Performance & Visual Art

Discover the beating heart of creativity in the nation’s capital. Whether you’re an aspiring artist, a seasoned performer, or an art enthusiast, this page is your launching pad to the city’s dynamic and diverse arts landscape. Explore a rich tapestry of venues, organizations, exhibits, clubs, and community groups that collectively shape the artistic identity of D.C.

Prepare to be inspired, delighted, and captivated by the talent and innovation that make Washington, D.C. a hub for creativity. Dive into this comprehensive guide to unlock a world of artistic opportunities and experiences waiting to be explored.

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  1. Performance & Visual Art
    1. Art Events
    2. Interactive Map
    3. Performance Venues
    4. Art Galleries and Museums
    5. Studio & Visual Art Organizations
    6. Dance & Theater Organizations
    7. Photography Organizations
    8. Organizations, Clubs & Community Groups
    9. Feedback

Art Events

To see the latest art related events happening in DC, click the button below to take you to WGIT’s event calendar.

WGIT Calendar

Interactive Map

Performance Venues

  • Atlas Performing Arts Center
    • Location: 1333 H St NE, Washington, DC 20002
    • About: “The Atlas Performing Arts Center is a non-profit performing arts venue in a historic theater. We’re the cultural anchor of the H Street, Northeast community in Washington, DC. The Atlas fosters and presents stellar art in film, dance, music, theater, vocal and choral work, spoken word, and beyond. The Atlas has four performance spaces and we often host free events in our lobby. We produce Atlas Presents performances and also rent our spaces to other artist groups so they can create their own productions. We support and partner with DC arts makers – our Arts Partners – including Capital City Symphony, Mosaic Theater Company of DC, Visionaries of the Creative Arts (VOCA), Joy of Motion Dance Center, and Step Afrika!”
  • Ford’s Theatre
    • Location: 511 10th St NW, Washington, D.C.
    • About: “Ford’s Theatre explores the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln and celebrates the American experience through theatre and education.” View their calendar here.
    • This theatre acts as both a production company and an educational space. Not only do they provide details on Lincoln’s legacy and assassination, they also offer teaching and learning programs such as education programs, teacher professional development, teaching oratory, and other educational resources. Learn more here.
  • The Shakespeare Theatre Company
    • Location: 610 F St NW, Washington, D.C.
    • About: “Shakespeare Theatre Company creates world-class Shakespeare productions and innovative contemporary work, addressing the most urgent questions with scale and audacity.” View their productions here.
    • The Shakespeare Theatre Company also provides many resources such as learning programs, school programs, classes and camps, family and community resources, professional development, and a MFA program. Learn more here.
  • Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
    • Location: 641 D St NW, Washington, D.C.
    • About: “Woolly Mammoth produces courageous and invigorating new work to radically redefine theatre as a catalyst for an equitable, creative, and engaged society. Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company creates badass theatre that highlights the stunning, challenging, and tremendous complexity of our world. For over 40 years, Woolly has maintained a high standard of artistic rigor while simultaneously daring to take risks, innovate, and push beyond perceived boundaries. One of the few remaining theatres in the country to maintain a company of artists, Woolly serves an essential research and development role within the American theatre. Plays premiered here have gone on to productions at hundreds of theatres all over the world and have had lasting impacts on the field. Woolly is located in Washington, DC, equidistant from the Capitol and the White House. This unique location influences Woolly’s investment in actively working towards an equitable, participatory, and creative democracy.”
    • On top of performances, Woolly Mammoth also provides a variety artistic programs. Learn more here.
  • Studio Theatre
    • Location: 1501 14th St NW, Washington, D.C.
    • About: “Studio Theatre is a longstanding Washington cultural institution dedicated to the production of contemporary theatre. We are a community of artists and audience members who believe in the power of theatre to help us understand the world, engage with some of the most important ideas and issues of the day, and affirm our common humanity.” View their plays here.
    • Their programs include community engagement, studio r&d, public programming, student matinees. apprentice and intern opportunities, studio cabinet, psalm’s salons at studio, and video postcards
