D.I.Y. Arts Venues in Downtown D.C. | Art + Archive Day

Join us for a visual and sonic tour of the downtown art scene in D.C. from the late 1970s through the early 1990s.

This slideshow and conversation is presented in conjunction with the opening of the exhibit D.I.Y. in the District: Celebrating D.C.'s Artist-Run Spaces, on view October 4-December 7, 2025.

The event will feature audio clips and photos from the archives, with reflections from artists who played key roles: Bill Warrell, artist and founder of d.c. space and District Curators, Inc.;  Bob Boilen, musician and radio personality; and Cynthia Connolly, artist, curator, and d.c. space program manager (mid 1987- 1991).

From the late 1970s into the early 1990s, a D.I.Y. art, performance, and music scene took root in a very different downtown D.C. than the one we know today. Hecht’s and Garfinkel’s, Hot Shoppes and Hi-Boy Donuts served daytime shoppers; by night, a smattering of artists, curators, and musicians started showing work wherever they could: in empty storefronts, between wig shops and adult theaters, in the former Lansburgh’s department store and the historic Atlantic Building, home to the 9:30 Club and one of the key spaces in DC Punk Underground history. Each narrator will describe the downtown they knew, the landmarks and businesses and art spaces they frequented, the art and music that happened there, and more.

Audience members will be invited to listen to clips from the D.C. Art Spaces Oral History Project, and share their own memories.

About the Speakers:

Bill Warrell: Painter/writer and presenter/producer have been the two life tracks for Bill Warrell. He is the founder of the cutting-edge underground arts and music venue d.c.space in downtown D.C. (1977-1991), founding director of District Curators Inc.(1977-2001) and co-owner of the original Nightclub 9:30. His list of productions grew beyond music to include radio, film, video and multi-disciplinary performing arts. He has retired as a painter and writer in Delaware, but keeps his hand in the production game with the Milton New Music & Wind Fest every May, primarily financed by selling his paintings of musicians.

Bob Boilen is a musician and radio personality who got his start playing music in the D.C. art-rock band Tiny Desk Unit, moving into performance art and composition. He joined NPR in 1988 and served as director of All Things Considered for nearly 20 years. In 2000, he launched All Songs Considered, and in 2008, Tiny Desk Concerts, which has since hosted hundreds of performers. He retired from NPR in 2023 and now hosts My Tiny Morning Show on Takoma Radio in Maryland.

Cynthia Connolly is a photographer, curator, letterpress printer, and artist based in Arlington, Virginia. A graduate of the Corcoran College of Art and Design and Auburn University’s Rural Studio, she worked for Dischord Records and served as Program Manager at d.c. space from 1987–1991. In 1988 she published Banned in DC: Photos and Anecdotes From the DC Punk Underground (79–86) through her press Sun Dog Propaganda. Her photographs, books, and postcards have been exhibited internationally, including Beautiful Losers (2004–2009), establishing her as a pioneer in D.I.Y. culture. Connolly has served as curator for Arlington County for over a decade while continuing her practice exploring connections across people, places, and cultures.

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