Sign up to stay connected
Get the top stories of the day around the DMV.
The Studio Acting Conservatory announced Friday a week of daily public viewings next month of the Last Supper sculpture by artist Akili Ron Anderson.
The viewings will be available for the public from April 3 through April 8 from 1-4 p.m. at the D.C. conservatory (3423 Holmead Place NW).
Last Supper was created by Anderson in the early 1980s as a commission for the New Home Baptist Church. The 20-foot-wide sculpture depicts Jesus and the Disciples as Black men, with Anderson’s mission of placing African Americans in the center of an ongoing cultural conversation.
A subsequent owner of the building covered the sculpture with drywall, and its fate was unknown until November 2019, when the new owner, the conservatory, began renovation and the frieze was uncovered. Since its discovery in 2019, the piece has been cleaned, repaired, and conserved by the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The NMAAHC also created a 3D rendering of the sculpture, which has been accessioned into the permanent collection. The conservatory has hosted several public openings and is beginning monthly opportunities for the public to view the sculpture, as well as developing programming to deepen the understanding of the piece’s place in Black American art and in the history of the District.
Visitors to the conservatory to see the sculpture will be aided by a guide to provide context and answer questions. There is no cost associated with viewing the sculpture.