Curatorial Tour of "Closer beyond; further within" & "Turning Back a Page"

Join us for a special Curatorial Tour with Milan Warner, the curator of both Closer beyond; further within in the Main Gallery and Turning Back a Page in the Nano Gallery. Explore the inspirations and ideas behind these bold, thought-provoking exhibitions as the curator shares insights into their creation and impact. This is your chance to engage in conversation, ask questions, and experience the work from a fresh and personal perspective before these exhibitions close on December 14.

The DC Arts Center’s Sparkplug Artists’ Collective is a year-long program that puts together a community of artists diverse in both their artistic practices as well as their personal histories. Closer beyond; further within showcases the 2025 Sparkplug artist collective cohort with their ideas and reflections on home.

The theme of this exhibition coalesced due to the current political and social landscape of our homeland, disturbing the sanctity of home for the people of the United States as well as the homes of all of those within our country’s grasp. Closer beyond; further within invites viewers into the makeshift sanctuary that is in the gallery space of The DC Arts Center to ponder the meaning of home as they look on to differing interpretations and ways these artists experience home. Through their work in this exhibition, the Collective poses the questions: what does it mean to feel home and what would it mean if the sanctity of home is harmed or destroyed?

Learn more about this exhibition at Closer beyond; turning within

Turning Back a Page features small watercolor paintings on retired library catalog cards by artist Julia Porcari. Growing up with a librarian for a mother, along with earning a bachelor’s in literature, Porcari has long been exposed to literary works where she draws much of her creative inspiration. Porcari resourcefully repurposes the library catalog cards by depicting the very narratives the cards point to. The artist’s visual rendering of classic stories, folklore, and mythology aims to create a new avenue for viewers to approach literature.

As libraries advance to the digital age, systems built to organize the diverse types of literature a library holds have become redundant. With this work, Porcari invites the viewer's attention to the system created that organized the literature held in libraries. Porcari redirects her frustration with the destruction and vilification of literature within our country and converts it into a mode of creativity by creating these works to encourage wonder and champion curiosity. This exhibition serves as a look back at storytelling and kept knowledge.

Learn more about the exhibition at Turning Back a Page

Main Exhibition Images:

Izy Carney
People of Conscience, 2025
Fabric dyed with rust pomegranate peels and mold
34" x 28.5"

Julia Porcari
Pegasus, 2025
Watercolor & ink
3"x 5"

Also check out other Arts events in Washington, Exhibitions in Washington, Literary Art events in Washington.