Main & Nano Gallery
Remembering
Joette
April 4 - 19, 2025
Opening Celebration
Friday, April 4, 2025
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Curator’s Talk in Partnership with Hamiltonian Artists
Thursday, April 17
6:30 PM
Artist Members Only
Curatorial Tour
Saturday, April 19, 2025
7:00 - 8:00 PM
Closing Reception
Saturday, April 19, 2025
8:00 - 9:00 PM
Wm. C. Richardson
Daylight City, 2018
Oil & alkyd on canvas
31" x 31"
Curated by
Philip Barlow
Lisa Gilotty
Featured Artist
The collection
of Dr. Joette James
Quick Links
About the Exhibition
This exhibition features various works from the collection of the late Dr. Joette James and highlights her ardent support for and commitment to the local art community. Joette James began collecting art in the early 2000s and continued through last year. The exhibit showcases some of the work Joette collected to exemplify one aspect of her commitment to supporting the art community. The show features approximately 50 pieces, including some of Washington’s most important and well-known artists – Sam Gilliam, Manon Cleary, and EJ Montgomery, to name a few. This show also demonstrates her support for emerging artists, and many of the works in the exhibit were acquired at DCAC, including early works by Sarah J. Hull, Chris Combs, and Khanh Le. Many different types of media are included, reflecting Joette’s diverse interests. We hope her experience as a collector can serve as a model for those who are interested in how to go about building an art collection.
April 4 - April 19, 2025
Main & Nano Gallery
Remembering Joette
Honoring the life & legacy of Dr. Joette James
Curated by
Philip Barlow
Lisa Gilotty
Quick Links
Featured Artist
The collection of Dr. Joette James
Wm. C. Richardson
Daylight City, 2018
Oil & alkyd on canvas
31” x 31”
Opening Celebration
Friday, April 4, 2025
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Curator’s Talk in Partnership
with Hamiltonian Artists
Thursday, April 17, 2025
6:30 PM
Artist Members Only
Curatorial Tour
Saturday, April 19, 2025
7:00 - 8:00 PM
Closing Reception
Saturday, April 19, 2025
8:00 - 9:00 PM
About the Exhibition
This exhibition features various works from the collection of the late Dr. Joette James and highlights her ardent support for and commitment to the local art community. Joette James began collecting art in the early 2000s and continued through last year. The exhibit showcases some of the work Joette collected to exemplify one aspect of her commitment to supporting the art community. The show features approximately 50 pieces, including some of Washington’s most important and well-known artists – Sam Gilliam, Manon Cleary, and EJ Montgomery, to name a few. This show also demonstrates her support for emerging artists, and many of the works in the exhibit were acquired at DCAC, including early works by Sarah J. Hull, Chris Combs, and Khanh Le. Many different types of media are included, reflecting Joette’s diverse interests. We hope her experience as a collector can serve as a model for those who are interested in how to go about building an art collection.
April 4 - 19, 2025
Main & Nano Gallery
Remembering Joette
Honoring the Life & Legacy of Dr. Joette James
Curated by
Philip Barlow
Lisa Gilotty
Quick Links
Featured Artist
The collection of Dr. Joette James
Wm. C. Richardson
Daylight City, 2018
Oil & alkyd on canvas
31” x 31”
Opening Celebration
Friday, April 4, 2025
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Curator’s Talk in Partnership with Hamiltonian Artists
Thursday, April 17, 2025
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Artist Members Only
Curatorial Tour
Saturday, April 19, 2025
7:00 - 8:00 PM
Closing Reception
Saturday, April 19, 2025
8:00 - 9:00 PM
About the Exhibition
This exhibition features various works from the collection of the late Dr. Joette James and highlights her ardent support for and commitment to the local art community. Joette James began collecting art in the early 2000s and continued through last year. The exhibit showcases some of the work Joette collected to exemplify one aspect of her commitment to supporting the art community. The show features approximately 50 pieces, including some of Washington’s most important and well-known artists – Sam Gilliam, Manon Cleary, and EJ Montgomery, to name a few. This show also demonstrates her support for emerging artists, and many of the works in the exhibit were acquired at DCAC, including early works by Sarah J. Hull, Chris Combs, and Khanh Le. Many different types of media are included, reflecting Joette’s diverse interests. We hope her experience as a collector can serve as a model for those who are interested in how to go about building an art collection.
Ben Tolman
Linn Meyers
Foon Sham
Jefferson Pinder
After Joette’s untimely passing, many in the local art community were looking for ways to acknowledge her impact, and since we were very close with her, we were asked about mounting an exhibit of her art collection to remember her. This exhibition celebrates Joette for her support of the art community. We hope that others who interacted with her through different facets of her life will see commonalities with their own experiences.
It is important to acknowledge her as Dr. Joette James in order to recognize her education, training, and dedication to her profession, but in the art world, she was simply Joette. However, the same traits that drove her professional life also existed in the way she approached art – a serious commitment to education, a willingness to take on new challenges, and, most importantly, accomplishing everything with a smile on her face.
We are showcasing just some of her art collection, but her support and activities extended far beyond that. She had an insatiable desire to learn, which drove her to get a master’s degree in art history, to better understand the place of art in the world. She also regularly attended lectures and other events because she wanted to understand how and why the artists create the work they do. For example, Joette recently became a member of the Washington Print Club and took every opportunity she could through that group to learn about works on paper.