  • Arena Stage
    • Location: 1101 6th St SW, Washington, D.C.
    • About: “Arena Stage is the voice of American theater resident in our nation’s capital. Focused on American artists, our productions are innovative and representative of stories from across the country. We nurture new plays and reimagine classics. We celebrate our democracy and diversity through a multitude of voices in our productions and community engagement programs to inspire people to action. We produce all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, entertaining, deep and dangerous in the American spirit.”
    • Like other theaters, Arena stage holds their own educational programs and opportunities such as fellowships, workshops, school programs, and a Camp Arena Stage. Learn more here.
  • GALA Theatre
    • Location: 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
    • About: “GALA (Grupo de Artistas LatinoAmericanos) Hispanic Theatre is a National Center for Latino Performing Arts in the nation’s capital. Since 1976, GALA has been promoting and sharing the Latino arts and cultures with a diverse audience, creating work that speaks to communities today, and preserving the rich Hispanic heritage for generations that follow. By developing and producing works that explore the breadth of Latino performing arts, GALA provides opportunities for the Latino artist, educates youth, and engages the entire community in an exchange of ideas and perspectives.”
    • The GALA Theatre also puts on educational programming such as student matinees, arts programs for youth, and study guides. Learn more here.
  • Constellation Theatre Company
    • Location: 1835 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
    • About: “Since 2007, Constellation has brought to life numerous diverse and vibrant stories. Constellation received the John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Company from the Helen Hayes Awards in 2009 and the prestigious National Theatre Company Award from the American Theatre Wing in 2013. According to Metro Weekly magazine, Constellation “does some of the best, most adventurous, most reliable work in town, all presented on an epic scale with a level of intimacy that can’t be beat. Constellation Theatre Company tells big, powerful stories in an intimate space. We spark curiosity and imagination with plays and musicals from all over the world that feature visual spectacle, original music, dynamic movement and passionate acting ensembles. We draw from the genres of fantasy, farce, and epic adventure to transport our audiences to dramatic worlds where the action is larger than life.”
  • The Keegan Theatre
    • Location: 1742 Church St NW, Washington, DC 20036
    • About: “Since its founding in 1996, The Keegan Theatre has presented powerful productions of classic and modern plays and musicals brought to bright and compelling life with the highest caliber acting and design, a straightforward and authentic approach to storytelling, and in a unique and intimate 120-seat theater space which envelopes audiences in the world of the work.”
    • This theatre also provides educational programming and camps particularly for youth, students, and families, special events, and production series. Find more information here.
  • Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
    • Location: 2700 F St NW, Washington, D.C.
    • About: DC’s best known performance center with a wide variety of programming, exhibits, and events.
  • National Theatre DC
    • Location: 1321 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004
    • About: Dating from 1835, this 1,672-seat theater puts on touring Broadway musicals & public-service shows.
    • The National Theatre also provides free programs that provide the Washington area communities with access to the performing arts. Programs include Community Stage Connections, Saturday Morning Live! at the National, Teens Behind the Scenes. Find more information here.
  • Washington Stage Guild
    • Location: 900 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C, at The Undercroft Theatre in the ground level of the Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church
    • About: “The Washington Stage Guild produces eloquent plays of idea and argument, passion and wit – plays from all periods of world drama and all parts of the world presented by a diverse and inclusive ensemble with a contemporary sensibility – smart theatre for a smart town! Founded in 1986 by a professional company of theatre artists dedicated to producing literate, challenging works in a collegial and supportive atmosphere, the Washington Stage Guild quickly established itself as an indispensable component of the D.C. area theatre scene; recognized as early as the end of the first season (1987).”
  • Warner Theatre
    • Location: 513 13th St NW, Washington, DC 20004
    • About: Washington.org wrote up a listing for this theater that hosts a variety of events.

