MAIN GALLERY
The DC Arts Center’s
Curatorial Initiative Presents
What Happens to a Dream Deferred?
America at Its 250th
April 10 - May 2, 2026
Wednesday - Sunday 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Opening Celebration
Friday, April 10, 2026
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Artist Talk
Sunday, April 19, 2026
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Curatorial Tour & Closing Reception
Saturday, May 2, 2026
6:00 - 7:00 PM
Linda Obobaifo
A Framed Mourning in the Morning, 2022
Oil, acrylic, and lace on wood panel
36" x 48"
Curated by
Thu Anh Nguyen
Featured Artists
Holly Harris
Maske Maiden
Linda Obobaifo
Quick Links
About the Exhibition
What Happens to a Dream Deferred? America at Its 250th features three women artists all defining and redefining what it means to be American during the year that the United States of America turns 250 years old. Because America has never been and never will be just one thing, Holly Harris, Maske Maiden, and Linda Obobaifo show the scope and variety of American dreams, the ways in which they have soared, the ways in which they have failed us, and the ways in which we are still reaching for them.
Holly Harris’ paintings and prints provide slices of American life. The objects she portrays show her weighing America's ideological heirlooms, asking us which we should adopt and keep, and which we will reject. While her paintings are colorful, her prints are mostly black and white, keeping her messages clear. She broadcasts her questions about deferred and defective American dreams to lay bare the toll of war and violence.
Maske Maiden, with her kelp forests and masks, invites us into the mythic storytelling and dream-spinning of America. Masks can represent personas and possibilities; they can be reminders of past selves, costumes under which we take cover, or tools to help us stand out. Her work offers us portals into potential worlds where the colorfulness and strength of mythic figures gesture towards different identities, reminders that there is no one American identity.
Linda Obobaifo’s paintings constantly move between concealment and revelation. Some images look blurred on the canvas, and some are covered by lace and see-through fabrics. The effects address perception and memory, and remind us that history is relative and distorted. Obobaifo is also a poet, and the influence of poetics is clear in her paintings: flowers that are beautiful and delicate are also a dark pattern that seem to grow and spread on a canvas like a weed might. Nothing is ever just one thing.
Together, the work of these artists moves between what is real and easily recognizable in the American landscape to what is blurrier, harder to capture, and more difficult. There are so many different access points for the observer; ways in which to hold steadfast to the promised dreams of America, ways to let go of them, and many ways to dream the America of the future.
Holly Harris
Spider, 2024
Linocut relief
12" x 15" x 0.75" framed
$100
April 10 - May 2, 2026
Wednesday - Sunday / 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
MAIN GALLERY / The DC Arts Center’s Curatorial Initiative Presents
What Happens to a Dream Deferred?
America at Its 250th
Curated by
Thu Anh Nguyen
Quick Links
Holly Harris
Spider, 2024
Linocut relief
12" x 15" x 0.75" framed
$100
Featured Artists
Holly Harris
Maske Maiden
Linda Obobaifo
Linda Obobaifo
A Framed Mourning in the Morning, 2022
Oil, acrylic, and lace on wood panel
36" x 48"
Opening Celebration
Friday, April 10, 2026
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Artist Talk
Sunday, April 19, 2026
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Curatorial Tour & Closing Reception
Saturday, May 2, 2026
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
About the Exhibition
What Happens to a Dream Deferred? America at Its 250th features three women artists all defining and redefining what it means to be American during the year that the United States of America turns 250 years old. Because America has never been and never will be just one thing, Holly Harris, Maske Maiden, and Linda Obobaifo show the scope and variety of American dreams, the ways in which they have soared, the ways in which they have failed us, and the ways in which we are still reaching for them.
Holly Harris’ paintings and prints provide slices of American life. The objects she portrays show her weighing America's ideological heirlooms, asking us which we should adopt and keep, and which we will reject. While her paintings are colorful, her prints are mostly black and white, keeping her messages clear. She broadcasts her questions about deferred and defective American dreams to lay bare the toll of war and violence.
Maske Maiden, with her kelp forests and masks, invites us into the mythic storytelling and dream-spinning of America. Masks can represent personas and possibilities; they can be reminders of past selves, costumes under which we take cover, or tools to help us stand out. Her work offers us portals into potential worlds where the colorfulness and strength of mythic figures gesture towards different identities, reminders that there is no one American identity.
