Culturally Speaking

A Place for Sanity, Caring and Expression

Smith Center for Healing and the Arts

It was tucked away in plain sight—a storefront directly across from an ordinary looking fire house and meshed between other small nondescript places of business on 14th Street N.W, which after sundown, uncannily transforms into a vibrant night life district for millennials and a few others.

When I first attempted to visit the gallery, I had wanted to do something else on that Tuesday afternoon in mid- November. Take in another type of art exhibition--- at a gallery a few blocks away. However, a trip to the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery was still high-up on my list of things to do because a friend had implored me to see what she described as “an extraordinary exhibition, by a remarkable group of people, in an alternative art space.” Twice I tried to comply, but the hours of the gallery and my schedule were not compliant. Rats! The gallery was closed the day of my first attempted visit and it closes early on Saturdays. However, I later learned that you can call for an appointment.

Store Front of Healing Arts Gallery

When I got there on a Saturday afternoon, in late December, the show would be de-installed in a little more than an hour.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect because, typically many group shows often display the works of far too many artists with a myriad of expressions that could leave any viewer dizzy. One must keep in mind that exhibitions with multiple artists serve an important function. They give talented artists, as well as not so talented artists, an opportunity to display their works in public spaces and the celebratory openings, accompanying such shows, are often community parties with a lot of lighthearted fun—much needed in Washington’s tense and politically divisive environment.

The exhibition, Mind | BODY | Soul: Healing the Outside from Within, featured 20 artists whose works generated an outcome found in a number of other group shows—there were a lot of styles or voices competing for the viewer’s attention. Simply put, it was a diverse collection of artworks including figuration, abstraction, dolls and a make-up display, which warned of the dangers of chemicals used in the manufacture of most cosmetics. Meanwhile, all the participants were not professional artists, but survivors of some catastrophic life experience. A good number had beaten or were living with cancer. In spite all of the varying subjects and methodology, I was able to detect an uncanny trait in many of the works -- discernable signs of hope and courage or a peculiar beauty present in the midst of human suffering. Much credit for the success of this exhibition goes to the meticulous selection of works by the organizers who culled together an intriguing content-based assortment of visual expressions.

Quietly and steadily, I sensed an unanticipated warmth contrasting the chilly temperature and grayness of the day outside. I found myself wanting to know more about this rather small place--- which suddenly got larger moment by moment. The director/curator was there and shared that the gallery was just one of many services that the establishment provides.

Programs in music, poetry readings, nutrition and cooking classes, support groups for men with prostate cancer, activities for young adults with cancer, meditation and yoga, patient navigation and residential retreats are standard among a host of support systems.

This tiny place transformed again as I moved toward an art library, with comfortable seating, in the rear of the gallery. I looked outside through a large window and saw a back yard garden--- nearly asleep because of the onset of winter. Even in its state of fading beauty, where an assortment of green plants once thrived, I perceived that one could sit in this garden, in the spring or summer, to experience a safe haven from the banalities of the commercialized street on the front.

Finally, perhaps, my own visit to the gallery was somewhat therapeutic. I went there expecting to find one thing (a mixed bag of artistic expressions) but found a peaceable and warm environment that fosters life and restoration through art. I recommend, at some point during this year and hopefully very soon, that you take a 14th Street bus, a hike from the subway or just drive on a Saturday morning, when parking is more suitable to visit the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery. It’s worth the trip and so much more. “Have a Happy New Year. “

Terri B.

Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery 1632 U Street, NW Washington, DC 20009 (202) 483-8600 | (202) 483-8601 (fax)

Gallery Hours: Thursday - Friday, 11:00AM - 5:00PM Saturday, 11:00AM - 3:00PM By Appointment with 48-Hours Notice