For the local art lover, find a historic rowhouse in Dupont Circle. Located on two floors, Studio…read moreGallery showcases local art for viewing and for purchase. Rotating exhibits every few weeks, they are open to the public for free Wednesday through Saturday for a few hours each day.

Studio is one of the many contemporary art galleries in D.C. But it is unique. It is the longest…read morerunning artist-owned gallery in the city. The Studio Gallery is owned by thirty seven local and professional artists. Studio is a member of the Galleries of Dupont Circle group. The group has an event called First Fridays which are held on the first Friday of every month. First Fridays are a time for people to see ten to twelve galleries (in the Dupont area) in one day. Studio hosts group and individual shows. It features up-and-coming and also established artists. Right now, the gallery is having a gift and holiday sale. Perfect for looking for a present for an art lover, or maybe a painting for that empty wall. The prices on this stuff is more than decent.

Outside the art galleries along the National Mall, Foundry Gallery is one of the many galleries…read moretucked away in the neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. Within walking distance of U Street NW, Foundry Gallery is a two-room gallery open Friday-Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. free of charge. When I stopped in on a Friday in May, their main exhibit showcased Roderick Turner's paintings of "Life In DC." The gallery has a guestbook, two areas where people can buy art, and a single restroom in the back.

I had attended a fashion show, Tygerian Lace, here! It's a relatively small place for a fashion…read moreshow, but the show had provided some chairs, cupcakes, and an open bar. There is nearby parking at Howard University parking lot for 10$/day -- they only accept cash; however, CVS is nearby if you need to get some cash back. We had stayed for about 2 hours. It was relatively crowded for the fashion show. Most people were wearing masks unless they were eating, drinking, or taking photos. I'm unsure what the baseline is for the Foundry Gallery.

I went their opening party. There were several artists' works. I saw many frame samples at the 1st…read morefloor and pictures and paints at the 2nd floor. The owner is a really sweet and sophisticated lady. She and one of her customers told me about some artists over a glass of wine and cheese. Variety: Contemporary. Price: $$$$ Parking lot: Street or garage. Location: Fabulous. Many great shops around there.

Susan has framed about 20 pieces for me. Though I no longer reside in the DC area, I continue to…read moreuse Susan as my fine art framer. I'm sure Atlanta has many fine framers, but why rely on someone else when Susan's team is the best? She never disappoints.

How refreshing to find a contemporary gallery in a converted brownstone. Most galleries, especially…read moreones that focus on current artists are in warehouse spaces with white walls and lots of stainless steel and black accents.The Mateyka Marsha Gallery (say that five times fast) was opened by its namesake, owner Mateyka who is also an art historian. Last year, she hosted a show by Gene Davis, right before it hit the National Museum of American Art. Typically she only shows art by living artists, but Davis was a worthy exception. Mateyka represents and shows about 20 artists. The pieces are typically paintings, photos, sculpture, or on paper. Right now the exhibiting artist is Aline Feldman who works in wood.

For years this has been my most favorite art gallery in D.C. It's housed in a beautiful stone…read morerowhouse just off of Connecticut Avenue, N.W. They have great exhibitions - in fact, I just went there today to catch the current exhibit of Athena Tacha, an artist previously unknown to me. Needless to say it was fantastic, as have been all of the works of art I have seen there. Definitely do not miss out on this place. It is very small but very nice and the person who I usually see there will answer any questions but does not hovor around you at all, allowing people to look at their own pace. Highly recommended. (And of course it's totally free).

An amazing small art gallery. Love that they have art workshops for cancer patients and survivors…read morein aiding the healing process. I stumbled upon it one day while grabbing lunch from a nearby restaurant. It's too bad it's not closer to my job or I'd be here much more often. The artwork is gorgeous and meaningful. They have regular activities such as the mindfulness and meditation sessions on wednesday, yoga on several days of the week, cancer support groups, and various art activities.

This art gallery and center for healing and the arts is a wonderful space. My workplace reserved a…read moreprivate art reception with the curators and one of the artists during the Implicit Bias exhibit. They were very accommodating, allowing us to bring our own wine and cheese. They host gallery artist talks open to the public as well as cancer-care programming.

This gallery space is unique. It uses an open floor plan and is surrounded by walls of varying…read moreshapes. All the better to showcase the works of jewelry makers, pottery folks, sculptors, painters, photogs, sculptors, and printmakers from and around the DC area. There is a new exhibit every month here. The Creative Partners Gallery participates in an event called "Bethesda Art Walk" which happens the second Friday each month (free reception with snacks and wine). Above and beyond the local artists shown here, Creative hosts national and international guest artists too.

This is a small, unassuming gallery and frame shop and most of you have probably never heard of…read moreOrchard Gallery because as far as I know it has never been written about in any of the local press. Part of that is because the owners, a very nice and unassuming Korean couple, don't seem to be too concerned with the press. As far as I know, they don't even send out press releases (at least to me), although they do participate in the monthly Bethesda Art Walks. But they are doing something right that seems to have escaped most galleries these days: they are selling a lot of artwork. When I first walked into Orchard a few years ago, I was expecting to find the usual mediocre art that one finds on the walls of most art venues that rely on framing as a business. I was pleasantly surprised not only by the quality of the artwork (at the time they were showing a recent MICA MFA graduate whose name escapes me now), but also by the fact that the framing business does not interfere with the art gallery space at all. It's a clean, minimalist art space. The owners were very nice and warm, and were genuinely surprised when I identified myself (they had no idea who I was anyway), described what I do, and then told them that I really liked the work. I also noted that there were a lot of red dots. Over the next couple of years, every time that I find myself around Norfolk Avenue, I drop by into Orchard to check out their shows. I haven't been WOW'd every time, but I've never been disappointed. It is clear that the owners have a particular taste and sensibility that is working for them. And I've always seen a lot of red dots. What's even more refreshing is that in these times of austere fiscal environments, when galleries are closing all over the nation, and where they turn away new artists by the droves, Orchard's website still says: "We encourage local and emerging artists to contact us for details on our monthly gallery exhibits." Orchard, my kudos to you. Keep doing whatever you are doing to put original artwork on peoples' walls.

I passed by this gallery last fall during one of the periodic open houses. (Apparently a number of…read moreDupont area galleries do first Friday open houses). Its located on the second floor of one of the old Dupont townhouses with a nice open interior. While the space is small, if gives the works a more personal feel, which is nice compared to some of the other spaces that show modern art. The collection was featuring a Latin American artist names Rafael Gallardo while I was there, but the collection revolves monthly or seasonally, and there were a number of statues and other works as well. In general the style is more modern and Latin influenced, but when i checked the website the featured artist was a New Yorker. The real prize of the gallery though is the owner Barbara. The gallery grew out of her collection from her time as a banker in Latin America. She is a lot of fun to talk to and has a story about everything in the gallery. The visit was worth it to hear her stories alone. In fact its kinda like going to a friend's gallery instead of a business. Also adding to the friend's house aesthetic, you have to call ahead to get a showing outside of the first friday open house. well worth it