Linda Obobaifo’s paintings constantly move between concealment and revelation. Some images look blurred on the canvas, and some are covered by lace and see-through fabrics. The effects address perception and memory, and remind us that history is relative and distorted. Obobaifo is also a poet, and the influence of poetics is clear in her paintings: flowers that are beautiful and delicate are also a dark pattern that seem to grow and spread on a canvas like a weed might. Nothing is ever just one thing.
Together, the work of these artists moves between what is real and easily recognizable in the American landscape to what is blurrier, harder to capture, and more difficult. There are so many different access points for the observer; ways in which to hold steadfast to the promised dreams of America, ways to let go of them, and many ways to dream the America of the future.
April 10 – May 2, 2026
Wednesday - Sunday / 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
MAIN GALLERY / The DC Arts Center’s Curatorial Initiative Presents
What Happens to a Dream Deferred?
America at Its 250th
Curated by
Thu Anh Nguyen
Quick Links
Featured Artists
Holly Harris
Maske Maiden
Linda Obobaifo
Linda Obobaifo
A Framed Mourning in the Morning, 2022
Oil, acrylic, and lace on wood panel
36" x 48"
About the Exhibition
What Happens to a Dream Deferred? America at Its 250th features three women artists all defining and redefining what it means to be American during the year that the United States of America turns 250 years old. Because America has never been and never will be just one thing, Holly Harris, Maske Maiden, and Linda Obobaifo show the scope and variety of American dreams, the ways in which they have soared, the ways in which they have failed us, and the ways in which we are still reaching for them.
Holly Harris’ paintings and prints provide slices of American life. The objects she portrays show her weighing America's ideological heirlooms, asking us which we should adopt and keep, and which we will reject. While her paintings are colorful, her prints are mostly black and white, keeping her messages clear. She broadcasts her questions about deferred and defective American dreams to lay bare the toll of war and violence.
Maske Maiden, with her kelp forests and masks, invites us into the mythic storytelling and dream-spinning of America. Masks can represent personas and possibilities; they can be reminders of past selves, costumes under which we take cover, or tools to help us stand out. Her work offers us portals into potential worlds where the colorfulness and strength of mythic figures gesture towards different identities, reminders that there is no one American identity.
Linda Obobaifo’s paintings constantly move between concealment and revelation. Some images look blurred on the canvas, and some are covered by lace and see-through fabrics. The effects address perception and memory, and remind us that history is relative and distorted. Obobaifo is also a poet, and the influence of poetics is clear in her paintings: flowers that are beautiful and delicate are also a dark pattern that seem to grow and spread on a canvas like a weed might. Nothing is ever just one thing.
Together, the work of these artists moves between what is real and easily recognizable in the American landscape to what is blurrier, harder to capture, and more difficult. There are so many different access points for the observer; ways in which to hold steadfast to the promised dreams of America, ways to let go of them, and many ways to dream the America of the future.
Opening Celebration
Friday, April 10, 2026
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Artist Talk
Sunday, April 19, 2026
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Curatorial Tour & Closing Reception
Saturday, May 2, 2026
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Linda Obobaifo
A Framed Mourning in the Morning, 2022
Oil, acrylic, and lace on wood panel
36" x 48"
The title of this exhibit is inspired by the first lines of American poet Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem.” In the poem, Hughes asks us where do our dreams go when they haven’t come true. As the United States of America turns 250 years old this year, let’s consider what this milestone means. As a poet, I am deeply interested in the language we use to make meaning, and one phrase that has resonated my whole life as a Vietnamese American immigrant is the “American dream.”
To capture the depth and breadth of American dreaming, this exhibit features three female artists working in different mediums. Through oil painting, linocut, sculptural and collaged paintings, and masks, Holly Harris, Linda Obobaifo, and Maske Maiden not only represent the diverse identities that make up America’s dreamers, but the vast experiences that make us interrogate, challenge, lift up, and care for the dreams of America.
Holly Harris’ paintings and prints highlight current political stressors as well as offer a reprieve from them. Linda Obobaifo’s mixed media paintings explore the roles of women and domesticity through identity and collective histories. Maske Maiden uses masks to imagine the belief systems that gave rise to American myths and storytelling.
You might recognize yourself in one of the figures in Holly Harris’ paintings, or see a reflection of a landscape you’ve visited in Linda Obobaifo’s sculptural paintings, blurred in another painting, or you might not see the America you know at all. You might visit these artworks and start imagining a new America because a mask by Maske Maiden might remind you of a myth or ritual you know while also giving you new dreams of being someone else in a potential America yet to be realized.
