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Nekisha Durrett and Virginia Shore in ConversationSaturday, December 5 | 4:00pm-5:00pmGenerously supported by The Lichtman Family Fund 
Left: Nekisha Durrett by Shedrick Pelt Registration: $25 Includes Museum admission Please join us for a glass of wine after the conversation. Please note: parking onsite is limited and the use of ridesharing is encouraged. About Nekisha Durrett
Nekisha Durrett is a Washington, DC-based artist whose work brings hidden and overlooked histories into public view. Grounded in deep research and material exploration, her multidisciplinary practice spans public art, installation, sculpture, painting, and social practice. Durrett is especially drawn to stories of Black life, labor, and imagination that have been forgotten or intentionally erased, creating spaces that hold both remembrance and possibility. Her work often begins with fragments—an archival image, a personal story, a neglected site—and evolves into layered forms that invite reflection, ritual, and collective memory. Through site-specific installations and collaborative processes, Durrett makes room for voices long silenced and for futures not yet written. Durrett’s permanent public artworks are found at Arlington Arts in Virginia, the Baltimore Museum of Art, Miami Dade County, the Phillips Collection and MLK Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC, the City of West Palm Beach, and Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Recent projects include Break Water in Alexandria, Don’t Forget to Remember (Me) at Bryn Mawr, and Queen City in Arlington. She recently concluded a fellowship with For Freedoms and Civics Arts Lab at the Corcoran and National Gallery of Art. In 2025, she was a Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Durrett’s large-scale, community-driven commission Hem of Heaven was unveiled at the Obama Presidential Center in June 2026. She holds a BFA from The Cooper Union and an MFA from the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design. About Virginia Shore As Chief Curator, Department of State, Office of Art in Embassies (1995-2017), Shore established and led the first cross-cultural art acquisitions and commissioning division for new U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. Shore integrated host-country artists and advanced cross-cultural dialogue through museum-quality installations focused on inclusion, diversity, and international collaboration. Shore oversaw acquisitions and commissioning for 79 new diplomatic facilities and curated 48 permanent collections. Since 2019, Shore has served as the Curator of Commissions for the Obama Presidential Center, collaborating with over 30 artists on 28 site-specific commissions. Shore collaborates with artists, institutions, and foundations, including the U.S. Pavilion, Venice Biennale, and Jeffrey Gibson. Shore served as curator, leading acquisitions and strategy for the Fredriksen Family, with the National Museum of Norway, the first public-private partnership. Shore continues to collaborate with mission-driven organizations and artists, including Emerson Collective, on activism projects domestically and internationally.
Established in 2019, the Lichtman Family Fund enhances the museum's mission by supporting dynamic programs that connect people with art in thoughtful and engaging ways. It reflects Marilyn Lichtman's dedication to learning, dialogue, and cultural enrichment. The Fund helps ensure that The Kreeger Museum continues to inspire curiosity, spark creativity, and serve as a welcoming space for the community. |
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