50 Years of Trailblazing Art in DC: The Fifth Decade (2014-2025)
2015
- November: WPA celebrates its 40th anniversary with the opening of a new space at 2124 8th St. NW in Shaw at the Atlantic Plumbing building.
2017 – WPA becomes the first W.A.G.E.-certified arts organization between New York and Miami. W.A.G.E. sets national standards for artist compensation.
2018 – WPA adopts a new mission that is focused on supporting the development, production, and presentation of artist-organized projects. This represents a shift towards working in closer collaboration with artists and placing a greater emphasis on process and discourse.
2019 – WPA establishes Wherewithal Grants as a member of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts’ Regranting Program, distributing $60,000 to DMV area artists each year as part of a year-long fellowship program.
2020 – In response to COVID’s impact, WPA distributes $120,000 in emergency funding to artists in the Greater Washington Area, with funding from Warhol, Cafritz, and Glenstone Foundations, as well as individual donors.
2021 – WPA begins publishing books as part of its new project-based program model. “Black Women as/and the Living Archive,” a publication organized by Tsedaye Makonnen, sells out its first printing.
2023
- March 31 – April 2: WPA organizes its first international symposium “How can we gather now?” organized by Prem Krishnamurthy and Asad Raza, featuring adrienne maree brown as keynote.
- October 14 – December 9: Misha Ilin’s “meta-meta” marks WPA’s last project at 2124 8th St. NW. We move our headquarters to 1350 Connecticut Ave. NW in Dupont Circle.
2024
- November 14 – March 1, 2025: Mojdeh Rezaeipour’s project “93 Fragments” opens at GW’s Corcoran School of Art & Design, marking the first time WPA has organized programming at the Corcoran since its divestiture in 2008.
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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)