In the final words of Hughes’ poem, he wonders
maybe it just sags
like a heavy load
Or does it explode?
In other words, where have you come from, and where are we headed? What was the American dream, and how has it changed? Has it been realized, and for whom? Is it still possible, and for whom? How do we dream into the future knowing what we know, and curious about what we don’t know? How do we share our dreams with each other?
Thu Anh Nguyen
Curator, What Happens to a Dream Deferred? America at Its 250th
Maske Maiden
Jaro, 2022
Window screening, rabbit fur, vitamins, paint, wig hair, yarn, ribbon
23.5" x 16.5" x 10"
$2000
From
The Curator
From the
Curator
The title of this exhibit is inspired by the first lines of American poet Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem.” In the poem, Hughes asks us where do our dreams go when they haven’t come true. As the United States of America turns 250 years old this year, let’s consider what this milestone means. As a poet, I am deeply interested in the language we use to make meaning, and one phrase that has resonated my whole life as a Vietnamese American immigrant is the “American dream.”
To capture the depth and breadth of American dreaming, this exhibit features three female artists working in different mediums. Through oil painting, linocut, sculptural and collaged paintings, and masks, Holly Harris, Linda Obobaifo, and Maske Maiden not only represent the diverse identities that make up America’s dreamers, but the vast experiences that make us interrogate, challenge, lift up, and care for the dreams of America.
Holly Harris’ paintings and prints highlight current political stressors as well as offer a reprieve from them. Linda Obobaifo’s mixed media paintings explore the roles of women and domesticity through identity and collective histories. Maske Maiden uses masks to imagine the belief systems that gave rise to American myths and storytelling.
You might recognize yourself in one of the figures in Holly Harris’ paintings, or see a reflection of a landscape you’ve visited in Linda Obobaifo’s sculptural paintings, blurred in another painting, or you might not see the America you know at all. You might visit these artworks and start imagining a new America because a mask by Maske Maiden might remind you of a myth or ritual you know while also giving you new dreams of being someone else in a potential America yet to be realized.
In the final words of Hughes’ poem, he wonders
maybe it just sags
like a heavy load
Or does it explode?
In other words, where have you come from, and where are we headed? What was the American dream, and how has it changed? Has it been realized, and for whom? Is it still possible, and for whom? How do we dream into the future knowing what we know, and curious about what we don’t know? How do we share our dreams with each other?
Thu Anh Nguyen
Co-Curator, What Happens to a Dream Deferred? America at Its 250th
Maske Maiden
Jaro, 2022
Window screening, rabbit fur, vitamins, paint, wig hair, yarn, ribbon
23.5" x 16.5" x 10"
$2000
Artist
Biographies
Artist
Holly Harris
-
Holly Harris is an oil painter and printmaker from North Carolina currently based in Washington, D.C. She received a BA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina in 2019, where she concentrated on painting and printmaking. Representational oil paintings comprise the primary focus of her practice, painting figurative and narrative works based on her life and relationships. Having built her art career in DC, she’s shown in group exhibitions with institutions like Shop Made in DC, Touchstone Gallery, Washington Project for the Arts, USAN, and Washington Studio School. Her painting “Irla’s Soup Night” was acquired in the 2026 DC Art Bank Collection by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and was included in the accompanying exhibition, DC Art Now 2025. Her fine art prints have been included in flat files by Latela Curatorial and Transformer Gallery.
Committed to fostering local contemporary art, she helped produce the show AT HOME at Grandma’s House, a home-turned-gallery project executed with seven contemporaries in 2024. Volunteering her time to Creative Mornings DC, Pyramid Atlantic, and Studio Kusi (a recently launched ceramics studio funding mutual aid work) has allowed her to support peer artists building their practices in DC, exemplifying her community-driven approach to her work.
Artist
Maske Maiden
-
Sylvia Schieber is a Washington, D.C.-based artist working under the name Maske Maiden. She weaves mask-making, fiber techniques, and storytelling to create immersive, character-driven worlds that blur the line between ritual, adornment, and identity. With a background in fashion design, her practice bridges fine art, craft, and performance.
Schieber began her career in the fashion industry as a seamstress and assistant designer before founding her own tailoring and design business. During the 2020 shutdown, her focus shifted from client-based work to mask-making and costuming, marking a turning point in her practice.