Art Galleries and Museums

  1. Major Museums & Art Galleries
  2. Culture House DC
    • Address: 700 Delaware Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024
    • About: “Founded on the principle that art is a catalyst for change in the community, Culture House is dedicated to providing inspiration and motivation for those who encounter its power, either through experiences or events. The mission of Culture House is to provide a functional art space for all to enjoy and learn more about the arts culture through exhibitions, events, live performances, and artist workshops. The venue embraces all things creative with all its being. As an art object itself, with the exterior fully painted by renowned Atlanta-based muralist HENSE, 700 Delaware serves as a pillar for creativity in our nation’s capital.”
      • Artists interested in showing their work can submit forms to their gallery. Their Avant Garden presents a rotating series of large-scale murals, sculptures, programs, and more. Find out more here.
  3. Jackson Art Center
    • Address: 3050 R St NW, Washington, DC 20007
    • About: ““The mission of The Jackson Art Center is to maintain the historic Jackson School building as affordable studio space for local artists, and to share our talents with DC students, seniors, families, and others for whom art can elevate and empower. The Jackson Art Center is studio space for more than 40 local artists. We work in the former classrooms of the historic Jackson School in Northwest, Washington, DC that were converted to art space in the 1980s. Jackson artists work in oil, watercolor, acrylic, pencil, pastel, photography, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and more. Jackson welcomes the community to our free Spring and Fall Open Studios and reaches out through art workshops and events at Jackson and throughout the city.”
      • View their upcoming events and open studios here.
  4. The Nicholson Project
    • Location: 2310 Nicholson St SE, Washington, DC 20020
    • About: “The Nicholson Project is an artist residency program coupled with a neighborhood garden that works to support artists and serve as a creative and innovative cultural hub. We aim to become a community anchor that celebrates the community’s authentic identity while infusing new vibrancy into Southeast DC. Click Here to learn more.”
    • The Nicholson Project hosts residencies, special projects, events.
  5. Washington Printmaker’s Gallery
    • Location: 1675 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
    • About: “Welcome to the Washington Printmakers Gallery, the greater DC metro area’s primary source for contemporary fine art prints and photographs which contributes to the Washington DC community through outreach involving teaching, internships, lectures, and promotion of public art shows. Founded by local artists in 1985, Washington Printmakers Gallery has long been the metro area’s primary source for contemporary fine art prints, and photographs. It has a membership of exceptional local and national printmakers, photographers, and book artists. The gallery has a full calendar of juried shows, group and solo exhibitions, workshops, classes, talks, and outreach programs. The gallery also houses bins and flat files with prints and photographs. All work is from limited editions.
    • WPG hosts exhibits, art classes, and tons of accessible workshops for artists.
  6. Anacostia Arts Center
    • Location: 1231 Good Hope Rd SE, Washington, DC 20020
    • About: “Anacostia Arts Center is a home for the arts, culture, and small businesses, where the physical space is used to employ and nourish the local arts and creative economy. Within the Anacostia Art Center, community members will find our Black Box Theater, a café, and a lounge area. On our lower level, you will meet the entrepreneurs participating in our incubator program, The HIVE, dedicated to supporting and employing the local arts and creative economy. We encourage you to check out our different spaces and support your small local businesses!”
    • Find their events here.
  7. IA&A At Hillyer
    • Address: 9 Hillyer Ct NW, Washington, DC 20008
    • About: “IA&A at Hillyer (formerly Hillyer Art Space) is International Arts & Artists’ contemporary art center based at our headquarters in Washington, DC. Committed to serving the public and supporting artists at all stages of their careers, Hillyer presents a series of exhibitions and programs that feature local, regional, and international artists. Founded in 2006, Hillyer continues to provide significant support to both local and international artists, as well as presenting programs that reach a broad audience and create a platform for dialogue.”
    • View their events and exhibitions here. Hillyer hosts programs, artist talks, workshops, general public programs, classes, tours and talks in their space.
  8. Foundry Gallery
    • Address: 2118 8th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
    • About: “As an artist-run organization, Foundry offers an alternative gallery experience, through artist talks, workshops, opening receptions, demonstrations and consultations.  And as a cooperative, we can also allow artists greater control over the exhibition and sale of their work. And of course, Foundry is able to offer the highest quality art at more affordable prices than commercial galleries. Foundry Gallery, Washington, DC’s oldest non-profit artists’ cooperative, holds monthly solo and members shows at its beautiful, industrial-style space on 8th Street, NW, near V Street in the bustling revitalized North End Shaw neighborhood. Foundry is a lively community where artists consistently show and develop their work. And it offers Washington area residents and visitors a gallery with high quality, affordable, original art.”
  9. Long View Gallery
    • Address: 1234 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
