Anacostia Arts Center Honors the Souls of Anacostia by Trevor Johnson
Step into the Anacostia Arts Center, and a sweeping wall of black-and-white portraits will immediately meet you. The images pull the eye from face to face, each frame leading naturally to the next, as if the photographs are in conversation. Arranged with deliberate care, the display creates a steady cadence, inviting viewers to slow down and follow the visual rhythm.
The striking display is titled Beautiful Also Are the Souls, a special exhibition produced in partnership with The DAP Project (Documenting the Anacostia People Project) and the Anacostia Arts Center. As the Center prepares for a major renovation and a new chapter in its history, the exhibit captures and honors the individuals and the spirit of the community who have been fundamental to the Center before the building itself undergoes transformation.
“This exhibit is intended to honor the many people who came before who have contributed to the vibrancy of this space,” said Messay Derebe, director of the Anacostia Arts Center. “Environments like this, where people feel seen and supported in their community, are not created by accident; they are intentionally built. This is our way of honoring that and making a commitment to the community that they will be a part of forming the future of this building just as they were a part of forming its past.”
Co-curator Rhonda Henderson connected the exhibition's title to its literary roots. “It comes from Langston Hughes' 1923 poem My People,” Henderson explained. “Hughes highlights the beauty of nature—the sun, the stars—and then writes, ‘Beautiful also are the souls of my people.’ It reminds us that while buildings and landscapes are beautiful, the true beauty lies in the people. That's why the title is so fitting: this exhibit is about honoring those who make the Arts Center what it is.”
Grounding the exhibit in Hughes' words, Henderson emphasized how Beautiful Also Are the Souls extends beyond a gallery display. The collaboration between The DAP Project and the Arts Center turns portraiture into affirmation, positioning the show as both a historical archive and a living testament to the community's lasting influence.
Henderson partnered with Derebe, who first envisioned an exhibit that would honor the people sustaining the Arts Center. Together with DAP co-creator Aaron Stallworth, they collaborated closely with the Anacostia Arts Center team. Managing Director Jeff Harrell and Associate Creative Director Jess Randolph guided the design, logistics, portrait style, and installation. Victor Garrett also oversaw installation, ensuring the portraits filled the space with presence and rhythm. Photographers Edward Underwood and Joseph Edwards steered the visual direction from the earliest planning stages through the final shoots.
Arranged with the care of a family album, the exhibit creates a rhythm that feels both deliberate and alive, inviting visitors to experience the sense of kinship that defines the space. In the absence of color, the images emphasize the individuality and spirit of each subject, drawing the viewer into their presence without distraction. Alongside the portraits, Langston Hughes' poem My People adorns the walls, grounding the show in a celebration of spirit, identity, and change.
These themes resonate as the Arts Center itself prepares for a new chapter with renovations soon to begin at the end of 2025. Henderson sees the portraits as both a reflection and a reminder: while the building will change, the community's spirit remains.
“We're living in a time of tremendous change—redevelopment in Anacostia, gentrification,” Henderson said. “This exhibit preserves stories and faces that might otherwise be forgotten. It marks the end of a chapter as the building undergoes renovations, but also the beginning of a new one.”
Community Blossoms After the Rain
The project's communal spirit extended well beyond the gallery walls. On July 13, minutes before the scheduled family photo, a sudden storm swept over Interstate 295, the freeway that cuts through D.C.'s eastern neighborhoods.
“We thought it might not happen,” Henderson recalled. “But people kept calling and texting, asking if it was still on, and they came after the storm.”
Inspired by A Great Day in Harlem—the iconic 1958 photograph of 57 jazz musicians—Henderson had hoped to gather at least that many participants. In the end, more than 60 people posed for the family portrait, and many stayed or arrived for additional portraits.
The black-and-white images line the walls, some featuring individuals and others small groups, each capturing a moment in time and the distinctive energy their subjects brought to the Arts Center. Behind-the-scenes photographs of the day appear in full color to preserve the vibrancy of the event.
“We wanted to highlight the energy of that moment,” Henderson said. “You could see the color of everyone's outfit, and we had asked people to dress for the culture and to dress really colorfully.”
Photographer Joseph Edwards preserved that exuberance, reflecting the pride and excitement that carried the gathering after the storm.
In the midst of change—both in the neighborhood and through the building's renovation—the spirit of the Anacostia Arts Center lives in the presence of the people who walk through its doors, collaborate within its walls, and shape its community. As the Center turns the page on one chapter and begins another, the portraits remind visitors that the story of Anacostia's creativity and resilience is written in the people themselves.
“We recognize that the credit really is due to the community that believes in the spirit that's generated when they come together in this building,” Henderson said.
The exhibit is open to the public through October 15, allowing visitors to experience it before the Anacostia Arts Center begins its renovation.
My People (1923) – Langston Hughes
The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people.
The stars are beautiful,
So are the eyes of my people.
Beautiful, also, is the sun.
Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people.