts spaces in DC from the 1970s to the present. From Rhizome (located in a residential setting way uptown), to d.c. space (formerly located in the heart of downtown DC), the exhibition uses venue ephemera, archival photos, and audiovisuals to show how these venues helped shape the usually unrecognized arts culture embodied in DC's local population. That is to say, the arts outside of national or international museums and organizations.

Perhaps a partial "victim of their own success," dc. space closed in 1991 as downtown DC was about to see a 30 year boom of redevelopment and new construction that continues today. That redevelopment boom transformed downtown culture to favor retail and entertainment, but much of the DIY arts scene was left out. There are art galleries, theatres, and entertainment venues downtown, but the cultural scene is dominated by larger entities such as the Smithsonian (SAAM and NPG) and the 20,000 Capital One Arena which is primarily a sports venue. But, smaller artist-run galleries such as Touchstone (1976) do still exist.

MLK Library has grown over the past decade to be a place for so many diverse resources and I'm glad these great hall exhibitions have been a part of that growth.

D.I.Y. in the District is open through December 7, 2025. 901 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001.

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Power & Light: Exhibition Spotlight

A stunning moment-in-time photography show is open for a few more months at the National Archives. "Power & Light: Russell Lee's Coal Survey" is a show made up entirely of survey photography focused on coal mining communities in the U.S. The survey was commissioned by the federal government in an effort to stunt 1946 coal miner strikes across the nation.

The exhibition displays just a fraction of Lee's 4,000 total photos and depicts workers in the coal mines, at home with their families, doing every day tasks like going to the doctor, attending church, or just existing in their communities. Essentially, life as a miner-- the good, the bad, and the ugly.

This honestly broke a lot of my pre-conceived notions of the coal industry and the workers themselves. Worth a visit. Closes December 7th.

LGBTJews in the Federal City: Exhibition Spotlight

When exploring museums in this city, it does feel special when curators & designers set out to represent District culture and history, specifically. Even within those exhibitions, it’s perhaps more rare that curators intentionally and skillfully juxtapose DC history with national history in the same room at the same time.

This is precisely what I experienced at the newest exhibition by the Capital Jewish Museum, “LGBTJews in the Federal City.” I had been in this exhibition space before, most recently for JewCE: The Jewish Comics Experience. Perhaps due to the layout, or perhaps due to the spatial organization of this new exhibition – either way – this space felt more expansive than ever, and the museum uses that space well.

A timely show that will be with us for quite a while (closes January 4) LGBTJews in the Federal City overachieves in an exploration of Queerness + Jewish Washington, across various perspectives, while offering multiple thematic entry points. Here were some of my favorite aspects:

  • Timelines. You probably know this about me at this point (or if not, now you do): I love timelines. One event can be a significant turning point in a struggle or campaign, but unless I understand the context, I’m not fully grasping the full narrative. In what might seem overwhelming to some, I absolutely loved the detailed timelines, from the late 18th century to essentially, the present day. They are cleverly paced and broken down with contextual subheadings for added focus.

  • Defining the narrative. This is something I have come to expect from the Capital Jewish Museum and as an historian who is keenly aware that what I don’t know exponentially dwarfs my actual knowledge of the human experience, I like to learn the definitions of terms referenced in an exhibition. This exhibition actually greets visitors with clear and understandable explanations of symbols we may have all seen, but perhaps didn't understand the origin of like the Lambda symbol, Pink Triangles, or Red Ribbons. Later, a text panel sharing Jewish values and concepts referenced within, or important to the understanding of, the material in the exhibition. Wall space and floor space are precious in exhibition bays and I appreciate that some of that was used to, essentially, set the table for basic understanding for visitors.

  • Treating DC like a real place. What do I mean by this? In national museums or outside presentations of DC, the District is often presented exclusively as the capital of the United States containing the federal government. What’s not always acknowledged are the ways decisions made on the federal level elevate or challenge District history, its people, and their cultural values and practices. This exhibition presents a perfect example of how to integrate a national timeline of events alongside the local timeline of events with the added context of why each timeline matters to the other. Three examples that shone through for me were:

    • The founding of Bet Mishpachah (a congregation for LGBT & queer Jews) here in Washington DC reverberated in Jewish communities across the U.S. It may not have been the first or largest congregation of its kind, but since we are the capital, what happens locally often lands in the spotlight of communities nationwide.

    • Of course federal policy handed down in the form of laws, executive orders, or Supreme Court decisions apply to DC and Washington area residents, too. The exhibition does a Civics 101 level explanation of how recent federal precedents affects the LGBTQ population, but expertly juxtaposes, in the same exhibition bay, how the DC area Jewish community has participated in the national story of evolution of LGBTQ rights and challenges. From simply being acknowledged in the history books to present day activism over life & death issues that captivate traditional and social media today.

