The Utopia Project

Inspiration for Creative Activism

The Anacostia Community Museum will be closed from January 8, 2024-March 22, 2024. We will reopen on Saturday, March 23, 2024 with our next exhibition, A Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, DC,1900-2000. We hope you will join us! 

November 1, 2022 - March 1, 2023

"We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world. To make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the devil."
–Jack Gilbert, poet

For over 50 years, ACM has exposed injustices and has provided a platform for under-told stories in our urban community. Many of these powerful examples have illuminated the power of collective action toward a more equitable future. The Utopia Project seeks to deconstruct the reasons why social change happens. Why does one tactic work and another fails? This interactive gallery will be a space to learn the art of activism and to unlock the creativity in each of us to transform our world.

Through a series of experiential activities, visitors will first learn to tap into the issues they care about and then envision their own version of a utopia in an immersive “Dream Space.” Here, visitors will be asked to imagine, with all obstacles removed, a world beyond the problem at hand to the awe-inspiring end goal. With that image of success in mind, they discover the research-informed tactics that have most often led to measurable social change. Last is the maker space - where dreams become actions. With everything from cardboard and tape to Legos and whiteboards, visitors are invited to prototype their ideas for making a better world.

Objects, photos, and stories from the ACM collection will be featured throughout the gallery, turning abstract ideas into real-world examples of community members making a difference throughout history. Accounts of these everyday change-makers serve to remind us that the ingredients for change reside in each one of us. And the Utopia Project makes the process transparent and reachable so that the impossible becomes possible.

This project was created in collaboration with The Center for Artistic Activism, a non-profit organization that helps people use their creativity and culture to affect power. Their founders' book, The Art of Activism, as well as the Center for Artistic Activism's ongoing research and training provided many of the driving principles illustrated in The Utopia Project.

Missed the Utopia Project or want to experience it again? Check out the guided tour here.

A woman sits a table with crafts supplies in front of her. She is building with them.
Two individuals stand with their backs to the camera in front of a large mural. The mural is a painting of Breonna Taylor's face and has her name underneath it in a yellow ribbon.
Two individuals stand in front of a large colorful circle. One is writing in a book. The circle has many colors and features inner circles
Two individuals stand in front of a large coloring wall, which features drawings done by other visitors. One woman is using a black marker to draw on the wall
An individual sits at a table with craft items in front of her. Also on the table are various icons and words, a pair of scissors and other craft products.
Two individuals stand in front of a large white globe which has various stamps on it. Also in front of the individuals are various stamps options that can be placed on the globe
Two individuals stand with their backs to the wall. In front of them are the words "speak up do something" as well as colorful "action cards"
Three individuals stand stalking to each other. Behind them is a banner hanging from the ceiling which says "A new age calls for a new approach"
An individual stands sideways to the camera with a book and pen in their hand. They are looking at a wall. Behind them is a banner with an oversized image of a crocheted piece that is colorful and has a large eye in the center.
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