1. Addison/Ripley Fine Art
1670 Wisconsin Ave., NW
One of the area’s more diverse galleries shows work as varied as abstract sculptures, impressionist paintings, and landscape photography by local, national, and internationally renowned artists.
2. Dupont Underground
19 Dupont Circle, NW
The abandoned trolley station turned arts organization will reopen in March with regular showcases of thought-provoking art by local talent and a pop-up market highlighting women creatives and entrepreneurs.
3. Friends Artspace
2400 N. Edgewood St., Arlington
This new addition to the local scene (it opened in September) is on its second-ever exhibit: a showcase of dramatic sculptures draped in vibrant floral garments by Baltimore’s Hoesy Corona.
4. Gallery Neptune & Brown
1530 14th St., NW
The well-established contemporary gallery is currently showing a group exhibition of prints and drawings inspired by literature and poetry.
5. Just Lookin’ Gallery
40 Summit Ave., Hagerstown
At this leading space for original Black artwork, you’ll find thousands of prints, paintings, and sculptures by more than 50 artists.
6. Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art
12001 Market St., Suite 103, Reston
A current exhibit of photography by Laurel Nakadate, which touches on the loss of her mother and familial relationships, exemplifies the kind of provocative work you can expect here.
7. Transformer
1404 P St., NW
The nonprofit has been a hub for innovative emerging artists since it opened in 2002. Annual events including the fall auction and the February Heartbreakers Ball are terrific places to score original art.
8. Von Ammon Co
3330 Cady’s Alley, NW
This stark gallery shows edgy work, such as multimedia artist Tabor Robak’s unsettling mini Jumbotron sculptures and Botswana-based Thebe Phetogo’s acid-green paintings of disembodied African political and mythological figures.
9. Zenith Gallery
1429 Iris St., NW; 1111 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
At the Iris Street location—the private home of owner Margery Goldberg—you’ll see imaginative dolls, impressionist paintings, and sculptures crafted of driftwood. Find presidential-themed collages, paintings, and sculptures at the downtown gallery.
This article appears in the February 2022 issue of Washingtonian.
Before becoming Research Editor, Damare Baker was an Editorial Fellow and Assistant Editor for Washingtonian. She has previously written for Voice of America and The Hill. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she studied international relations, Korean, and journalism.
