{"id":1230768,"date":"2025-05-28T16:35:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T20:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/?p=1230768"},"modified":"2025-06-01T18:57:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T22:57:47","slug":"sacred-spaces-arts-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/sacred-spaces-arts-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Sacred Spaces’ Reimagines African American Heritage With A Year-Round Tribute to Black Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After a year-and-a-half of planning and a push to launch during Black History Month, DMV-based mixed media artist Jabari Jefferson is redefining art history with the premiere of his first solo exhibition, \u201cSacred Spaces,\u201d an homage to African American heritage with a taste of recreation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Showcasing sustainable technology, cultural influence, and a large-scale community installation, the latest addition to Maryland\u2019s Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum<\/a> bridges history and innovation to propose a reimagined take on the breadth and ambiguity of the Black diaspora.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can and should take time to learn in school, but also it’s really important to learn from the people around you. Learning from your elders, learning from your peers, sometimes history is not always in books,\u201d said museum exhibit manager Leslie Rose. \u201cI think Jabari is often encouraging people to chase after information, and when they have this feeling that something is happening, something else is out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSacred Spaces\u201d debuts in a crucial time for African American history, as the future of education standards and landmark institutions, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, remain in limbo amid legislative efforts to dismantle Black history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now on display through Dec. 31, Jefferson applauded the opportunity to merge his passion for Black studies with the love of his craft, offering a counter approach in a moment he deemed most proficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou’re seeing people\u2026taking the reins and writing history as they see fit, and so it’s a wonderful time for all people to be able to take their interpretation of history\u2026and explore it,\u201d he told The Informer, \u201cand save it in their minds and hearts as they see fit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sacred Spaces: A Tribute to the DMV<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For Jefferson, a native Washingtonian, the process of curating the various pieces called for spiritual guidance and inspiration across various sectors\u2014 from pop culture references and studied interpretations, to African proverbs and hands-on contributions from local residents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three-story exhibit presents a collection of oil paintings, sculptures, and nearly 20-foot public installations, fusing sustainable practices and technologies such as augmented reality and illusive stained glass, which Jefferson attributed to ancestral origins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By design, much of the exhibition combines a broad take on African American culture with staples of the DMV. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Jabari
Jabari Jefferson\u2019s solo debut honors historic figures in the archives of Maryland, including a canvas of Baltimore native Benjamin Banneker, highly regarded as one of the first African American scientists who surveyed the land that would eventually become Washington, D.C. (Jada Ingleton\/The Washington Informer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

One particular piece touted at the exhibit\u2019s opening, during a \u201cMeet Me in the Gallery\u201d series with Martina Dodd, curator of Collections and Exhibitions, shone a young Harriet Tubman as British actress and singer Cynthia Erivo, who portrayed the renowned abolitionist in the 2019 biopic \u201cHarriet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jefferson shared his interpretation of Tubman as one of beauty in juxtaposition to her legacy of strength. His intent to color the artifactual piece with a feminine touch centered Erivo as a reflection of Tubman\u2019s youth, surrounded in armor regalia with a \u201chigh priest\u201d look as a nod to the freedom fighter\u2019s resilience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd just like that, [I\u2019m] rewriting history,\u201d Jefferson said, emphasizing the difference between \u201cmaking things up\u201d and simply reviving documented truths. \u201cIt\u2019s not the [historic figure] that needs to change, it’s the reimagination of that person that may need to be updated and refreshed. And so that’s where I come in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A masteract in mixed media, \u201cSacred Spaces\u201d leverages salvaged materials such as textile, books, clothing, found objects and other artifacts to illustrate luminosity and vitalize the stories of everyday people, objects, and histories \u2013 which Dodd and Rose chalked up to an exemplar of \u201cgood art.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory is alive. [It\u2019s] not something that is only in the past, it’s something that we’re constantly being influenced by,\u201d Rose told The Informer. \u201cEspecially the work that Jabari is addressing\u2026so much of it is understudied, so much of it deserves a continual conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, Dodd highlighted the exhibit as a way to challenge notions of identification and provoke a conversation on the power and responsibility of representation. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Curator
Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Martina Dodd invites guests to explore the unique details of a revered Harriet Tubman portrait on Feb. 8. The artwork serves as a tribute to the abolitionist\u2019s legacy and Maryland roots, comprising pieces of literature, thrifted clothing, and soil derived from different parts of the state. (Jada Ingleton\/The Washington Informer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Sculpted tributes to Maryland natives like Tubman and Benjamin Banneker, revered in his piece as a legend of Washington, honored the trailblazers\u2019 legacies with literal scraps of their home state: derived soil from different parts of Maryland and clothes thrifted and gifted locally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the community-wide installations of the first floor captured the essence of African American culture evident throughout the DMV and beyond, from monumental influencers in the realms of sports and entertainment, to showcasing Black individuals at several Metro stops in the nation\u2019s capital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a post-launch interview with The Informer, Dodd addressed the need to protect cultural institutions as a space where Black stories can thrive with each generation, applauding Jefferson and contemporary artists alike for using art as an intercultural tool for preservation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe’re not only the namesakes of these individuals, but we also are collectors of their stories, and these range from artworks made in honor of these people,\u201d said the museum curator. \u201cWe want to make sure that we are set up for those who are here after us, that they can add context around what we’re doing. We\u2019re making new history for everyone to interact with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preserving Black History Through the Next Class of ‘Born Artists<\/strong>‘<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the Feb. 8 opening, Jefferson spotlighted one of his favorite pieces entitled \u201cBorn Artist,\u201d a collaborative effort based on a photograph taken years before of a former student on the cusp of becoming an art prodigy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The piece first came to life during Jefferson’s previous residency in Bed-Stuy, New York, where he enlisted the help of his then-8-year-old \u201cgallery daughter\u201d to encapsulate a child’s imagination in the body of work, which notably features an art monster, a fox and unicorn. For Jefferson, the muse was the limitless potential of youth creatives.  
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to capture the idea that we live in a renaissance time in which young children, especially in Black communities, get to pursue art with [fewer] obstacles and oppositions because of artists everywhere\u2026proving that you can achieve art and do fantastic things in it,\u201d he told The Informer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through field trips, community-based workshops, and a relationship with the Visual Arts department at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Jefferson has created a space for the future molders of history, even opting to showcase student contributions in several of the sacred pieces donning through the year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dodd and Jefferson spoke to the symbolism of the Sankofa bird present in one installation, a nod to the potent African proverb of moving forward by looking back.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Martina
Martina Dodd joins DMV-based mixed media artist and creator of \u201cSacred Spaces\u201d Jabari Jefferson in conversation at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum earlier this year. Jefferson told The Informer this exhibit is especially personal as it’s his first time hosting a project in his home region. (Courtesy of Jabari Jefferson via Instagram)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Being that Sankofas are the only birds that look backwards to fly forward, the symbol was both fitting and reflective of a broader mission to build legacies through the connective stories of Black ancestry. By empowering youth to \u201ccontinue the work,\u201d Dodd said there is a future where African American history and culture prospers, and it starts with recognizing \u201ctoday\u2019s present as tomorrow’s archive.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThinking about what we are doing today and how we’re documenting that is going to live on after we leave,\u201d Dodd explained. \u201cWe hope that people learn from the exhibit and then get inspired to start thinking about what is in their own personal archive that they want to preserve and keep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Jefferson invites museum goers to delve into their own self-discoveries within the walls of \u201cSacred Spaces.\u201d He noted his gratitude for the inquisitive attendees searching for something deep just as much as the ones simply enjoying the beauty of the work, humbled to have an impact in either capacity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith all that’s going on in the world, it’s cool to look at it from the perspective of, \u2018Man, what if you didn’t do this?\u2019 All these wonderful smiles and fit moments, they just wouldn\u2019t have happened,\u201d he told The Informer. \u201c[\u2018Sacred Spaces\u2019] taught me that artwork is really worth it, not just for yourself, but just for the service. It’s bigger than anyone, and it made me grateful that I followed through.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jabari Jefferson’s first solo exhibition, “Sacred Spaces”, is a mixed media art piece that honors African American heritage and culture, featuring sustainable technology, community installations, and a tribute to historic figures from Maryland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4419,"featured_media":1230769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_primary_brand":0,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","nota_seo_page_title":"Jabari Jefferson's \"Sacred Spaces\" shines in DMV","nota_seo_page_description":"Discover Jabari Jefferson's 'Sacred Spaces' solo exhibition at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum. 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