Current Programming
PLACES + SPACES
by LOCATOR
Daniel Frankhuizen, lead producer + cellist
Tal Topf, assistant producer + visual designer
Shalin Mahadevia, DJ + lighting designer
Sophie Witmer, dancer + choreography
Julianna Raimondo, dancer + choreography
CulturalDC’s Source • 1835 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
APRIL 26 • 7:30 PM PRESHOW • 8 PM SHOW • 9 - 10 PM LISTENING ROOM/INTERACTIVE
APRIL 27 • 7:30 pM PRESHOW • 8 PM SHOW • 9 - 10 PM LISTENING ROOM/INTERACTIVE
APRIL 28 •1:30 PM PRESHOW • 2 PM SHOW • 3-4 PM LISTENING ROOM/INTERACTIVE
LOCATOR blends electronic soundscapes and audio-reactive visuals with traditional cello playing to create an immersive experience.
The cello becomes a vessel of endless possibilities, morphing again and again through a whirlwind of looping, sampling, and live processing. LOCATOR channels imagination into a symphony of sonic bliss that transcends the ordinary. By drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical genres - from classical to jazz, from the avant-garde to the outer realms of experimental electronica - LOCATOR pushes the boundaries of what is possible and creates music that is both beautiful and thought-provoking.
Places + Spaces is a progression of the You Are Here series by Locator. As the band name eludes, the music is an exploration and celebration of location, place, and belonging.
The second in the You Are Here series, Places + Spaces shifts naturally between a listening room with a DJ and interactive projections to a concert space with dancers, immersive visual design, and live electronic cello music. The show is a complete visual and auditory delight that is sure to resonate with audiences worldwide.
Monty Hall
by Anthony Akinbola
April 6-May 5, 2024
IN THE MOBILE ART GALLERY
The Randall Recreation Center, South Capitol & I Streets, SW, Washington, DC,
across from the Rubell Museum, DC.
HOURS: WED-SUN 11 AM - 5 PM, CLOSED 1:30 - 2 PM FOR LUNCH.
Conversation with Murjoni Merriweather, Anthony Akinbola and Phillip Collins, Hosted by CulturalDC and the Rubell Museum- RSVP
Monty Hall is an interactive art piece that invites the public to take their shot at "chance" with the opportunity of selecting from an array of lockers that may or may not hide a treasure inside.
PRESENTED BY CULTURALDC, ANTHONY AKINBOLA’S EXHIBITION FEATURES A BANK OF LOCKERS, EACH CONTAINING A TOTEMIC OBJECT. VISITORS ARE GIVEN A SINGLE CHANCE TO PICK A LOCKER CONTAINING A TOKEN THE ARTIST HAS PLACED INSIDE. THE ARTIST WILL REPLENISH THE LOCKERS PERIODICALLY THROUGHOUT THE EXHIBITION.
Install Shots by Vivian Marie Doering
40 ACRES: Camp Barker
by Sandy Williams IV
February 15 - September 30, 2024
Garrison Elementary, 1200 S St NW, Washington, DC 20009
Commissioned by CulturalDC and supported by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities through the Public Art Building Communities Grant, Sandy Williams IV created a 6ft wax replica of the Lincoln Memorial. The installation is a direct commentary on DC’s history of Civil War-era Contraband Camps, refugee camps that housed formerly enslaved and free African Americans. Camp Barker was positioned where Garrison Elementary now stands.
The Fall IV (Lincoln) [2022]
Black Lincoln
Limited edition exclusive to CulturalDC.
This is a black beeswax candle with wicks created in exact replica of the Lincoln Memorial.
Dimensions: 5.5 x 5.5 x 6 inches
Upcoming Programming
Rose: You are Who You Eat
by John Jarboe
Directed by MK Toumanen
Mobile Art Gallery - June 1 – July 14, 2024 - free and open to the public
Woolly Mammoth - June 3 – June 23, 2024 - Tickets on sale now
In association with Woolly Mammoth and The Bearded Ladies Cabaret. Rolling world premiere with FringeArts and La MaMa ETC. From a Commission by Works & Process at the Guggenheim.
