Chairman's Letter Greetings: Welcome to the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities website. As Chair of the Commission, I hope you find the featured information and resources useful. The arts have a unifying and transformative power. As Dana Gioia, poet and former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, points out...art takes us beyond the possibilities that our family, our class, our race and our neighborhood afford us. Art awakens us to the full potential of what life can be. It is in that spirit that The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities fosters the arts to enrich the quality of life for the residents of Washington, DC. We initiate and support programs, activities and policies that inspire, nurture and reflect the multi-ethnic character and cultural diversity of our city. By funding special programs and projects such as this site, the Arts Commission cultivates and highlights the unique and valuable work of the District's arts community. We in Washington, DC, are proud of our vibrant and diverse cultural landscape. I hope this site offers you a glimpse of the many exciting arts programs in the city, and the resources that keep the arts flourishing. Sincerely, Anne Ashmore-Hudson, PhD Chair, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities