Curated By:
Alix Lambert, Curtis Woody, LaShell Rivers, Liz Miller, Nikki Brooks, and Tim Davis with support from Heloisa Escudero on behalf of AHCMC.

*Content Warning* 

Please be advised the artwork in Certain Party or Parties Unknown contains sensitive material that may awe, illuminate, challenge, unsettle, confound, provoke, and, at times, upset visitors. 

The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) is thrilled to announce a new exhibition at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room (Kramer Gallery) showcasing original artworks by the seven artists featured in 2021’s outdoor installation, Certain Party or Parties Unknown (CPPU); a social justice projection art initiative raising awareness of three African American men who fell victim to racial terror lynchings in Montgomery County in the 1880s: Mr. John Diggs-Dorsey, Mr. George Peck, and Mr. Sidney Randolph.

Video Credit: 2021 Certain Party or Parties Unknown Sizzle Produced by Raul Zahir De Leon

Curated collaboratively by Alix Lambert, Curtis Woody, LaShell Rivers, Liz Miller, Nikki Brooks, and Tim Davis with support from AHCMC curator Heloisa Escudero, the Certain Party or Parties Unknown gallery exhibition gives space to the physical materials and artifacts each artist created when developing last year’s outdoor projection artworks. It offers audiences an extended opportunity to experience these works, gain insight into the creative process, and reflect on this horrific part of Montgomery County’s history during Remembrance and Reconciliation Month.

“Reimagining the initial projection project allows visitors to further examine the topic of lynching and the role Montgomery County residents played in the late 1880s,” says Suzan Jenkins, CEO of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. “This exhibition acknowledges and educates residents on the county’s full history through public art as the artists have reimagined their original outdoor artworks for the Kramer Gallery. We remain hopeful the exhibition will lead to a better understanding of our past, deeper community conversations about racial justice, and greater actions taken towards building a more equitable future together.” 

The Certain Party or Parties Unknown gallery exhibition will be on view from November 2, 2022 – January 13, 2023. An opening reception will be held on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 from 6 – 8 p.m. Visitors will experience the new indoor exhibition and an original outdoor installation projected onto the face of the Silver Spring Civic Building throughout the evening by award-winning editor, video journalist, and multimedia artist Robin Bell. Tickets can be reserved at: https://cppugalleryexhibition.eventbrite.com

To learn more about the 2021 CPPU project, visit:
https://www.creativemoco.com/cppu/

For more information about Montgomery County’s Public Art Collection and the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room, visit: https://www.creativemoco.com/kramer-gallery/.

** Masks are required for all guests, regardless of vaccination status. Food and beverages are not permitted in the gallery at this time. **