Block Party — A Memory Museum Experience
Description
Rumor has it that block parties are a thing of the past in DC. That can't be true!
Block parties used to dominate the summer is DC. They serve as a homecoming and a great way to learn the history of your community and meet the people who hold it together. On Saturday, November 21st, join us for a special evening with artist Mēlani N. Douglass and Playback Theater where we share stories about block parties in DC.
Share with us your favorite block party memories. What makes yours special? What does it take to throw a good one? What are the best foods? Who are the people who make it happen — the one who closes the street, the one who cooks, the one who gets the music right?
Does your community has the best block party in DC? Come make your case and tell us what it takes to get it right.
Add your stories to a Memory Museum. We’re building one in a single afternoon, out of what the room brings. Write your block party memories at the stations and watch the wall fill — then see the finished museum revealed before you leave.
Have your story brought to life by Playback Theater. Share a memory out loud and a live troupe transforms it on the spot into a short performance, reflected back to you.
Between stories, learn about one of the oldest block parties in the city — and what it made possible. One DC neighborhood had been gathering and hosting block parties on the same piece of land since the late 1960s. In 1977, that community won that land. A racial discrimination suit against a developer ended with the District requiring him to hand the land over to the neighborhood. Land, given back — one of a handful of reparations cases like it in the country, and likely the only one in Washington, DC.
Doors open at 3:45. Event starts at 4pm.
Come tell us about your block party, learn a piece of DC history most people don’t know, and maybe start planning your own block party — so that history keeps going.
Block Party — A Memory Museum Experience is a part of Grounded in Play: Stories from THE FIELD is a project by artist Mēlani N. Douglass, in collaboration with the Valley Place Arts Collaborative, and is a recipient of the 2026 Visions — Projects & Events Grant from HumanitiesDC.
In partnership with the Anacostia Homeowners and Residents Association, Valley Place Arts Collaborative and the Family Arts Museum. Hosted at THEARC as part of Building Bridges Ward 8 Voices, who provided the space and staff that made this event possible.
FAQs
- What is a Memory Museum?
The Memory Museum was originated by artist Mēlani N. Douglass as a pop-up exhibition of a community's memories, with past iterations in DC, Baltimore, and as far as St. Maarten. This version is a community-built collection of stories, photos, and personal artifacts honoring The Field and the people who shared it — and will inform the 2027 exhibition. Attendees are invited to bring items that hold meaning — old photographs, block party fliers, or other keepsakes tied to The Field — which will be scanned or photographed on-site and preserved as part of a lasting public archive documenting this history.
- What is Playback Theater
Playback Theater is a live storytelling practice where you share a personal memory or story aloud, and a theater troupe immediately improvises it back to you as a short 3–5 minute performance. It's an interactive, in-the-moment way of honoring and reflecting a story back to the person who told it and to the community witnessing it.
- How can I learn more about The Field and the struggle to keep it out of developer's hands?
Here is a great article about the fight for The Field. https://www.washingtoninformer.com/talbert-terrace-residents-fight-for-community-park/
Also, come out to the event to learn more! The event is open to the public.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
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