Page 9 - JUNE2019

BLACK ARTS
IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL
Fine works of art dot the nation’s capital in venues from tonygalleriestogreatmuseums. ByKareemaCharles
For half a century, the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum was the key art repository for locals. But the historic district where it sits has sprouted new cultural and commercial spaces—and a sense of pride. 1. Children in the forefront are painting and others are staging a play at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum, now known as the Anacostia Community Museum 2. Anacostia Historical Society 3. Interior of the Anacostia Pharmacy, circa 1941 4. Anacostia Arts Center 5. IBé Crawley (left) owner of IBé Arts which is around the corner from Anacostia Arts Center Theater 6. Houses at 13th Street and W Street, SE in Anacostia Historic District on the NRHP since October 11, 1978.
l Washington DC—the capital city of the United States which receives more than 20 million visitors annually and hosts all three branches of the federal government—also boasts a growing arts scene, particularly in black fine arts.
On the side of DC east of the Anacostia River lies the his- toric Anacostia community, a hub for black creativity since the area became predominantly African American in the 1960’s.
In 1978, Anacostia joined the National Register of Histor- ic Places but, in recent years, it has hosted a surge in black arts, providing creative outlets for artists at all levels.
“It’s pretty popping,”said Camille Kashaka, director of Anacostia Arts Center, describing the arts scene. “There’s a
lot happening, a lot of interesting trends going on, especially in Afrofuturism. That’s why [the movie] Black Panther was so important to us—we saw the potential of what we could be.”
Kashaka said the surge comes from being unapologeti- cally black and loud about “who we are” as a race.
“Art gives you that chance to experiment,” she said. “It gives you a license to create anything and for the artist that’s a blank canvas.”
Her multi-use space offers an art gallery and theater and six small businesses—almost all black- and women-owned. The center manages three area galleries, one that Kashaka calls an incubator space that bolsters the economy.
HARLEM FINE ARTS SHOW MAGAZINE PAGE 9
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND MICROSCOPE GALLERY