50 Years of Trailblazing Art in DC: The First Five Decades of WPA
Since its founding by Alice Denney in 1975, Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) has presented more than 550 exhibitions, 2,300 events and performances, and 60 public art projects. Initially based in a downtown storefront, WPA quickly established itself as a powerhouse among the wave of alternative arts spaces that emerged in the US in the late 1960s and ’70s. The organization has built and continues to uphold a reputation for showcasing a bold mix of local and national artists whose work has pioneered new paths in arts and culture. Robert Ashley, Chris Burden, Simone Forti, Group Material, Meredith Monk, Howardina Pindell, Adrian Piper, Carolee Schneemann, and Nancy Spero, among many now-familiar names, all received early exposure at WPA, while nearly every major visual artist in the District since 1975 has had some connection with the organization.
Playing it safe has never been the WPA way.
Bold works of art that think “outside-the-box” model the value of innovation and risk-taking for all. Progress—intellectual, social, cultural, scientific, and technological—depends on thought leaders fearlessly exploring new ideas and tough questions. Artists have always led the way in this regard.
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Visit the links below to explore a small selection of some of the many highlights from WPA’s first five decades.
- 50 Years of Trailblazing Art in DC: The First Decade (1975-1984)
- 50 Years of Trailblazing Art in DC: The Second Decade (1985-1994)
- 50 Years of Trailblazing Art in DC: The Third Decade (1995-2004)
- 50 Years of Trailblazing Art in DC: The Fourth Decade (2005-2014)
- 50 Years of Trailblazing Art in DC: The Fifth Decade (2015-2024)
