Art Bank Collection

In support of local visual artists, District art galleries, and art nonprofit organizations, CAH acquires fine art. The ongoing and annual acquisition of art from metropolitan artists becomes a part of the Art Bank Collection. CAH manages artwork in the collection. It is then loaned to District Government agencies for display in public areas and offices of government buildings. The Art Bank Collection, which started in 1986, has nearly 3,000 artworks.

To inquire about Art Bank artwork placement in a DC government office, please contact Ron Humbertson, Art Collections Registrar, at ron.humbertson@dc.gov.

Corcoran Art Collection

The Corcoran Gallery of Art was one of the first private museums in the United States, established in 1869 by William Wilson Corcoran and expanded in 1880 to include the Corcoran College of Art and Design with the mission ‘dedicated to art and used solely for the purpose of encouraging the American genius.’ In 2014, the Corcoran transferred the college to the George Washington University and distributed the works from its Collection to museums and institutions in Washington, DC.

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities received thirty works of art from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, dating from 1950 to 2002. These paintings, photographs, prints, and sculptures greatly enhance the current Art Bank Collection, adding to the deep and broad representation of artists who have contributed powerfully to the visual arts in Washington, DC. Artists represented in this collection have been active in the Washington Color School, the Harlem Renaissance, Dada and Surrealism; studied and taught at the Corcoran School of Art and Design, Howard University, American University, and The George Washington University, Maryland Institute College of Art, and McKinley Technology High School; and worked for the federal government, Smithsonian museums, and the Phillips Collection. In short, they are a distillation of the visual arts in DC in the second half of the twentieth century.

Public Art Collection

The Public Art program acquires and maintains a quality collection of diverse artworks. This collection creates a dynamic, vibrant, nurturing community through art and design.

Public Art programs support opportunities for residents and visitors to encounter art in public spaces across the District. Sites for public art can be parks, libraries, community centers, government offices, building facades and other public venues. We simultaneously enrich the daily lives of residents and visitors and give voice to artists. The collection includes more than 100 permanently sited and integrated works and nearly 3,000 portable works in District offices.

CAH acquires, funds, installs, and maintains public artworks across the District through the several programs listed below. We do so in accordance with the “Support for Art in Public Places Amendments Act of 1986” (D.C. Law 6-125).

Wilson Building Art Collection

The largest display of artwork from the Art Bank is the City Hall Art Collection at the John A. Wilson Building in downtown DC entitled "The HeArt of DC." In 2006, the DC Creates! Public Art Program acquired 153 works of art representing 100 Metropolitan area artists for the inaugural phase of the City Hall Art Collection. In 2008, the program made another acquisition bringing the number of pieces to over 200. The collection showcases the extent and depth of our local visual arts talent. Over 10 percent of the artists were born in the District, and most have lived here for over 20 years. In addition to supporting the work of living artists through art purchases, we were able to enhance the collection with the work of nationally recognized DC artists including Gene Davis and Alma Thomas. By presenting art outside traditional venues of museums and galleries, the City Hall Art Collection benefits the community and its visitors by increasing access to art, extending our cultural institutions’ reach, and providing artists with opportunities to expand their artistic practice and audience. The collection at the John A. Wilson Building is open to the public.