TBD Notes The single thing you must know

Catalyst is a museum show of Washington artists, in a city in which Washington artists aren't often shown in museums.

"Washington Artists have a unique situation," says curator J.W. Mahoney. "The museums do not validate local art, except on a piece-by-piece basis. That's too bad."

But where the museums were lacking, the Washington Project for the Arts stepped in. The organization was founded 35 years ago to support and show local artists, and 'Catalyst' at the Katzen Gallery is a look back through the years, which have been marked with success and controversy.

"Thirty-five years is when a person is officially an adult," says Mahoney. " I would say that the Washington scene has a lot of maturity."

Mahoney intended the show not as a historical document, but rather, as a contemporary look at artists whose careers have been fostered by their WPA affiliation, and who continue to make art today. The show includes artists who have their work in major museum collections, like Sam Gilliam and William Christenberry, as well as burgeoning artists who continue to make a name for themselves in D.C., like Erick Jackson and Kelly Towles. But the work was all selected to demonstrate that something different happens here.

"Washington deserves a reputation as being an alternative city," says Mahoney.

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