The Phillips Collection.
Essex Hemphill was a prominent Washington, DC poet, performer, editor, and activist whose work engaged themes of race, gender, sexuality, love, and community during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Take care of your blessings explores the interdisciplinary relationship between Hemphill’s writing—raw, politically charged, and deeply personal—and contemporary visual art.
The exhibition presents the work of artists who knew or collaborated with Hemphill during his lifetime, alongside those who found inspiration in his artistic and political vision decades later.
On view through August 31, 2025
The Phillips Collection, Main Gallery (House, Floor 2U)
1600 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009