Looking Back – Look Forward: July Artist Talk

Washington Sculptors Group & the DC Public Library

Thursday, July 24, 2025, 5:30 – 7:00 pm

Artist Talk with Sally Canzoneri, Amity Chan, and Barbara Liotta

Artist Meetup at The People's Archives, Thursday July 24, 2025, 4:30 pm - 4th Floor East

The MLK Library seeks materials for its Vertical Artist File as part of The People's Archive. WSG is sponsoring a meet up with an archivist to discuss materials they are seeking from visual artists who reside in the District, Maryland, or Virginia.Bring materials to create your folder in the Local Artist File, such as CV, exhibition catalogues, and postcards. RVSP to programs@washingtonsculptors.org

Artist Talk in the 1st Floor Gallery - Thursday July 24, 2025, 5:30 - 7pm Main Floor West

Listen to how three sculptors used the library to inspire their works in the exhibition Looking Back - Look Forward.

RSVP Registration for the talk is appreciated but Not Required. Thank you!

This exhibition marks the 40th anniversary of the Washington Sculptors Group (WSG), celebrating the organization’s lasting contributions to the DC arts community. It also honors the DC Public Library’s role as a living cultural archive, preserving the stories and histories of the District through its vast collections of literature, artifacts, and primary source documents.

For this milestone show, WSG members were invited to create works inspired by archival materials held by the Library or to respond to its mission as a vital space for learning, memory, and community. Artists were encouraged to explore The People’s Archive—including the WSG collection—and to reflect on the Library as both a site and symbol of public knowledge. Whether drawing on specific documents or broader concepts, the selected works engage the past while speaking to the present and future of our shared cultural life.

The exhibition includes freestanding and wall-hung sculptures in a range of media and approaches. Each artist brings a distinct voice to the conversation, reflecting the diversity, curiosity, and innovation that have defined WSG over four decades. This anniversary exhibition celebrates not only the legacy of Washington sculptors but also the Library’s enduring role as a catalyst for creativity, civic engagement, and collective memory.

This project is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Images Above: Sally Canzoneri, Amity Chan (detail), Barbara Liotta (detail)

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Martin Luther King Memorial Library

Named after one of the nation’s most prominent civil rights leaders, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library is the central location offering a wide range of opportunities and services. The building, a historic landmark, was designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. It is his only public library and his only building constructed in DC. Between 2017 and 2020, the building was renovated. The entire interior was completely redone, including a new auditorium, dance studio, recording studios, tool library, offices, and a rooftop garden. The library hosts temporary exhibits in five spaces throughout the building.

The DC Public Library celebrates art and exhibits as a source of learning, discovery, growth, and connection. Exhibits at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library are key to expanding visitors’ knowledge of the District’s rich past and are a portal to engagement in the DC’s present and future. The Library’s Art & Exhibit program is guided by its Art & Exhibitions Policy.

901 G Street NW, Washington DC 20001