    • About: “Long View Gallery opened in 2006 as a small, Washington DC gallery focused mainly on local artists. Over ten successful years of business have seen this Washington, D.C. art gallery grow in many respects: our team has grown from one to six, our roster of artists has grown from just local to international and our space has grown from 1000 to 8,500 square feet, the largest contemporary art gallery in the city. Long View Gallery operates as the premiere fine art and event space in Washington, D.C. Long View Gallery concurrently highlights the talent of unique artists and operates as a premiere venue for private functions.”
  10. 11:Eleven Gallery
    • Location: 10 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
    • About: “The brainchild of Nicola Charles, 11:Eleven gallery is a unique and dynamic addition to Washington D.C’s art scene, specialising in UK contemporary and urban art. The name 11:Eleven gallery was borne from a strong belief in angel numbers. 1111 represents positivity, opportunity and manifestation of one’s goals, dreams and aspirations, perfectly representing the gallery’s values and vision.”
  11. Art of Noize
    • Address: Second Floor, 821 Upshur St NW, Washington, DC 20011
    • About: “We are a multi-purpose artist studio in the Petworth area of Washington, D.C. Opened in 2017 and located in the Petworth area of Washington, D.C., Art of Noize gives artists a place to showcase their talents in an intimate setting.”
    • View their calendar here.
  12. STABLE Arts
    • Location: 336 Randolph Pl NE, Washington, DC 20002
    • About: “STABLE is a space for artists to think and create, fostering an arts ecosystem in D.C. through our studios, residencies, projects and collaborations.”
  13. Touchstone Gallery
    • Address: 901 New York Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
    • About: “Founded in 1976, Touchstone Gallery is an award-winning contemporary art gallery located in downtown Washington, near CityCenterDC. Touchstone Gallery was named “Best of DC” by Washington City Paper readers over several consecutive years, and has received recognition for enriching the community through the arts from the District government.With new exhibitions every month, visitors experience a constantly-changing display of original artwork. Member-owners are local, juried professional artists working across a variety of mediums. Visiting the gallery you can find a range of abstract and figurative paintings, mixed-media pieces, photographs, drawings, and sculpture available for purchase. Everyone from an avid collector to a first-time art buyer is sure to find something they love.”
  14. Lost Origins Gallery
    • Address: 3110 Mt Pleasant St NW 2nd Floor, Washington, DC 20010
    • About: “Lost Origins Gallery is a privately-owned arts and event space located on historic Mount Pleasant Street in Washington D.C. Founded by Jason Hamacher, DC musician, photographer and documentarian, Lost Origins Gallery grew out of Hamacher’s extensive experience in the arts, culture, and diplomatic communities through his company, Lost Origin Productions. Lost Origins Gallery strives to be inviting, engaging and intimate. We host exhibitions and events by local, national and international artists, comedians, filmmakers, musicians and authors. We believe each exhibit and event is a collaborative effort, and we are strengthened by the support of our staff, neighbors, and friends.”
    • Lost Origins frequently hosts comedy, music, and art shows. Find more information here.
  15. Zimstone Gallery: Artwork from the African Diaspora
    • Address: 1424 Holly St NW, Washington, DC 20012
    • About: “At Zimstone Gallery, we are fully committed to providing a range of services to those we come in contact with. Whether it’s assisting an artist with the tools of their trade, or assisting our customers in purchasing art as an investment and commence their own private collection, we consider it a privilege to be able to present what we regard as one of life’s most remarkable opportunities. We see it as an honor to travel to Zimbabwe to meet with some of the world’s most talented artists. We personally travel there and select works based on their beauty, value and cultural significance. We are humbled to have had the opportunity to meet with some of the last living first generation (pre-independence) master sculptors. These artists produce sculptures that demonstrate the resiliency of the human spirit and we have been fortunate to be able to present their remarkable talents. Our commitment to conducting business in a fair, equitable, and compassionate manner is fundamental to our mission.”
  16. Africa World Art Gallery
    • Location: 2311 Calvert St NW 1st Floor, Washington, DC 20008
    • About: “Africa World Art Gallery is here to bring to you the diverse, rich, supple, creative, cultural and beautiful arts and crafts from Africa and of African descent. We hope to bring you paintings, sculptures, carvings, textile and fashion materials, as well as other artifacts that represent the Africa peoples and cultures. While having particular interests in African art, but without limiting our capacity, we will also have different works of artists from different parts of the world. With about 54 countries, and with an estimated 3000 indigenous tribes, Africa poses to be a vibrant and colorful continent with ever growing population of people who embrace cultural values and diversity. African artworks do not just tell stories, they bring you into the scene.”
  17. Studio Gallery DC
    • Location: 2108 R St NW, Washington, DC 20008
    • About: “Studio Gallery is a well-respected member of the greater Washington arts community and an active member of the Galleries of Dupont Circle Association. The gallery shows, promotes, and sells the works of its members, and it engages in a rich array of community-based arts activities. It strives to foster an atmosphere of friendly collaboration and skill-sharing among its members. Studio Gallery has shown the works of an estimated 2,000 Washington artists since its founding in 1965, and many members have had major successes, including museum exhibitions and shows in prestigious venues outside the Washington area.”
    • Studio Gallery offers artist memberships, fellowships, internships, & community outreach events.

