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Photos: D.C.'s go-go museum debuts in Anacostia

The museum is set to open to the public in early 2025.

Shedrick Pelt

Shedrick Pelt

— 2 min read
Photos: D.C.'s go-go museum debuts in Anacostia
Years in the making, a new museum dedicated to D.C.'s iconic music opened in Anacostia this week. (Shedrick Pelt)

After several years of planning, fundraising, and activism, a museum dedicated to D.C.'s iconic go-go music celebrated a soft opening in Anacostia earlier this week. Helmed by activist Ron Moten and American University professor and author Natalie Hopkinson, the museum's exhibits trace the genre's cultural legacy over the decades. Filled with memorabilia, sound exhibits, and photographs, it marks a milestone for go-go and the local movement to preserve the genre in the face of gentrification and displacement. According to Moten, the museum and its accompanying cafe will serve as a community space with workforce development programs, a studio for artists, and a garden to hold events.

The museum will be open to the public in early 2025.

Two Black women and two Black men stand in front of a mural that reads "go-go."
A little girl in a pink jump suit blurs by the a van.

Left to right: Sylver Logan Sharp, Charles Stephenson, Dr. Wyomme Pariss, and Daryl L.A. Hunt pose together at the soft-opening.

A finger selects an option from a screen at an interactive exhibit.
A Black man stands in front of a hologram of Sugar Bear.
Two Black women stand in front of a selfie camera in an exhibit.

The museum includes multimedia exhibits that use AI, audio, and video to take visitors through go-go's history.

A black Washington National hat sits on a shelf, with a black jacket that reads "The LEGENDARY DJ KOOL."
The museum is full of memorabilia honoring the genre and its icons.
A wall is lined with infographics and art of raised fists and drums. The wall reads "AFROMODERNITY"

A museum dedicated to go-go wouldn't be complete without protest art from the #DontMuteDC movement.

A Black woman climbs up steps.
An image of the first floor directory.

The two-story museum showcases murals of local photography, including that of photographer and artist Dee Dwyer (middle.)

People stand around in the lobby of a large room with marble floors and red-and-white walls.
The building is located at 1920 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE.

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