50 Years of Trailblazing Art in DC: The First Decade (1975-1984)

1975 – Alice Denney founds Washington Project for the Arts as a gallery space and laboratory for experimentation across creative disciplines. It occupies a three-story building at 1227 G St. NW and includes a gallery, a performance space, and additional studio space. Robert Rauschenberg is a founding board member.

• April 15-May 11: An untitled inaugural exhibition includes work by over 30 artists working across mediums of visual art, film, video, music, dance, and theater.
• Sept 26-27: Maida Withers and the Dance Construction Company perform to a score written by John Driscoll. 

1976

• June 17-19: Meredith Monk and the House perform “Paris” and the premiere of “Venice/Milan.”
• December 21: “The Big Reading” is a marathon reading by 44 Black poets, directed by E Ethelbert Miller.

1978 

• May 15 – June 10: “Punk Art,” the first-ever exhibition celebrating the art of punk culture opens to a throng of spectators. Curated by Alice Denney, with contributions from Andy Warhol, Jimmy De Santa, Amos Poe, Joey Ramone, Chris Stein, Alan Suicide, Artura Vega, John Waters, and others.

1979

• September 1 – November 1: “The Biggest Cowboy Boots in the World” is a 40-foot tall pair of cowboy boots installed by artist Bob Wade on an empty lot at 12th and G Streets NW.

1980

• April 1 – 26: “Alternatives by Black Artists” features abstract works by 13 Black artists from Washington and Baltimore, including Sam Gilliam, Martha Jackson-Jarvis, Greg Pitts, Joyce Scott, and others.
• WPA celebrates its first ever Collectors’ Night!

1981

• April 17-May 16: “Options” launches as WPA’s biennial exhibition of work by emerging, unrepresented, and under-recognized artists in the Washington region. Organized by WPA’s second director Al Nodal.

1982 – WPA is evicted from 1227 G Street after the building is sold to developers, and moves to the Jenifer Building at 400 7th Street NW.

• Bookworks, a bookstore that celebrated the emergence of artists’ books, opens at WPA’s new 7th St. location, managed and curated by Don Russell. It remains active until 1985.

1983

March 26-April 25: “The Ritz Project” occupies the abandoned Ritz Hotel at 920 F. St. NW and presents a sprawling show of work by 300 artists, filling all 40 rooms of the hotel.

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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)