Living the Prescription
/Upcoming Events
Living the Prescription
February 27-May 8, 2026
Founders Gallery
Jointly curated by Jess Randolph of Anacostia Arts Center and Alissa Maru of Mason Exhibitions Arlington.
Play, 2024, by Lisa Brown
Living the Prescription brings together the photographic work of Lisa Brown and the multidisciplinary visual practice of Terence Nicholson to explore how home becomes a site of care, memory, and cultural continuity when lived day to day. In conversation with Melani N. Douglass’s The Prescription is HOME: A Manifesto, this parallel exhibition shifts from declaration to presence—revealing how the manifesto’s call is embodied in the everyday acts that shape our lives and relationships.
Through intimate portraits and domestic scenes, Lisa Brown centers the tenderness, rituals, and emotional labor that sustain families and communities. Her work reflects home not as a fixed place but as an ongoing process of care, affirmation, and belonging.
Terence Nicholson’s visual practice—rooted in his long engagement with community, place, and artistic exploration—weaves together figurative and symbolic imagery that reflects lived experience and the sociocultural dimensions of home. A Washingtonian and longtime native of Anacostia, Nicholson’s work emerges from deep attention to neighborhood, memory, and visual storytelling, situating personal narratives within broader histories of resilience and collective care.
Both artists approach their work as acts of witnessing—marking the presence of lives in motion, the gestures of care that often go unseen, and the ways families and communities make space for one another. Beyond documentation, these works visualize home as a practice of attention, connection, and continuity.
In dialogue with Douglass’s participatory installation, Living the Prescription offers visual testimony to the manifesto in action. Together, these exhibitions propose that healing and belonging are not abstract ideals, but the everyday ways we show up for one another—through presence, ritual, story, and care.
Rooted in Anacostia’s longstanding legacy of artistic innovation and neighborhood care, the exhibition reflects a shared commitment to community-centered practice. By bringing together artists whose work is grounded in lived experience, place, and relational storytelling, this collaboration extends the spirit of Douglass’s manifesto beyond the gallery walls—affirming Anacostia not only as a geographic location, but as a living site of cultural memory, resilience, and collective imagination.
About Terence Nicholson
Terence Nicholson is a visual, performing, and martial artist who integrates these disciplines throughout his work. Unbound from any one medium in his art making, he is particularly sensitive to the quality of rawness in his materials. He is a follower of Taoist thought, which values a state of “emptiness” as key in a true creative process. Listening, being the primary tool developed from this state, he is able to use it as he explores his materials along with conceptual themes of social justice, especially as they relate to gentrification, class, trauma, and spirituality.
Terence is a born Washingtonian and a longtime native of Anacostia. A graduate of the Corcoran School of Art, he was a recipient of the Rosenbaum Memorial Scholarship Award. Terence has exhibited in three East of the River Art Exhibitions, and his solo show, “Intro-Circumspective” at Willow Street Gallery in D.C. received critical acclaim. He served as Curator for Honfleur Gallery and Art Director of Anacostia Arts Center. He currently works as an Exhibit Specialist at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and Katzen Museum of Art in Washington D.C.
About Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown, was raised between Washington, D.C. and Compton. Her journey as an artist began early, driven by a deep passion for analog photography and darkroom printing. Drawing inspiration from her grandfather's captivating street photography, Lisa's artistic trajectory has been guided by a commitment to capturing the essence of life through her lens. Current graduate, MFA in Community Arts at Maryland Institute College of Art, Lisa's academic path reflects her dedication to integrating art with community engagement. She was recently awarded the Sidney Lake ilead award from President Cecilia McCormick.
Lisa's work has garnered recognition from esteemed institutions and publications, including the Pittsburgh Art Society, Black Is Magazine, and Dayton Art Institute. Her accomplishments underscore the resonance and impact of her art within both local and broader artistic circles.
In her pursuit of artistic practice, Lisa is supported by fellowships and mentorship programs, most notably under the guidance of Titus Brooks Heagins and Black Artist of DC. These opportunities not only provide her with valuable resources and connections but also empower her to navigate the complexities of the art world while nurturing her artistic practice
About Anacostia Arts Center
The Anacostia Arts Center powered by WACIF is a home for the arts, culture, and small businesses, where the physical space is used to employ and nourish the local arts and creative economy. Within the Anacostia Arts Center, community members will find our Black Box Theater, gallery, retail, HIVE coworking space, meeting and event space.
About Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF)
Established in 1987, the Washington Area Community Investment Fund’s mission is to increase equity and economic opportunity in underserved communities in the Washington, DC area by investing knowledge, social, and financial capital in low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs. Our mission is driven by three strategic pillars: inclusive entrepreneurship, community wealth building, and equitable economic development, and is fulfilled by providing access to capital products and services, and capacity building technical assistance to low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs. WACIF has been continuously certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) since 1996, making the organization one of the nation’s first CDFIs.