    • I love maps. I was pleased to see a visual representation of past and present Navy Yard neighborhood represented in a walking tour map. In a sort of built environment cultural archaeology, this one map helps contextualize the loss of safer places for queer Jews including bars & clubs that used to exist in the neighborhood. Many, if not all of the clubs were displaced over the course of the last 20 years of real estate development re: gentrification in the neighborhood.

  • Interactive. Truly a hallmark of exhibitions at the Capital Jewish Museum, visitors can make the choice to react to, reflect on, and generally immerse themselves while engaging the material. A tri-fold exhibition guide prompts readers to ask themselves questions such as “What do you feel?”, “Does anything inspire you to act?”, or “Did anything offer you a new perspective?” In another example, near the end of the exhibition is a clever word matching game to learn a bit of non-binary Hebrew vocabulary not far from a wall panel about present day queer positive movements within Judaism regarding language. This exhibition is deep without being overwhelming. 

World Pride just concluded in Washington, DC. Pride month continues through June. And the LGBTJews exhibition has been open for a little less than a month as of this writing. Even beyond this month the exhibition will stand as another great companion to the permanent exhibitions at the Capital Jewish Museum. On view through January 4, 2026. General admission to the museum is free (with a $10 suggested donation). Special exhibitions, including this exhibition, are $12. Check the calendar of events for Community Days this summer when all visitors are able to enter for free. The Capital Jewish Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday.

THANK YOU to all Patreon members who made this Exhibition Spotlight post possible. The Attucks Adams Patreon page features early access to all Looking Blog posts, behind the scenes access to all tour building & writing, street & landscape photography, and regular DC history posts not available anywhere else. Join the free tier for limited access, or support our work with a paid tier for full access to 300+ archived entires. Check it out here!

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New Tour Alert: Music & Social Change Debuts May 31

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It’s official! We have a new tour. This one has been in the works off and on for a few years. I have given privately commissioned tours of Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant in the past — but each separately. In 2019, I worked on an amazing project, co-developing a tour for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 2019 with friend and colleague Natalie Avery. And six months ago I was commissioned to combine both neighborhoods in a private tour that took place in early spring. It worked really well and was actually what convinced me to greenlight this tour as a new permanent offering. Here’s the description!

Music and Social Change: Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan

Explore the deep histories of Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan on this unique walking tour. Delve into the area's rich musical heritage, from the "hillbilly music" of the mid-20th century to the influential punk and Riot Grrrl scenes of the 1990s.

Discover how the arrival of streetcars shaped these neighborhoods, leading to bustling commercial strips and two diverse but linked communities. Learn about 16th Street's past identity as Embassy Row and uncover the origins of the Adams Morgan name, a testament to the neighborhood's commitment to racial integration.

From historic libraries and grand movie houses to the hidden stories behind local businesses and community spaces, this tour offers a captivating glimpse into the evolution of these iconic Washington, D.C. neighborhoods.

Duration: 90 minutes. About 1 mile total distance. Private group torus start at $125 and public tours are $25 per person.

The tour book is open for private bookings, but the big kick off is on May 31st, with two tours offered at 10am and 2pm. These are public tours and open to everyone. Tickets are $25. Book here!

To everyone supporting Attucks Adams on Patreon, you can register for either of the May 31 tours for half off. Email me for more information. As a reminder Patrons get early and behind the scenes access to my research and photos that inform the tours themselves.If you’re interested in joining Patreon, check out the tiers here!

A final note — I lived in Mount Pleasant for nearly 15 years. Mount P and Adams Morgan are both near and dear to my heart and really important to how I view DC as a long time resident. I hope that comes through in the tour.

This has been a fun tour to build an I look forward to growing it, adapting to how the neighborhood changes, and sharing even more about another DC neighborhood with the world!

Public Service Recognition: Free Tours

We're partnering with Washington Walks and several other tour companies to offer free walking tours to federal workers next week!

During Public Service Recognition Week (May 3-11, 2025) anyone employed by the federal government as of January 1, 2025, regardless of current employment status, can take walking tours free of charge!

Anyone can reserve a spot on these walks, but federal employees attend for free.

As for Attucks Adams, we're offering two sessions of Eyes on Emancipation: Black History on Pennsylvania Avenue. Tour 1 will be the morning of May 4th. Tour 2 will be the morning of May 11th. As of today there are a few spots open for each session.

This was a true partnership between six indie tour companies in DC. There are many other tours to choose from!

Head to this page and check them out: https://www.washingtonwalks.com/psrw/

Many thanks to the organizing done by Washington Walks and all our partners, including:

Please pay them a visit. They all offer their own compelling tours and I'm happy to have them as industry colleagues. 🫶🏽✌🏾💪🏽