Studio & Visual Art Organizations

  • Congress Heights Arts & Cultural Center
    • Location: 3200 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Washington, DC 20032
    • About: “CHACC is a family. CHACC is a tribe. Congress Heights Arts + Culture Center is a 501 (c)(3) organization with a mission to expose, inspire + educate both youth + adults to the rich arts + cultural opportunities, specifically in Wards 7 + 8, from a historical + modern day prospective. CHACC was established to the explore arts + culture of people of the African Diaspora, specifically, communities of African Americans, residing East of the Anacostia River. CHACC’s purpose is to develop + expand cultural + artistic opportunities for our residents. One of CHACC’s highest priority is to weave children + youth into the fabric of the economic revitalization occurring in the communities within Wards 7 and 8.”
  • Sitar Arts Center
    • Location: 1700 Kalorama Rd NW #101, Washington, DC 20009
    • About: “2020 marks 20 years of Sitar Arts Center serving families in Ward 1 and throughout Washington, DC who have unequal access to quality arts education and enriching out-of-school-time opportunities. We never turn anyone away for inability to pay and ensure that 80% of our student body is from families with low-income. Sitar currently serves more than 900 students each year. At Sitar Arts Center, DC’s children and teens have opportunities to reach for the stars, develop their talents, and become who they are meant to be. Our work is made possible through the partnership of 100 volunteer teaching artists who donate their time and our amazing artistic partners, including Berklee City Music Network, DC Jazz Festival, Meridian Hill Pictures, National Symphony Orchestra, The Washington Ballet, Washington Performing Arts, and Young Playwrights Theater.”
  • DC Arts Studios
    • Location: 6925 Willow St NW, Washington, DC 20012
    • About: “DC Arts Studios bridge the borders between Maryland and DC, offering itself as not only a hub of creativity but as a long-standing organization in an equally creative area in the beautiful historic district of Takoma. It is a member-run non-profit organization for artists of all disciplines, creative agencies, and arts organizations. DCAS offers a supportive and vibrant environment for artists to realize their creative goals – through studio practice, collaboration, and education. DCAS offers low-cost studios with an added bonus of community among the resident artists. DCAS is less “just a studio” and more a comfortable place to come work, as well as commune with fellow artists over a cup of coffee.”
  • The Stew 202
    • About: “The Stew is an art studio and creative space. Home to @rose_inks & @jenpapedesigns ⚡️⚡️📍Petworth – Washington, DC”
  • BloomBars (Columbia Heights)
    • Location: 3222 11th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
    • About: “BloomBars is not something you can easily describe. Some have called it an artist and non-profit incubator, performance space, art gallery, theater, dance studio, screening room, youth academy, and center for health, wellness, and community engagement-They were all correct. Both innovative and old-school wisdom, BloomBars is turning a concept to unite communities through the arts into a model for energizing and inspiring communities to strive for personal and collective progress. Established in 2008 in Washington, DC’s burgeoning Columbia Heights neighborhood, BloomBars is driven by a volunteer team of artists, educators, and community and business leaders. Redefining the perception of a bar, BloomBars does not serve or allow alcohol on its premises fostering a safe and family-friendly environment.”
  • Artsy Beast
    • Location: 5518 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20015
    • About: “Artsy Beast is a light-filled, boutique art studio focused on bringing individuals together of all ages, walks of life and backgrounds. Whether you are a beginner or expert, Artsy Beast has a class for you. From wheel throwing and hand-building ceramics to painting with oil and watercolor to charcoal and collage, our experienced friendly instructors will inspire and delight!”
  • Dupont Underground
    • About: “Dupont Underground is an arts organization transforming 15,000 sqft of open abandoned space under Dupont Circle into a platform for creative exchange and contemporary arts in our vibrant city. Our goal is to be committed to developing a multidisciplinary platform for creative expression. We strive to reflect the diversity of our community – both artists and audiences. We endeavor to host projects and work that might not be an easy fit in more conventional venues.”
  • Mt. Pleasant Artistics Collective (MPAC)
    • About: “We are a loose collection of creatives based in historic Mt. Pleasant, Washington, DC, coordinating art sales, collaborative events, and promote local creatives of all media.
  • Project Create
    • About: “Project Create is a community-based nonprofit that promotes creative youth development through multi-disciplinary arts education, arts enrichment, and art therapy. Project Create staff and teaching artists have been working with children, youth, and families in Washington DC for twenty-eight years. Our students participate in out-of-school-time art classes, workshops, open studios, field trips, and exhibition and performance opportunities. Project Create offers free creative classes and workshops at our studios in the Anacostia neighborhood of Southeast DC in Ward 8, as well as at locations in underserved neighborhoods in Washington, DC. Courses include visual, performing, and digital media arts classes such as drawing and painting, illustration, photography, collage, spoken word, fashion, music production, and theater.”
  • Transformer DC
    • About: “Transformer is an artist-centered visual arts non-profit based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to connect, elevate, and serve a diversity of emerging visual artists & arts leaders through innovative platforms and partnerships within local, national and international contexts. We support artists in their exploration of experimental ideas, artistic concepts and work, propel new and best visual arts practices, engage and build audiences for emerging contemporary art, and advance artists’ careers.”
  • Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
    • Location: 545 7th St SE, Washington, DC 20003
    • About: “CHAW’s mission of “building community through the arts” is rooted in the belief that art and community-building are synergistic. A diverse constituency creates more dynamic arts experiences, and more dynamic arts experiences engender greater empathy by giving rise to myriad voices in a highly collaborative and creative environment. Our goals are to uplift local arts and artists, promote artistic literacy, and share creative resources. Collectively, this sets the stage for our vision: “to connect and transform.” This mechanism for propelling social change is at the heart of all we do: Better art makes better justice. We offer instruction in the visual and performing arts for students of all ages and abilities; artist residencies; and outreach. We also produce public art. Classes are taught by professional artists and educators. Our youth programs include after school courses, camps, outreach workshops and internships. In our history, we have never turned a person or organization away for inability to pay.”
    • CHAW hosts events, youth and adult classes, internships, residencies, projects, a community dark room, and other projects. Find out more about their services here.
  • Brookland Arts Walk
    • Location: 716 Monroe St NE, Washington, DC 20017
    • About: “A pedestrian promenade of 27 art studios representing local & independent artists, makers, crafters and more”

