Join The Nicholson Project in celebrating the opening of Song of Sons, a new public art installation by Nate Langston Palmer. This dynamic public art series features two key installations and a series of smaller works connecting both sites. On May 14th from 7:30-9pm, join us at The Wharf to view two building-size photographs wrapping the corner of 800 9th Street SW, along with a brand new video work projected nightly from 7pm to 7am through September 28th, 2025.

Event Details
Reception: 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Remarks and Artist Talk: 7:45pm
Dance Performance: 8:15pm

Light refreshments will be served
Parking is available on-site in the parking garage under the building.

Song of Sons Details
Song of Sons is a dynamic public art series featuring the work of Nate Langston Palmer, inspired by his ongoing documentation of a dance group he has been following since 2019. The group, composed of young Black men, specializes in Beat Ya Feet, a dance style that originated in and remains unique to Washington, DC. Using dance and creative expression as its vehicle, the series focuses on the lives of these young men and their unique journeys into adulthood. As an artist born and raised in DC, Palmer has seen the City change drastically over the last few decades, and as a result, he has seen many of his neighbors forced to sell their homes and move to the outskirts of the City. What is clear is that with the displacement of long-term Black residents comes the displacement of a vast cultural network, one that in DC is deeply rooted in music, dance, and play. In and of DC, Palmer’s work explores cultural expression, young Black joy, and brotherhood. It aims to preserve and celebrate Black culture in Washington, DC, and those who keep it alive.

Learn more: www.thenicholsonproject.org/song-of-sons

About the Artist: Nate Langston Palmer is a documentary and fine art photographer. Through his practice in imagemaking, Palmer examines the collective understanding of masculinity in the United States, specifically within Black American communities. He currently lives and works between NYC and DC. @langstonpalmer

Song of Sons is funded by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Public Art Building Communities Grant Program.

Thank you to our partners:
Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners + Bloomberg Connects

Song of Sons Opening Dedication

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