When 1,500 artists in the Washington metropolitan area responded to The Phillips Collection’s request for art proposals in just two weeks, the staff knew that they were going to create something special. Out of the 1,500 respondents, 48 artists from DMV region were chosen for the exhibition “Tomorrow the Sun Will Rise: The Phillips Collection Juried Exhibition,” on display at The Phillips Collection until Sept. 20.
Behind the massive regional undertaking are two co-curators: Tie Jojima, curator of global contemporary art at The Phillips Collection, and Tsedaye Makonnen, a guest curator, artist, designer and cultural producer.
For the two visionaries, there was only one criterion for each artist: their submission had to be created after November of 2024. That meant artists were creating new works that reflected on the present moment.
“In a time of uncertainty, these works offer ways of processing, grounding, and imagining otherwise,” said Makonnen. Together they reflect the power of creative practice to transform lived experiences.”
The exhibition includes artists from 16 countries, representing the region’s role as a site of global exchange. The wide range of art created by the artists — many of whom do not do art full-time — reflects the scope of their educational and professional backgrounds, including social work, art education, and international organizations.
“It was proof of how much this artistic community is present and thriving and extremely active in this area,” Jojima said.
Organizing ‘Tomorrow the Sun Will Rise’
Using a variety of media, “Tomorrow the Sun Will Rise” is organized around five themes: gazing, archiving, challenging, processing, and experimenting. Pulling from those focal points, the artists investigate a wide array of topics in their work, including personal trauma, political issues, materiality, memory, ecology and language.
“We are reminded that artists are among our most essential witnesses, and this exhibition is a testament to their courage and conviction,” said Jonathan P. Binstock, Vradenburg director and CEO of The Phillips Collection, said in a statement.
Madyha Leghari’s “sick, stroke, sea, swell” are etchings on 10 slabs of pink rock salt, also known as “Himalayan” salt. The artist, originally from Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, now living in Hyattsville, Maryland, communicates about maternity care. The stages Leghari shows through her contribution are nausea (sick), touch (stroke), lactation (sea), and uterine expansion (swell).
Native Washingtonian Gail Shaw-Clemons created a colorful look at a skill no longer used in the workplace in her 12-panel hanging titled “Shorthand Revisited.” Shaw-Clemons’ mother was a clerk typist at the IRS. During her career at the IRS, she never earned more than $20,000 a year. Using printmaking, Shaw-Clemons cuts, curls, twists, and layers to mimic shorthand.
Kei Ito, who lives in Baltimore, used a unique photo process to create “Sungazing Scroll.” Ito developed 108 letter-size prints on a 200-foot-long scroll to honor his family history. On Aug. 6, 1945, at 8:15 a.m., Ito’s grandfather witnessed the devastation that destroyed nearly everything in Hiroshima, Japan. This was the date the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city, killing an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 people. Ito’s grandfather survived, but lost many family members, then dedicated his life to opposing nuclear weaponry.
Ito took 108 breaths to capture 108 prints for “Sungazing Scroll.” In Japanese Buddhism, at the New Year, temple bells are rung 108 times to rid people of evil passions and desires and purify souls.
“The D.C. region is inherently global,” Jojima explained in a statement. “The artists in this exhibition reflect that reality, with work rooted in personal contexts while engaging broader global movements and ideas. Rather than a single narrative, the exhibition holds space for complexity and multiplicity.”
‘Championing the Artists of Our Community’
In addition, this exhibit is about uplifting local artists, beyond offering a space for audiences to see their work.
Since this is a juried exhibition, first-, second-, and honorable-mention designations, along with financial awards, are presented to five artists. Additionally, The Phillips will choose five works from this exhibition — not necessarily those that received a designated rank — to add to the museum’s permanent collection.
Further, exhibiting artists can sell their artworks included in this invitational and retain all proceeds.
“At the Phillips, championing the artists of our community — in all their diversity of background, experience, and vision — is one of our most cherished responsibilities,” Binstock said.
For more information about The Phillips Collection, located at 1600 21st Street NW, go to phillipscollection.org.