Dance & Theater Organizations

  • The Center for Movement Theatre
    • Location: 4321 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20016
    • About: “The Center for Movement Theatre provides training for the ‘actor-creator’. It is appropriate for both the serious beginner and the experienced actor. The work embodies a dynamic and physical approach to acting and is strongly based on the work of master teacher Jacques Lecoq. It is the search for a theatre of creation, exploring the relationship between life and art, for those who wish to gain more insight into their abilities as actors, directors and writers. Using the body to find essential gesture, action and expression, participants discover and develop their own art. The body recognizes and can represent everything that moves…it is the prime element in the journey from life to the theatre.”
  • Mosaic Theater Company
    • “Mosaic Theater Company of DC produces bold, culturally diverse theater that illuminates critical issues, elevates fresh voices, and sparks connection among communities throughout our region and beyond.”
  • The Theatre Lab
    • Location: 900 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001
    • About: “The Theatre Lab is Washington, D.C.’s largest and most comprehensive independent, nonprofit school for the dramatic arts. For nearly 30 years, The Theatre Lab has been transforming lives through theatre education. We work to make both the artistic and the real-life benefits of theatre training accessible to all. Through our courses, camps, and programs, The Theatre Lab enrolls over 2,800 kids, teens, and adults a year. Offerings target beginners and veteran actors alike through a wide range of classes designed to fit busy schedules—summer camps for kids, Saturday acting classes, acting or playwriting classes for rookies, public speaking for non-theatre professionals and more. For those 18 and older preparing for a theatre career, our intensive, year-long Honors Acting Conservatory is the closest thing to graduate-level training students can get without having to quit a job to attend school full-time. Our distinguished faculty comprises top-notch, working theatre artists who perform, write, or direct theatre around town. As one student evaluation put it, our talented faculty are ‘invested in your growth, extremely knowledgeable, and experienced.’”
  • Dance Place
    • Location: 3225 8th St NE, Washington, DC 20017
    • About: “Rooted in the United States capital, Washington D.C., Dance Place supports movement artists by creating opportunities for creative development, performance, and education. By investing deeply in artists and centering those who have been systemically excluded from such opportunities, we strengthen the dance field.
    • Dance Place DC offers performances & events, classes, education, artist opportunities & residencies, and volunteer opportunities
  • Dance Institute of Washington
    • Location: 3400 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
    • About: “Dance Institute of Washington increases the inclusive and diverse representation at every level of the professional ballet and dance industries in Washington, DC. Through that exemplary effort, DIW impacts racial and economic equity in dance nationally and globally.”
  • The Washington Ballet
    • Location: 3515 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016
    • About: “The Washington Ballet’s professional company consists of world-class dancers forming an ensemble core with apprentices. Together they perform a wide variety of works from the classical choreography of Marius Petipa and George Balanchine to contemporary pieces by Christopher Wheeldon, Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, Twyla Tharp, and Mark Morris to new creations by Alexei Ratmansky and Justin Peck. Every year the professional and studio companies bring productions of the highest caliber to stages throughout the national capital area including Harman Center for the Arts at the Sidney Harman Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Warner Theatre, and Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC).”
  • Diva Dance Company
    • Location: 1323 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036
    • About: “Here’s a little about us: DivaDance began franchising in 2015, but our commitment to inspiring confidence and building community goes back much further. DivaDance has an unwavering commitment to inclusion, empowerment, and creating a safe space for all adults. We just happen to have a lot of fun too, as we offer all-levels of choreography in our classes, parties, and programs. It’s a sexy, sweaty, stress-free pop-music dance party!”
  • City Dance
    • Location: 5207 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington DC 20015
    • About: “CityDance is a leading nonprofit dance institution serving the national capital region. At our studio and community sites located across the national capital region, CityDance trains young dancers for professional careers, nurtures talent and achievement through dance, and works to advance the field of professional dance. Anchored in a belief that diversity advances excellence, CityDance works to create opportunities that promote equitable access to dance education and performance. We build programming centered on the unique cultures, histories and voices of the communities, artists and students with whom we partner. We further our mission through three divisions:”
  • Capital Movement
    • Location: 315 G St SE, Washington, DC 20003
    • About: “Capitol Movement’s mission is to “build better lives through dance.” We provide programs and opportunities for all dancers, regardless of socioeconomic barriers, through studio classes, workshops, outreach, scholarships, and a variety of community engagements. Capitol Movement, Inc. (CMI) aims to make dance accessible and affordable in the DC metropolitan area. Utilizing traveling classrooms, we are able to provide quality dance education to schools and community partners in need of arts education programming. The lessons learned in dance reach far beyond steps and tricks. Through our Adult Dance Company and studio classes, CMI gives local business professionals a creative outlet for their dance passion, where they can be empowered through artistry in motion. Our programs build confidence, teamwork, commitment, and discipline, bringing together dancers from all walks of life. Together, we can all ‘build better lives through dance.’”
  • Company | E
    • Website: Company E
    • About: “A contemporary repertory dance company, dance education and interdisciplinary arts organization based in the U.S. Capital City of Washington, DC emphasizing international collaborations with the great choreographers, dancers. composers, film-makers and artists at work today. Company | E builds its art through engagement with the diplomatic missions from nations around the globe, all based in Washington, DC, seeking out the greatest choreographic, musical and interdisciplinary artists in their fields, with an emphasis on the next generation of brilliant, cutting edge art, and with the U.S. missions abroad, to present that work on the domestic and international stage.
  • Dance Loft on 14
    • Location: 4618 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20011
