At Kimpton Banneker Hotel in Washington, DC, art appreciation is an everyday experience. In a nod to the District’s vibrant array of public and private art institutions—many of which are just steps from the hotel’s front doors—the expert Banneker team has curated an awe-inspiring art program highlighting artists whose works can also be found among the world’s most prestigious collections. Here are four artists you won’t want to miss during your stay, plus where else you can see their work in the nation’s capital and beyond.
Kimpton Banneker Hotel, Washington DC
Photographer Susana Raab
Peruvian-American photographer Susana Raab began her career as a photojournalist covering national politics in Washington, DC. While she still lives and works in the District, she now turns that investigative lens toward American culture for photographic series like Consumed, a quirky exploration of fast food, and The Invisible Wall, a long-term documentation of race and class east of DC’s Anacostia River. She describes her style as that of a chameleon, shifting perspectives and modalities based on the subject she’s covering. Raab was previously the recipient of the White House News Photographers’ Project Grant and, in addition to her personal photography work, is photographer and videographer for the National Archives.
Where to find her work at Kimpton Banneker Hotel: Lobby Living Room
Where to find her work elsewhere: The Library of Congress Collections of Photographs and Prints, Washington, DC; The Art Museum of the Americas, Washington, DC; The Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington, DC; The Center for Fine Art Photography, Denver, CO.
Photo by Susana Raab
Artist Victor Ekpuk
Victor Ekpuk is an internationally renowned Nigerian-American artist based in Washington, DC. He came to prominence for his glyph-like paintings, drawings and sculptures inspired by Nsibidi, an indigenous Nigerian writing system. His multidisciplinary practice investigates the human condition, particularly the cultural memories and identities of the African diaspora. In recent years, he has begun to integrate murals and public-art projects into his portfolio, including large-scale installations at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh and the Memphis Brooks Museum in Memphis. Ekpuk’s 30-year career has earned him a spot in many prestigious collections, like the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, and the opportunity to exhibit in countries as far away as The Kingdom of Bahrain.
Where to find his work at Kimpton Banneker Hotel: Lobby Living Room
Where to find his work elsewhere: The Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, DC; The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC; The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC; The North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC; The Memphis Brooks Museum, Memphis, TN.
Photo by Patty Carroll
Photographer Patty Carroll
Chicago-based photographer Patty Carroll has been known for her vivid, brightly colored photographs since the 1970s. Her signature series, Anonymous Women, is a satirical exploration of women’s complicated relationship with domesticity. In these highly stylized scenes, a faceless mannequin attempts—and fails—to complete a range of household duties. Carroll engages in a dark, humorous game of hide-and-seek with the viewer by camouflaging the Anonymous Woman with drapery or objects. The internationally acclaimed series was published as a monograph, Anonymous Women: Domestic Demise, in 2017 and has been exhibited globally. While Carroll spent many years as a photography educator, she recently made the decision to return to the studio full-time. She is currently an artist-in-residence at Studios Inc in Kansas City, Missouri.
Where to find her work at Kimpton Banneker Hotel: Lobby Living Room
Where to find her work elsewhere: The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; The Library of Congress, Washington, DC; The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL; The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY.
Art by Claudia Gibson-Hunter
Artist “Aziza” Claudia Gibson-Hunter
“Aziza” Claudia Gibson-Hunter is a central member of DC’s local art scene. Her time spent studying printmaking at nearby Howard University deeply influenced her career as an artist, and led to her later returning for a stint as a faculty member. Working out of her DC studio, Gibson-Hunter has developed a unique mixed-media style that collages printmaking, papermaking and painting. She points to this process of gathering, deconstructing and constructing as representing her rejection of containment and constant pursuit of growth. She is a four-time recipient of the Individual Artist Fellowship Program Grant from the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities, as well as a co-founding member of the Black Artists of DC non-profit dedicated to the advancement of Afro-Centric art.
Where to find her work at Kimpton Banneker Hotel: Quill Board Room & Private Dining Space
Where to find her work elsewhere: District of Columbia Washingtonian Collection, Washington, DC; District of Columbia Permanent Collection – Wilson Building, Washington, DC; National Institutes of Health Permanent Collection, Washington, DC; The U.S. Embassy in Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia.
