Washington DC is booming with world-class art institutions. Visitors could spend weeks just exploring the various Smithsonians – the largest collection of museums in the world—as well as heavy hitters like the Phillips Collection.
But if you’ve done the Smithsonians or are just looking for an off-the-beaten art trip, start by checking into the new Conrad Washington DC. Opened in 2019, the building was designed by Pritzker Prize-winners Herzog & de Meuron — their other projects include The Tate Modern and Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium. The hotel has a midcentury modern aesthetic, with a central, light-filled atrium sheathed in an undulating chainmail curtain, called The Veil. The atrium’s focal point is a 14-foot wide suspended light installation that mimics the phases of the moon.
Art is a major focus of the hotel, and the Conrad’s collection was curated by the consulting firm Tatar Art Projects. The inspiration was the Washington Color School, an art movement of abstract expressionists from the 1950s to the 1970s. Every area of the hotel has original art. Some of it is in unexpected places, like the mosaic of smashed willowware plates in Willow, one of the Conrad’s restaurants. Keep an eye out for abstract works by Kristin Gaudio, and the bold shapes depicted in Landon Metz’s paintings.
But to go even deeper into DC’s art scene, the Conrad offers its guests a curated itinerary by local artist (and lawyer) Lory Ivey Alexander. Ivey Alexander looks to Black, Indigenous, and white American history and memory for inspiration for her paintings and collages.
“A paper collage often functions as a sketch for me. Cut paper allows me to deconstruct and reconstruct an existing narrative,” she says. “When I think about how to tell the story and how to structure it, collage lets me piece it together like a puzzle before translating it into paint.” In recent bodies of work, Ivey Alexander also drew inspiration from multi-hyphenate André 3000 and the American painter Alma Thomas – the first African American woman to have a solo exhibit at the Whitney.
Lory Ivey Alexander in studio (left); “A Laying On Of Hands (Sacred)” (right). Photos courtesy of Lory Ivey Alexander.
Ivey Alexander’s itinerary offers hotel guests her unique perspective on DC’s art scene, with a focus on Black Artists and Black-owned businesses – along with all-important food and coffee stops along the way.
The U Street Corridor is the heart of DC’s Black community, and Alexander’s highlights here include Zawadi African Arts, a cozy space selling African clothing, textiles and art. The neighborhood is also home to the U Street murals. Don’t miss the Ruth Bader Ginsburg mural by Rose Jaffe and Meet Me at the Dunbar mural by Cory Stowers (1506 U St NW). Head east on U Street to 14th to spot the Wailing Mailman: A Portrait of Buck Hill (DC’s famous saxophonist mailman).
Photo via Hotels.com
Also nearby are two Black-owned institutions- Industrial Bank, which financed loans for Black businesses, and Ben’s Chili Bowl which was one of the few businesses to survive the 1968 riots. Black leaders like the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King regularly stopped in for chili, fries and burgers. Just around the corner from Ben’s is an extensive mural featuring icons ranging from Prince and The Obamas to Mr. T.
Alexander’s itinerary also includes stops at the Addison/Ripley Fine Art Gallery, which displays large format works by emerging and internationally recognized artists. Some lesser known gems include the Washington Printmakers Gallery, an artist cooperative gallery featuring fine art prints and photographs, and Homme DC is a unique and tiny concept gallery offering opportunities for emerging artists and designers to produce intimate exhibitions and pop-ups. When hunger strikes, stop by Ethiopic for authentic Ethiopian food in a casual setting.
If you’re not staying at the Conrad – or simply need more- DC offers plenty of hidden art gems. For a truly underground art experience, head to the tunnels underneath Dupont Circle. This once-abandoned space was a trolley station and briefly a food court before being transformed into the Dupont Underground, an innovative art space that hosts visual art exhibitions as well as performing arts events. Arts in Foggy Bottom, is an award-winning outdoor sculpture biennial in the Foggy Bottom Historic District. Each show highlights the history of the neighborhood, its vibrant present and its imagined future through murals, videos and performance art. Finally, don’t miss Culture House, a brightly painted 1900s Victorian and Romanesque church. The space is dedicated to inventive public art and exhibits change weekly, focusing on music, spoken word performances and visual art. Outdoors, spend time in the Avant Garden to see large scale murals.
Photos via The Conrad DC unless otherwise noted.
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