Ever been to the Washington Museum of Art? Of course, there isn’t one, but that’s likely to change tonight with the dedication of the City Hall Art Collection at the John A. Wilson Building. For the first time the District will have a permanent collection of art to show off the talent of our local artists.

The exhibit features a broad swath of media and contemporary stylings, not to mention representation from every ward, with most of the artists either born in D.C. or resided in the area for over twenty years. Throughout the six floors you’ll find nearly two hundred artworks, including Margaret Boozer’s cracked clay sculptures, William Christenberry’s Southern-loving Kodachromes, and Tim Tate’s medium-shaping glass sculptures.

The Wilson Building is likely to be packed tonight (we hear over 1000 people have called to put their name on the list, and you can still contact Carolyn Parker at 202-724-2042 or carolyn [dot] parker [at] dc [dot] gov), but since RSVPs are not required, swing by after work and see if you can get into our new de facto Washington Museum of Art. The building is located at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW; doors open at 4:30 p.m. with remarks at 6 p.m. Photo I.D. is required, but admission is free.

Image of Michal Hunter’s Fountain used with permission from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.