Art For The People
Every day art comes alive in Washington, DC. In a city famed for its museums, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center is often called the “best kept secret” in the nation's capital. It houses the country’s largest public art collection outside of a museum, and the largest of any convention center nationwide.
Visitors from around the world can feast their eyes on more than 130 works of art in the hallways, entrances and stairwells of the Convention Center. This diverse collection showcases the best of local and international artists, and includes one-of-a-kind sculptures, paintings, and photography. Pieces in the collection celebrate the human connection and the diversity of the District, highlighting the historic Shaw community, one of the city’s oldest African American neighborhoods. Make sure to check out the collection the next time you are downtown.
Community and the Arts
Behind the Scenes of the $4M Art Collection
Art at the Center
Tour the largest public art collection in Washington, DC outside of a museum
The Walter E. Washington Convention Center’s art collection is the best kept secret in the nation’s capital. In addition to being a state-of-the-art Convention Center, the building is home to one of the largest public art collections in Washington, DC outside of any DC museum with 137 works by 93 artists. One highlight is Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing #1103, encompassing a two-story staircase. Another is the Shaw Wall, a 72-foot wall of dynamic artwork that honors and celebrates the Shaw community, the neighborhood that is home to the Convention Center. The hour-long tour of select artworks is free of charge.
Space is limited and advance registration is required. Register below for an upcoming tour!
Upcoming Tours
February 3, 2026 - "Spotlight: Found Objects and Recycled Materials in Contemporary Art"
In celebration of creativity and innovation in art, our “Spotlight: Found Objects and Recycled Materials in Contemporary Art” tour will celebrate artists who repurpose items they see in daily life to bring depth and meaning into their work, from Monopoly houses to entire kayaks, to an African antelope made from a bicycle frame.
June 9, 2026 - “Spotlight: Around the World Inside Washington”
In celebration of Washington as a global city, our “Spotlight: Around the World Inside Washington” tour will focus on artworks that reflect how the city is not just a power center for diplomacy but also home to folks from all over the world, from epic works like Al Smith’s panoramic painting of a DC street in summertime to intimate pieces such as Chan Chao’s portraits of Burmese refugees.
July 28, 2026 - “Spotlight: After Abstract Expressionism”
In celebration of the evolution of American art, our “Spotlight: After Abstract Expressionism” tour will explore how art historians often say that Jackson Pollack’s “action paintings” changed American Art forever and how artists have used expressionism and abstraction to take painting in new directions even in the past thirty years, including two works by Sam Gilliam, one of DC’s best known modern masters.
November 10, 2026 - “Spotlight: Indigenous History in Contemporary American Art”
In celebration of Indigenous voices in art, our “Spotlight: Indigenous History in Contemporary American Art” tour will invite audiences to join us to view several artworks which treat Native American culture and history in original ways, including Jim Sanborn’s “Lingua,” which includes Haudenosaunee in a grouping of international and historical languages, and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s “Tribal Map,” which lays out an indigenous geography of the US.