    • About: “We provide vital rehearsal and performance facilities and programs that catalyze artistic work and connect DC residents with the arts. We envision a city where local performing artists thrive, homegrown performances are regularly presented, and dance is accessible to a full range of audiences. In 2010, MOVEIUS was founded by Diana Movius as a performance ensemble, with successful runs at the Kennedy Center, Atlas Performing Arts Center, Dance Place, and Capital Fringe. The professional MOVEIUS Contemporary Ballet ensemble continues to create productions and to be in residence at Dance Loft on 14. In 2015, in response to the shortage of accessible rehearsal and performance space in DC, we envisioned and opened our Dance Loft on 14 facility. Located in a former 1920’s art-deco movie theater, Dance Loft on 14 catalyzes art and vibrancy in Washington, DC’s Central 14th Street area while expanding access to the arts. Serving the city-wide dance and theater communities and our local neighborhood, Dance Loft on 14 provides rehearsal space for dance and theater artists, dance and movement classes for adults and youth, shared office space for small non-profits, a 120-seat black-box theater, and an array of high-quality performance programming in our spacious studios.”
  • GRIDLOCK Dance
    • About: “Led by Madeline Maxine Gorman, GRIDLOCK Dance is a contemporary dance company based in Washington, DC. The mission of GRIDLOCK Dance is to uncover societal thorns and inspire everyday awakenings through collaborative performances and art making. We explore societal issues through the combination of contemporary movement with projection, music, spoken word, humor, and audience engagement. In particular, GRIDLOCK examines the relationships between mass media, mental health, and movement.”
  • Salsa With Silvia
    • Location: 3232 Georgia Ave. NW, Suite 104 Washington, DC 20010
    • About: “Salsa With Silvia is the largest Latin Dance Studio in the DMV. We grow fast because we are passionate about what we do, our teaching method is structured and easy to understand and WE LOVE TO SEE YOU SMILE! Read more to see how we grew from one girl’s dream to now a studio with two beautiful locations in the DMV. Come dance with us!”
  • Salsa
  • Joy of Motion Dance Center
    • Location: 1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
    • About: “A nonprofit arts organization founded in 1976, Joy of Motion Dance Center cultivates a diverse community of students, educators, artists, and audiences in the DC metropolitan area by providing creative experiences that open doors for all ages and abilities. At Joy of Motion, know that dance is a powerful vehicle for lifelong learning, well-being, transformation, and progress.”
  • Momentum Dance Theatre
    • Location: 534 8th Street Washington, D.C. 20003
    • About: “Momentum Dance Theatre is Capitol Hill’s main professional dance studio. Located on Barrack’s Row, we provide professional training from beginner to advanced in diverse dance styles and techniques to children age 6-15, older teens and adults. We approach all our dancers with high standards, individual care, and a spirit of joy and fun. We are grateful to one of our major supporters, the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, for its many years of support for our productions.”
  • Dance Exchange
    • Location: 7117 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland 20912
    • About: “Dance Exchange is a leading nonprofit performing arts organization expanding who gets to dance, where dance happens, what dance is about, and why it matters. We do this in the following ways:
    • Dancemaking & Performance: We expand the ways performance and dancemaking catalyze connection, reflection, and action through engaging dance exchange performance legacy & repertory and creating new work
    • Creative Tools & Practices: We activate, innovate and evolve approaches for discovery through movement and dance making by cultivating new tools & practices, sharing tools with artists and communities, documnenting and disseminating tools
    • Community & Creative Hub: We support and connect the creativity of communities within our home region and beyond, and convene national and international artists and thought leaders through intergenerational programming, hosting and space rental, dance exchange operations, research & development.”
  • The Lab DC
    • Location: 6925 Willow St NW, Washington, DC 20012
    • About: “The Lab Breakin’ Academy is one the first dance academy in the United States to specializing in Breakin’ (Breakdancing). Established in 2011 in Washington D.C. The Lab has designed a dance program focused on teaching, developing and fostering the dance techniques and foundations of Breakin’. Our goal is to have students create and express their own personal style and see progress after each class session. The program is foundation based and will build upon the previous weeks concepts and lessons.
  • Ngoma Center for Dance
    • About: “The official school of Dissonance Dance Theatre, DC’s Only African-American managed, and nationally-recognized contemporary ballet. Serving over 200 students annually since 2014, The Ngoma School is emerging as a Washington, DC area dance-school destination for students interested in a professional concert dance career. The Ngoma School offers programs for students with different levels of ability. School year programs include the highest quality of instruction in ballet, modern, jazz, hip-hop technique, and other electives.”
  • Solas Nua, New Irish Arts
    • About: “Solas Nua – ‘new light’ in Irish, is a leading multidisciplinary arts organization that is dedicated exclusively to contemporary Irish arts. Solas Nua acts as an ambassador and advocate for Irish arts in the U.S., promoting contemporary, multi-disciplinary Irish arts and culture. By offering new opportunities for artists based in both Ireland and the U.S., Solas Nua provides access and inclusion for artists and audiences to connect and participate on both sides of the Atlantic. We present, produce, and commission thought-provoking and ground-breaking work across the arts, and are recognized for making a substantive, unique contribution to the artistic and cultural richness of the city of Washington, D.C. and beyond. We present work that is cross-cultural, representing today’s Ireland – a globally diverse society. Our programming reflects our conviction that Irish arts travel across borders, cultures, and socio-economic lines.”
  • Carpathia DC
    • About: “Founded in 2011, Carpathia Folk Dance Ensemble is DC’s only multi-ethnic folk dance performance group. We currently perform dances from Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Moldova, and of the Roma/Gypsy people. Our group is all-volunteer and comes from a variety of backgrounds including immigrants from countries we represent to people who do not even have ethnic background from our countries. What brings us together is a passion for dance, music, and sharing cultures with audiences throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Our group is not for profit and we strive in our mission to present and preserve the cultural dance of the countries we cover. For more information, please check out our website at http://www.carpathiadc.org, where you can find more photos and videos of our work. You can also contact us at carpathiadc@gmail.com.”
  • Darling Dance Company
    • About: “darlingdance is a project-based dance company in Washington, D.C. exploring themes of womanhood, feminism, and embodied history through the lens of an experimental-leaning postmodernism. We’ve made a name for ourselves as performance purveyors of humor, wit, sarcasm, sincerity, and authenticity. The Washington Post once called us “tonally bizarre,” and we tonally agree.”
    • Website: Darling Dance
  • SJ Ewing & Dancers
    • About: “S. J. Ewing & Dancers is a DC-based company that leverages technology’s power to augment, amplify, and deliver contemporary dance experiences. Sarah J. Ewing is a resident artist of CityDance, a 501c3 nonprofit dance education and performance organization serving the national capital region.”

