March is National Women’s History Month as designated by Congress in 1987. The month honors women’s diverse achievements in all fields (science, arts, politics, etc.) but also serves to highlight the ongoing struggles that women still face. This past fall, in Women Artists of the DMV, a major endeavor organized by Lenny Campello, 19 galleries, museum, and art spaces exhibited the work of over 700 women artists.
Campello is an American artist, art critic, author, art dealer, curator, and blogger. His blog, started in 2003, covers the global visual arts scene with a special focus on the DMV. You can find it at https://dcartnews.blogspot.com. He says women artists are widely underrepresented in museums, especially in DC. His project was an effort to fill in that gap. “I started with four venues that quickly grew to 19 sites,” says Lenny. Artists were recruited by email and active Call for Artists list serves.
Several Ward 6 women artists were selected for the Women of the DMV show, a few of the many women artists active in our area who share their paintings, photography, sculptures, and mixed media creations through exhibitions at the Hill Center, the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, and the fall Capitol Hill Art Walk. Two such artists are Felicia Reed and Lisa Gutsy.
Felicia Reed, Fiber Artist
A native of Capitol Hill, Felicia Reed is a self-taught artist. Her wool and silk wraps are stunning in color and design and hold special healing powers through the energy that comes from the organic wools and essential oils she uses in their creation. Her use of wet felt can be traced back to the Silk Road and Mongolian practices.
Currently, she is curating a National Women’s Day Exhibition that will run from March 1st to April 30th at the Pip Moyer Recreation Center in Annapolis, Maryland. The exhibit honors artists whose works reflect “layered identities, lived presence, and expansive possibility.” Creations by 25 artists will be displayed under the theme Those Who Create: Layers, Presence, Possibility theme. There will be an artist’s talk on Saturday, March 7th, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the recreation center.
“My goal is to one day have my own art studio and center that brings people together and supports people creating their own healing wraps and art,” says Reed. “All my wool and materials I gather from local farmers, and luckily there are many sources in southern Maryland that I can access.” She works full-time as a government contractor; is a design creator; teacher and curator; and of course, artist. “I guess you would say I am multi-dimensional with a strong mission and passion for creating a better world,” she says.
She has a wrap scarf, in stunning warm yellow and orange colors made of wet felt and silk and wool fibers, at the Hill Center Galleries, as part of the Regional Artist Exhibition. Follow her work at www.fiberartwithfelicia.art.
Lisa Gusty. Figurative Artist
Lisa Gusty is another exceptional artist who exhibits her work throughout the DMV area. She participated in the 2025 Capitol Hill Art Walk and has shown drawings in Artomatic and the recent Mosaic show. A full-time software engineer by profession, she uses art as her creative outlet and as a way to find community in her Bloomingdale neighborhood.
Using charcoal and ink, she is a figurative drawer, letting her models or settings guide her efforts. “I always begin with a broad outline and then find the shadows,” Gusty says. She is not formally trained and began drawing around eight years old. Drawing has always been a way for her to connect to the places where she finds herself. In 2023, she spent time in Ashville, North Carolina which she found very helpful in developing her style and craft. “I came back feeling like a real artist,” she said.
One of her neighbors hosts a figurative drawing and painting art experience called Maison Art Salon just a few doors away from her home. Many of her drawings come from the Maison models. “There are 8 to 10 artists attending any given session, and over the course of a year, probably 50 artists participate,” she says. “Between artists I have met through Artomatic and the friends made at Maison Art Salon, I have been able to improve my skills and connect to a great DC art community.” Her work can be viewed on Instagram at ldgdc11.
Both women artists encourage beginning artists to find themselves through their art, and to take the risk of sharing their work with others. March is a celebration of the beauty, harmony, and healing that women artists bring to the DMV. Let it also be an invitation to women to jump into the vibrant DC art scene.
Upcoming Exhibits
“I am Every Woman,”
The Touchstone Gallery, will exhibit a solo show of Susanne Tabet’s figurative paintings in March. Her work focuses on the female experience and her artist talk is 2-4p.m. on March 22, 2026. The talk is free and open to the public, 901 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.
“Cutting Near the Edge,” Morton Fine Art Gallery, is displaying Rosemary Feit Covey’s, sculptural and experimental printmaking pieces through March 7th. 52 O Street, NW, #302, Washington, DC.
“Landscapes,” Capitol Hill Art League at Frame of Mine on Capitol Hill runs through March 14th. Art league members exhibit a stunning collection of paintings, prints and photographs of landscapes. Open during business hours, Frame of Mine is located at 545 8th Street, SE, Washington, DC.
“On View: Mandy Camo Villalobos,” Contemporary Art at the Folger is on display until April 5, 2026. Mandy is a Folger Fellow. Her pieces juxtapose luxurious embroider designs found in the Folger collection with orphaned objects. The Folger Library is located at 201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC.
Rindy O’Brien writes about Capitol Hill’s art and cultural scene and can be contacted at rindyobrien@gmail.com
