DC Statehood: Symbolic Representation & the Legacy of the Voting Rights Act

On Thursday, August 6th from 6-8pm, Public Historian & Author M.J. Rymsza-Pawlowska and Social Sculptor & Curator of "A [New] American Dream" Philippa Pham Hughes gather for a conversation on symbolic representation and the social movements behind the fight for DC Statehood, held 61 years to the day since the signing of the Voting Rights Act. DC is still waiting on its voting rights.

Open discussion replaces traditional Q&A and every voice in the room becomes raw material. We will be joined by Poet Teri Ellen Cross Davis, author of “A More Perfect Union,” who will interpret the conversation into a poem.

Details: 

• Free, RSVP Required

• Doors open at 5:45pm

• Museum biergarten opens at 4pm and will remain open until 8pm. Guests may bring drinks into the dicussion.

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ABOUT A [NEW] AMERICAN DREAM

What's your dream for America for the new 250 years?

A [New] American Dream won't give you the answers. Every gathering in this project will put you in the room with others who care about what comes next. We'll figure it out together, in conversations sparked by cabaret, storytelling, screenprinting, panel discussions, poetry, and more. Because none of this works unless we're in relationship with each other, and relationships begin with conversation. And art is how we create the space for those conversations.

No one seizes a dream. We build it together, or it collapses. The American Dream isn't over. That choice gets made in rooms like this one.

Join curator Philippa Pham Hughes and the Heurich House Museum for a series of gatherings from May 20th - August 7th, 2026 as America (and DC) enters its 250th year. While visiting, you'll engage with three art interactive installations: “these dreams belong to you and me” by Xena Ni, "How Might We" by Nina Maturu, and “Hey, We Still Need To Talk!” by Philippa Pham Hughes.

Can't make it? Check out more A [New] American Dream gatherings!

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A [New] American Dream is supported by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities and the DC Office of the Secretary's DC Voting Rights Grant.