Exposed DC

for the love of DC photography

Our Launch Celebration is Soon—Check Out Special Activities All Day!

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We are getting so excited to celebrate the launch of the Exposed DC Photography Collection! More than 300 photos featured in our annual shows will soon be part of the DC Public Library’s The People’s Archive. Join us Saturday, May 24 for a one-day-only event on the beautiful rooftop garden at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library downtown. 

We have organized a full day of activities we hope you’ll check out. The event and all activities are free. We encourage registration for daytime attendance; registration is required for the reception as space is limited. Event will go on rain or shine.

This event is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. We are also grateful to our wonderful sponsors Aperturent, where you can rent lenses, cameras and so much more, and Capital Photography Center, offering in person classes from basics to special techniques. 

Media inquires can go to George Williams, DC Public Library communications office, or Heather Goss, Exposed DC.

Launch Celebration Schedule

Saturday, May 24, 2025
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
901 G St NW, Washington, D.C.

10am – Celebration begins. Join us on the 5th floor for ongoing and special activities through the day. 

All day – Projections and displays of the Exposed DC Photography Collection, including:

An ongoing site-specific projection installation by D.C. multimedia artist Robin Bell, with special live remix performances at 2 p.m., 6 p.m., and 7 p.m. transforming archival images into a dynamic visual experience.

All day – Make your own Artist File. Photographers and other artists are invited to bring items to create an Artist File at the DC Public Library. This is a way to preserve your history and help future researchers learn about our region’s art scene. You can donate exhibition postcards, artist CVs, brochures and catalogs, correspondence, and other ephemera.

11 a.m. – Workshop – Care of Digital Files. Join The People’s Archive staff for an overview of how to care for your digital files. Learn simple strategies for organizing, storing, and extending the life of your digital files. Meet on the 5th floor. (1 hour)

1 p.m. – Guided tour of Memory Lab. Join The People’s Archive staff for a tour of the Memory Lab at The Labs. Learn about resources available for personal archiving of documents, home movies, and photographs. Meet on the 5th floor. (30 minutes)

2 p.m. – Robin Bell – Live Remix. Watch a dynamic presentation of the Exposed DC Photography Collection and other cultural images. (30 minutes)

3 p.m. – Guided tour of People’s Archive. Join The People’s Archive staff for a special tour of The People’s Archive. View treasures from the collection and learn more about services and resources available in the DC Public Library’s local history department. Meet on the 5th floor. (45 minutes)

5:30 – 9 p.m. – Evening Reception. Join us on the 5th floor and the rooftop garden to celebrate two decades of photography featured in the Exposed DC Photography Collection. Free but registration required (donation suggested), as capacity of the space is limited. 

  • 6 p.m. Robin Bell performs a live remix of Exposed DC images (30 minutes)
  • 7 p.m. Champagne toast (15 minutes)
  • 7:15 p.m. Robin Bell performs his final live remix of the evening.
  • Music by DJ Sequoia and v:shal
  • Registered attendees receive one drink ticket with more available for donation on site. Non-alcoholic beverages and limited snacks included. 

About the Collection

The Exposed DC Photography Collection is a visual record of Washington, D.C. from 2006 to the present, composed of more than 300 photographs contributed by local photographers. The images document the city’s street life, cultural events, architecture, and political moments—ranging from widely recognized landmarks to everyday scenes that define life in the District.

The collection began in 2006 as a project under DCist, a local news site known for its coverage of civic life in Washington, D.C. As the initiative grew, Exposed DC became an independent nonprofit organization and cultivated a wide network of photographers committed to documenting the city’s neighborhoods and communities. Over the past 18 years, the group has hosted an annual photography exhibition highlighting the work of local artists.

In addition to photographs, the archive includes a range of supporting materials such as promotional designs, exhibition catalogs, organizational business records, and documentation from Exposed DC events. These materials provide additional context about the evolution of the organization and its role in the city’s cultural landscape.

In 2024, DC Public Library partnered with Exposed DC to acquire and preserve the full collection. It is now housed within The People’s Archive, the Library’s permanent local history division.

This marks the first time the full collection has been formally preserved by a public institution and made accessible to the public through a centralized platform. The collection is available at https://digdc.dclibrary.org 

Why This Collection Matters

The Exposed DC Photography Collection represents a significant transfer of cultural memory into public stewardship. These images were made by residents with personal connections to the city’s people and places. The archive reflects a wide range of lived experiences and geographies—from street corners to civic marches to local festivals—offering a record of Washington from below.

The collection documents a period of profound change in D.C., including population growth, gentrification, infrastructure development, and political activism. Many of the locations and communities represented have since transformed or disappeared. By making these images publicly accessible and digitally preserved, the Library provides a resource for historians, educators, artists, journalists, and residents interested in understanding how the city has changed over time.