A TRUE STORY OF GENDER FEASTING, SET TO MUSIC
Once upon a vine, John Jarboe’s aunt revealed that John not only had a twin sister in the womb, but that John consumed her: “You ate her. That’s why you are the way you are.”
This was a lot for John to swallow! In this musical shrine to the consumed twin, named Rose, John welcomes you into a feast of gender through song, storytelling, and a full plate of wordplay.
Rose: You Are Who You Eat was first presented by CulturalDC in 2022. In the Summer of 2024, CulturalDC will present Rose again in collaboration with Woolly Mammoth. Rose is inspired by a true story about gender queerness and queer ancestry portrayed through the metaphor of cannibalism. Rose is a shrine of music, image, objects, and text brought together by a team of queer artists, including composers and musicians, to tell the legend of John and Rose.
Photo credit: Tim Johnson
Allana Clarke
2023/2024 Capital Artist Resident
SUMMER 2024
“I‘m incredibly thrilled to share in the mission of connectivity and community building through art. As an artist, the systems in which we often exist can feel exclusionary and siloed from our larger society. ”
“CulturalDC creates space for artists who work in unconventional ways to engage directly with audiences in a more collaborative and generative way. I could not be more excited to join this visionary organization as a resident artist.”
Residency Period
Allana Clarke will reside in Washington, DC, during the Summer of 2024. Housing during her stay will be provided by Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners. Her residency will culminate with performances and an exhibition in CulturalDC’s Mobile Art Gallery.
About
Clarke is a Trinidadian-American artist based in Detroit, MI. Her practice is built upon uncertainty, curiosity, a will to heal, and an insistence upon freedom. Fluidly moving through photography, sculptural and text-based works, video, and performance, her research-based practice incorporates socio-political and art historical texts to contend with ideas of Blackness, the binding nature of bodily signification, and the possibility to create non-totalizing identifying structures.
Clarke received her BFA in photography from New Jersey City University in 2011 and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Practice from MICA’s Mount Royal School of Art in 2014. She is an assistant professor at Wayne State University in Detroit. Clarke has been an artist in residence at the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, The Vermont Studio Center, Lighthouse Works, and Yaddo. She has received several grants, including The Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship, Franklin Furnace Fund, and a Puffin Foundation Grant. Her work has been screened and performed at Gibney Dance in NY, Invisible Export NY, New School Glassbox Studio NY, FRAC in Nantes, France, SAVVY Contemporary in Berlin, and was featured in the Bauhaus Centennial edition Bauhaus Now: Is Modernity an Attitude. She recently completed a 2020-21 NXTHVN fellowship, a mentorship program co-founded by artist Titus Kaphar. Clarke is represented by Galerie Thomas Zander in Cologne, Germany.
Build your Collection and Support CulturalDC
Unique artworks now available on Artsy and on our website.
CulturalDC supports innovative artists across all disciplines and makes their work accessible to diverse audiences.
We provide unconventional space for relevant and challenging work essential to nurturing vibrant urban communities.
Mobile Arts Program
CulturalDC’s Mobile Arts Program breaks down the barriers to art often found in traditional presenting venues. We offer the ideal space for nationally and regionally prominent artists to engage with audiences in new, exciting ways. The Mobile Arts Program offers an artistic dialogue on national, local and grassroots levels.
Artspace Development
As part of our mission to make space for art, CulturalDC provides consulting services to research, design, and implement creative placemaking initiatives including art installations, artist housing, feasibility planning, creative space development, and public art.
Source
Source’s 150-seat black box is vital to the area’s small and medium-sized arts organizations because the space is intimate, flexible, and affordable. CulturalDC purchased the building in 2006 and Source now provides a classroom, rehearsal studio, and administrative space.
Programming Archives
Our long-standing commitment to the arts has led CulturalDC down many paths of arts engagement. View our archives to learn more about the reach of our programming over the years.