Good Trouble Quilts debut in Washington at Art All Night Anacostia

The Good Trouble Quilts will make their Washington, D.C. debut Friday at Art All Night Anacostia, a free city event marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with art, music, food, fashion and community activities. The one-night pop-up honors John Lewis and underscores Anacostia’s growing role as a cultural destination.

Why it matters: - The debut brings Congressman John Lewis’s legacy to Historic Anacostia through a traveling exhibit built around civic action, civil rights history and the idea of “good trouble.” - The event also gives Washington a public moment of reflection on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. - Art All Night Anacostia uses the arts to draw visitors to local businesses, creative spaces and neighborhood corridors.

What happened: - Art All Night Anacostia returns Friday, Sept. 11, with the Washington debut of the Good Trouble Quilts. - The free event runs from 5 p.m. to midnight along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE and Marion Barry Avenue SE. - The program opens with a moment of silence and reflection. - The event is presented by the Anacostia Business Improvement District and Art to Go-Go. - This year’s theme is “Good Trouble. Louder!”

The details: - The Good Trouble Quilts include more than 30 original art quilts made by 34 artists affiliated with the Atlanta Quilt Festival. - The works depict Lewis’s life, accomplishments and call to civic action. - The exhibit centers stories of struggle, progress, hope, civil rights legislation, culture and the arts. - The pop-up exhibit will be open for one night only at 1800 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. - Local businesses, artists, performers and cultural groups will activate storefronts, stages and public spaces with performances, installations and other experiences. - Visitors can meet local creatives, buy food from neighborhood businesses and explore the corridor after dark. - The evening will include visual art, live music, go-go, spoken word, food, fashion, skateboarding and interactive experiences. - The event is free and open to the public. - More information is available here.

Between the lines: - The theme asks artists, residents and visitors to consider how creativity can preserve history, challenge injustice and advance the “Beloved Community” Lewis described. - Michael E. Collins, board chair and interim president of the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, said the quilts turn Lewis’s legacy into a living expression of art, history and action and can help a new generation experience that legacy. - Kristina Noell, executive director of the Anacostia BID, said art in Anacostia helps the community remember, heal, tell its story and shape its future. - The BID says it wants visitors to leave inspired by the creativity, courage and community spirit they find in Anacostia. - Quilting groups such as the Brown Sugar Stitchers Quilt Guild continue to give women a way to bond, tell their stories and help others. - This is the sixth consecutive year the Anacostia BID and Art to Go-Go have taken part in the citywide Art All Night initiative. - Support for the event comes from the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

What’s next: - The Good Trouble Quilts will be on view only during the Sept. 11 event window. - The Anacostia BID and Art to Go-Go will continue promoting the event through @anacostiabid and @arttogogo. - Organizers are positioning Art All Night as both a cultural showcase and a way to support local artists and entrepreneurs.

The bottom line: - Art All Night Anacostia is using John Lewis’s legacy, a 9/11 moment of remembrance and neighborhood arts programming to turn one evening into a civic and cultural showcase for Historic Anacostia.