August Artist Talk with Jeffrey Jenkins, James Mallos, and VIENNE REA

Washington Sculptors Group & the DC Public Library

Thursday, August 28, 2025, 5:30 – 7:30pm

Listen to how the library was used to inspire sculptures. Engage with three artists whose works are included in the Washington Sculptors Group 40th Anniversary exhibition Looking Back – Look Forward: Sources of Artistic Inspiration on View at the Martin Luther King Jr. Menorial Library through September 7, 2025.

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

Register HERE

Jeffrey Jenkins, Truth Depot, 36” x 36” x 36”, polished stainless steel, phenolic resin, pine, glass, mild steel, paper, enamel paint, 2025. Composed of site specific reclaimed and salvaged materials from the original Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library prior to the 2020 renovation. Artist Website

James Mallos Missing Southwest, 2025, aluminum and copper wire, 91” x 91” x 5” Artist Website 

VIENNE REA, I HAvE A DrEAm, 2025, wooden advertising rulers (vintage), metal letterpress type (vintage), 12” x 3.875” x 1.125” Artist Website

Looking Back - Look Forward: Sources of Artistic Inspiration 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.


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