Photography Organizations

  • Washington DC Photography Group
    • About: “Come along to our photo sessions to dust off your camera and get snap-happy with a professional photography instructor. Brush up on your camera skills and learn new photography techniques whilst on a photo walk class with other local keen photographers! We run two hour photography sessions based on a photography theme/technique/style and they take place in various locations in Washington DC .
    • New to photography? We also run a popular 3 hour Beginners Guide to Photography Class once a month. And once in a while we will run special niche 3 hour classes, for example, Astrophotography – so do subscribe to our newsletter to know when the next on is!
    • Who can attend? Open to all skill levels, from beginners to keen amateurs. The photography instructor is there to help you with camera settings and provide any advice you need.
    • What to bring? We recommend bringing a camera that has full manual mode or semi-manual modes (Aperture or Shutter Priority). Compact cameras and smartphones also welcome!
    • The meeting point and full details for the day are sent in the booking confirmation email to the email address you provide at time of booking.”
  • Exposed DC
    • About: “Exposed DC connects photographers of all levels with networking, mentoring, and exhibition opportunities. We partner with organizations to strengthen and cultivate the local photography community. Since 2006 we have produced the annual Exposed Photography Show, with a contest that begins in December and a gallery exhibit the following spring. Now a year-round venture, we organize meet-ups and other events. Our website highlights local images (photos from our Flickr pool and tagged #exposeddc on Instagram), profiles photographers, and offers lessons for a wide range of skill levels. Contact us if you’d like to contribute a blog post or submit an event.”
  • DC Street Photography Collective
    • About: “DC SPC, a 501(c)3 non-profit, is a collective made up of dedicated street photographers from the DC, MD, VA areas who are devoted to producing, sharing, and creatively capturing the human condition and their interaction with everyday life to create images that go “beyond the frame.” The objective is also to foster growth for other collective members as well as members of the community. The group was founded by Ryan Madison in May of 2018.”
  • Street Meet
    • About: “StreetMeet is a community driven organization founded March 2015 in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to bring together communities of diverse image creators through free and paid networking events. We don’t like to complicate things. We schedule meetups on a monthly basis for creatives of all levels throughout the city to link up and create. Each month we provide a FREE meetup to attend. With the exception of special events, we want this experience to be as accessible to as many people as possible.”
  • Walk With Locals
    • About: This group meets monthly in different cities where you can walk through cities with other artists with a focus on the city’s landscapes and history.
  • Portrait Meet DC
    • About: This group hosts DMV events for photographers and models
  • NIH Camera Club
    • About: “Welcome to the NIH Camera Club – we are a friendly, active club – and you don’t have to be affiliated with NIH to join! Our mission is to encourage knowledge, skills and enjoyment of photography through meetings, classes, lectures and demonstrations encompassing all phases of photography. We welcome visitors and new members to all our meetings. See our Calendar of Events for opportunities to join in and find out more about becoming a member. Please contact us with further questions.”
  • Critical Exposure
    • About: “Critical Exposure trains DC youth to harness the power of photography and their own voices to fight for educational equity and social justice. We’re creating a new generation of leaders who have:
    • the tools to express themselves,
    • the creativity to imagine new solutions to old problems,
    • the belief that youth have the right and ability to fight for those solutions, and
    • the skills to hold communities and public officials accountable.
    • Through campaigns and visual storytelling, Critical Exposure support youth to raise their voices in conversations about education policies and build the public and political will needed to address the issues they face.”

Organizations, Clubs & Community Groups

  • DC Commission on the Arts amd Humanities (CAH)
    • About: “The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) is an independent agency in the District of Columbia government. First established in 1968, it evaluates and initiates action on matters relating to the arts and humanities. Additionally, CAH encourages programs and the development of programs that promote progress in the arts and humanities. CAH is the designated state arts agency for the District of Columbia. It is supported primarily through District government funds. Additionally, it receives partial support from the National Endowment for the Arts.”
  • DC Arts Center
    • About: “The only institution in the greater Washington, D.C. area solely dedicated to fostering underrepresented artists in every discipline.”
  • Hola Cultura
    • About: “Hola Cultura is a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. established to celebrate Latino/a culture in all of its grandeur and diversity.​ Hola Cultura serves as a bridge between the area’s Latino and non-Latinx communities, covering topics bilingually that affect D.C. residents’ everyday lives — from arts and humanities to the coronavirus pandemic. The organization got its start in 2011 as an innovative series of artistic mini-documentaries featuring D.C.’s Latino arts, humanities and creative class. It’s the brainchild of Alberto Roblest, an award-winning artist, author and educator. Since those early days, we’ve kept on growing—publishing more than 1,000 articles, interviews and other media with the help of our talented interns and volunteer contributors. Together, we’re building an online archive.”
  • Theatre Washington
    • About: “Through collaborative partnerships and programs, Theatre Washington supports the Washington, DC-area’s professional theatre community to celebrate artistic achievement, strengthen the theatrical workforce, support institutional growth and advancement, and cultivate collective action. Theatre Washington’s core programs include: the Helen Hayes Awards, Theatre Week, Theatre Summit, Theatre Work, and the Taking Care Fund.”
  • Creatives Club
    • About: “A club for creatives of all types & skill levels! Open meetups every Thursday 6 – 9 pm. Join our group chat on Discord.”
  • DC Makers’ Guild
    • About: “Unifying DC’s independent makers. Raising awareness for the locally-made artisan goods industry. Influencing public policy. Managed by @heurichhouse.”

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