Her work explores speculative narratives and alternative realities, often using mask-making as a tool for transformation and embodiment. With this focus, she has partnered with DC SAFE — a nonprofit supporting survivors of domestic violence — using mask-making as a tool for empowerment, healing, and to transform silence into action.
Schieber has participated in residencies including Bryn Du Mansion (OH), Bethany Arts Community (NY), and The Nicholson Project (DC). Her work has been exhibited nationally at venues including ARC Gallery (Chicago, IL), the Bower Center for the Arts (Bedford, VA), and the Alliance Gallery (Arlington, VA).
Artist
Linda Obobaifo
-
Linda Obobaifo (Skokie, Illinois) is a Nigerian-American emerging artist (painter, sculptor, and poet) from Chicago, Illinois, living and working in Virginia Beach. Linda attended University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she obtained her BFA in painting (2022), while minoring in creative writing with a poetry emphasis. She received her MFA in painting at Boston University (2024). Linda comes from a diverse background in musical theater, orchestra, band, choir, and dance.
Linda has exhibited work in galleries and museums across Illinois, Missouri, Massachusetts, New York, and Canada. Linda has received various awards and grants including the Florence M. House Scholarship (2022), Hugh and Allie D. Hughston Enochs Memorial Award (2022), James R. and Dorothy E. Shipley Award (2022), Joan Coffey Scholarship in Painting (2021), and the American Academy of Poets Prize (2021). Linda holds interests in poetry, painting, sculpting, music, fashion, film, and photography. She is a published author of her poetry books Mellifluous Critiques and Ariose: American Bone. In her free time she loves composing music on piano, guitar, and violin. She is an avid reader and enjoys poetry, non-fiction, fiction, and memoirs.
During her early life she gravitated towards writing and initially planned to major in English. She didn’t take up painting until her senior year of high school. Afterwards, she immediately knew that painting was her calling and ultimate passion. While she enjoys representational painting, she gravitates towards abstract painting and its spontaneity, ambition, and challenge that it brings her. Abstract art challenges her to create without viewing a tangible form. As a result, all of her paintings are improvised. The exciting part about creating abstract paintings, is that you never know the exact end result of a painting; trusting in the process and following her intuition, has been the most important factor to her abstract painting process.
Curator
Biography
Curator
Thu Anh Nguyen
-
Thu Anh Nguyen is a Vietnamese Floridian whose parents did not settle in the United States until they found land (and humidity!) that could grow the same fruits as they did in Vietnam. Every story Thu tells as a poet, painter, and educator is in part that immigration story; therefore, Thu’s work centers equity, justice, and community. As a teacher for 15 years, and as a social justice facilitator presently, Thu explores identity and art, and the revolutionary and reparative movements and practices that they engender.
In her most recent social practice art for institutions such as UMMA, and the High Desert Museum, Thu shapes poetry while listening to conversations about what makes a flourishing community. These conversations often take place in relation to art that Thu has created for the occasion. Thu paints large-scale watercolors and is obsessed with flowers, their symbolism and beauty. She has painted hundreds of floral protest posters for social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter and Say Her Name. Thu’s floral murals capture the voices of AANHPI women at Gallery Y in D.C., the Asian American community at Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth, TX, and the diversity of the DMV at Culture House.
Thu recently wrote the Reading Guide for Ocean Vuong’s award-winning book The Emperor of Gladness. Thu is also a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet whose poetry explores the intersections and tensions between her Vietnamese and American identities. Her writing has been published in journals such as Hayden’s Ferry Review, the Southern Humanities Review, the Cider Press Review, and the Crab Orchard Review. You may find examples of her work at thuanhnguyen.com
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2438 18th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
We’re located on the second floor of the building on 18th St. NW above Mola Empanada and Shiva Tobacco. We’re next to Code Red and located across the street from Tryst and Grand Central. We’re the center door on the ground floor. Our closest two intersections are 18th St. and Columbia Rd. NW, or 18th St. and Belmont Rd. NW.
Street parking is notoriously limited. Colonial Parking, a private paid garage, is located on 18th St. NW behind Van Leeuwen Ice Cream.
Nearest Metro Station
Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan (Red Line)
Dupont Circle (Red Line)
Columbia Heights (Green/Yellow Line)
Metrobus Routes
Bus Stops at 18th St. & Columbia Rd. NW
C51, C53, D72, D74