From the artist: “The show entitled ‘Life in DC’ was inspired by my residency in Giverny, France years ago. The exhibit features various cityscapes from around the District of Columbia with one work that was painted during my past residency in France. It was there that I learned to appreciate our culture, and the importance of depicting its societal elements. Just like the French had done for their present audience and for future generations to see. Thus, my trip taught me to embrace accessibility and share it. The results are my inspirations drawn from our city in the form of cityscape paintings. The oils and watercolors focus on southwest and southeast Washington DC with glimpses of other areas in the city. The works record the historical changes in and around DC. These depictions consist of the gentrification and revitalization of our ever-changing District. Thus, its title ‘Life in DC’.”
Visual artist Roderick Turner was born in Providence, RI, and currently resides in Washington, DC. He attended Prince George’s Community College, MD, where he received an associate degree in fine arts, and at the University of the District of Columbia where he received his Bachelors of Art. In addition, Turner has travelled abroad in his independent studies to places such as France, Monaco, and Italy. In 1995, he joined the National Gallery of Art Copyist Program.
Turner has had one-man shows and several group exhibitions in the eastern United States, including: Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum, LaGrange, GA, Agora Gallery, New York, Smithsonian Anacostia Museum, Washington, DC, African American Museum, Philadelphia, and the John A. Wilson Building, Washington, DC. His work is represented by the Foundry Gallery in NW Washington, DC.
Turner has served as a panelist for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanity (DCCAH), the Anacostia Museum, and American Dreams. He has painted public murals (interior and exterior), since 1988 throughout the District of Columbia, most notably: Barry Farms Recreation Center, SE Washington, DC, and the New Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital, SE Washington, DC.
Turner has been the recipient of various honors and awards including the Arts and Fellowship Grant 2024, the FY 2023 Arts and Fellowship Program (DCCAH), the Commission for Kimball Elementary in 2019, the Public Art Building Communities Grant (PABC) in 2008, and the Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest International Artist Grant 1993.
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