It wasn’t just knowledge for its own sake, though. She applied her knowledge through serving as a board member at The DC Arts Center since 2013, as well as at Hamiltonian Artists since 2020, where she was intending to take the next step as president for this year. Joette also curated exhibits in both DCAC’s Main Gallery and Nano Gallery and was excited for opportunities to do more curating. She generously sponsored artists to do residencies and opened her home to show her collection to artists, gallerists, collectors, and others interested in becoming collectors. While Joette had been involved in the local art community for almost two decades, it felt like her true impact was just beginning, and she was destined to accomplish great things. We hope her efforts and enthusiasm inspire others to step up to take on new challenges, like we know she would have done.
Philip Barlow, Lisa Gilotty
Curators, Remembering Joette
Sarah Hull
Khanh Le
From
The Curators
From the
Curators
After Joette’s untimely passing, many in the local art community were looking for ways to acknowledge her impact, and since we were very close with her, we were asked about mounting an exhibit of her art collection to remember her. This exhibition celebrates Joette for her support of the art community. We hope that others who interacted with her through different facets of her life will see commonalities with their own experiences.
It is important to acknowledge her as Dr. Joette James in order to recognize her education, training, and dedication to her profession, but in the art world, she was simply Joette. However, the same traits that drove her professional life also existed in the way she approached art – a serious commitment to education, a willingness to take on new challenges, and, most importantly, accomplishing everything with a smile on her face.
We are showcasing just some of her art collection, but her support and activities extended far beyond that. She had an insatiable desire to learn, which drove her to get a master’s degree in art history, to better understand the place of art in the world. She also regularly attended lectures and other events because she wanted to understand how and why the artists create the work they do. For example, Joette recently became a member of the Washington Print Club and took every opportunity she could through that group to learn about works on paper.
It wasn’t just knowledge for its own sake, though. She applied her knowledge through serving as a board member at The DC Arts Center since 2013, as well as at Hamiltonian Artists since 2020, where she was intending to take the next step as president for this year. Joette also curated exhibits in both DCAC’s Main Gallery and Nano Gallery and was excited for opportunities to do more curating. She generously sponsored artists to do residencies and opened her home to show her collection to artists, gallerists, collectors, and others interested in becoming collectors. While Joette had been involved in the local art community for almost two decades, it felt like her true impact was just beginning, and she was destined to accomplish great things. We hope her efforts and enthusiasm inspire others to step up to take on new challenges, like we know she would have done.
Philip Barlow, Lisa Gilotty
Curators, Remembering Joette
Sarah Hull
Dan Treado
Ken Ashton
Jenny Walton
Hedieh Ilchi
About
Dr. Joette James
Dr. Joette Deanna James (1973-2024) was a clinical neuropsychologist who specialized in the diagnosis and assessment of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, as well as the neuropsychological evaluation of individuals with learning disorders, executive functioning difficulties, and neurological disorders such as brain tumors, traumatic brain injury, and epilepsy. She was on the Children’s National Medical Center faculty, an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Pediatrics at George Washington University and was previously on the medical staff at HSC Pediatric Center. Dr. James served on the board of the Ivymount School and was also a member of the DC Board of Psychology. Through her private practice, Alina Assessment Services, Dr. James devoted countless hours to evaluating children and young adults, to assist in obtaining services and supports for them. She also consulted on complex legal issues involving adolescents and adults with disabilities who were involved with the justice system, and was a sought-after speaker at national and international conferences.
Joette worked hard and “played” hard. She traveled extensively for pleasure and spoke several languages. She trained and entered competitions in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting. She was an authority on the best places to eat (local and foreign), an expert on coffee, an enthusiast on mixing drinks, and a connoisseur of wines, having achieved Level 2 in the WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) Award in Wines.
Joette began collecting art in the early 2000s and did it with the same passion and enthusiasm that she brought to all of her many activities. She joined the board of directors of the District of Columbia Arts Center in 2013 and served on the DCAC Visual Arts Committee. In 2020, Joette joined the board of Hamiltonian Artists and was to be the incoming president. Joette’s passions always involved learning, and she obtained a Master of Arts – Art History from Lindenwood University in 2022. She put that degree to use, curating her first exhibit at DCAC in 2022 featuring Julian Ramos, and followed that by curating an exhibit of work by Karen La Du in DCAC’s Nano Gallery later that same year.
About
The Curators
Lisa Gilotty and Philip Barlow are long-time District of Columbia-based and DMV-focused art collectors. They have a commitment to supporting the local arts community and encouraging others to do the same. Both are board members of The DC Arts Center (DCAC) and, in fact, met at DCAC in January of 1990. Lisa and Philip took an active role assisting curator Vivienne Lassman in putting together the exhibit of their art collection that was shown at the American University Art Museum in the Katzen Arts Center in 2023. Philp has curated other exhibits at DCAC, Addison Ripley, and Arlington Arts Center (now the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington).
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You Can Find
Us Here.
We’re located on the second floor of the building on 18th Street above Mola Empanada and Shiva Tobacco. We’re in between the Jerk Pit and Code Red and located across the street from Tryst. We’re the center door on the ground floor.
Nearest Metro Station
Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan (Red Line)
Metrobus Routes
90, 92, or L2