This is also the first time these images have been indexed, described, and presented together as part of the city’s memory—preserved alongside oral histories, newspapers, maps, and other materials that make up the District’s historical record.

Friday Links: October 25, 2024

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Photo by: Emma K Alexandra

In case you missed it: earlier this week we announced that the Exposed DC Photography Collection has found a permanent home at the DC Public Library. You can read the press release here. Stay tuned for more updates as we work to gather hundreds of photos that document the last 18 years of life in D.C. as seen by the people who live, work, and love here! If you were featured in our annual photography show and have not received an email from us, we have been trying to get in touch. Drop us a line to make sure we have a current email address on file so you have the chance to be included in the collection!

  • Join StreetMeetDC tomorrow from 3:00-7:00 p.m. at Rock Creek Park Picnic Grove 6.
  • Register now for Mid-Atlantic Photo Visions to reserve your spot for the Nov. 2 and 3 event with a lineup of renowned speakers, hands-on-workshops, and 1-on-1 sessions.
  • The call for entries for the Leica Women Foto Project Award closes Tuesday, November 5. Four awardees will receive a Leica SL3 camera, a Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH lens, and a $10,000 USD cash prize.
  • ZEKE magazine features seven photographers who are under the age of 31 and making a difference through their work.
  • Double Exposure, the United States’ first and only film festival dedicated to investigative reporting on film, returns for its 10th year, November 7-10.  This year, photography stands out as a powerful medium that exposes truths through observation and expression in the Spotlight presentation.
  • Join the DC Film Collective for an astro photography meet on November 2 at Sky Meadows State Park.

DC Public Library Secures Exposed DC Photography Collection 

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Images Document District Life and Culture 

Washington, D.C. — The DC Public Library has acquired the Exposed DC Photography Collection, an archive of more than 600 digital images capturing life in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Documenting nearly two decades of the city’s culture, history, and communities, this collection offers a perspective on the District’s transformation, with contributions from local photographers who have documented the region’s story. 

The Exposed DC Photography Collection originated as part of DCist, a local news site, and has since grown into a photography exhibition showcasing life in the nation’s capital. The collection draws from 18 annual Exposed DC exhibitions, featuring images that capture the city’s street life, cultural events, architecture, and political moments – from famous landmarks to ordinary scenes that define life in the District. Now managed by Exposed DC, a nonprofit documenting D.C. through photography, the collection’s new home at the DC Public Library will help preserve it and make it accessible for future generations.

“The Exposed DC Photography Collection is a vivid tapestry of our city’s recent history,” said Richard Reyes-Gavilan, executive director of the DC Public Library.  “By integrating its collection into the People’s Archive, we’re ensuring that this valuable record of District life is preserved and accessible to all. We are grateful to Exposed DC for their partnership in bringing these images to the public.”

“The local photographers in the Exposed DC community have been sharing their perspective on life in the District for nearly two decades,” said Heather Goss, founder of Exposed DC. “We are so honored to see it officially become part of our historical record through the DC Public Library.” 

The Library’s People’s Archive will manage the project, working in partnership with Exposed DC to secure the collection by the end of 2024. The collection will be made available to the public through the DC Public Library’s Dig DC portal, providing community members and researchers an opportunity to explore a visual record of D.C.’s evolution. The collection will be integrated into Dig DC in phases. Highlights will be featured in a series of public releases—such as images related to local elections and notable political events—to coincide with major moments in the city’s history. 

As Exposed DC and the DC Public Library continue their collaboration, both organizations aim to use the archive to connect with the community. Plans include social media promotion, newsletter updates, and an event in Spring 2025 to celebrate the collection’s completion and availability online. 

For more information about the Exposed DC Photography Collection and upcoming events related to the project, visit https://digdc.dclibrary.org/.

Exposed DC Featured on WETA Arts October 2022

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On the latest WETA Arts episode, host Felicia Curry met with Exposed DC founder, Heather Goss, to talk about “this visual celebration of the city”—including some of the best images we’ve featured through Exposed—and the community we’ve been building together for 17 years. You can watch the episode above and on weta.org. Our segment starts around the 18 minute mark, but we recommend watching the whole thing to get a look into the craftsmanship and community of cosplay at AwesomeCon and to meet local finalists in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Be sure to watch through the end for photography credits too, which we’ve also included below.

We want to thank everyone who helped make this happen: the entire WETA Arts cast and crew, our friends at the DC History Center (home of our blow-out 10th anniversary show) who let us film in their gallery, and of course our amazing community of photographers that continues to grow each year, our partners and sponsors over 17 years, and our dedicated Exposed DC team.

Photographers featured in the segment, in order of appearance: