Essex Hemphill: Take care of your blessings

This exhibition charts the intertextual relationship between the writings of poet and activist Essex Hemphill (1957-1995) and contemporary visual art. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Washington, DC, Hemphill emerged as a luminary in the DC arts scene in the 1980s and 90s. Essex Hemphill: Take care of your blessings explores the work of visual artists who knew or collaborated with Hemphill during his lifetime or created work decades later that speak to his writings. The result is in an intergenerational dialogue that spans time, media, and place.

This exhibition is organized by The Phillips Collection.  

Essex Hemphill: Take Care of Your Blessings is made possible by Teiger Foundation. 

IMAGE: Shikeith, Visiting Hours, 2022, Archival inkjet print on Photo Rag Baryta Paper, 49 x 60 in., Courtesy of the artist