Are we alone in the universe? If not, where is everybody? As humans look to the stars for answers and search for echoes of our own existence, we find ourselves surrounded by eerie silence. This “Great Silence,” the paradox between the belief that something must be out there and the absence of evidence, mirrors the quiet spaces within us.

My art embodies this silence—a silence that holds the power to reveal our true selves. In those quiet spaces, free from the noise of daily life, truths surface, uncovering parts of ourselves we often overlook. Each stroke of acrylic and graphite is an attempt to bridge the gap between the tangible and the unseen. In the interplay of light and shadow, in the contours of the human form, I find glimpses of the cosmos, the echoes of existence, and the silence that speaks to who we truly are beneath it all.

Xenia Gray is a contemporary figurative artist who primarily works in mixed media, including oil, acrylic and charcoal. Fascinated by unexpressed feelings and things left unsaid, Xenia explores emotions through paintings of the human body.

Xenia grew up in Siberia in the aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse, and her sense of color and aesthetics is heavily influenced by the industrial environment of her hometown. Xenia enrolled in a local art school at the age of nine and continued her art education in Saint Petersburg where she achieved an MA in advertisement design from Saint Petersburg State University of Technology and Design. She moved to the United States in 2010 and currently resides in Fairfax, Virginia.

I am an artist working with queer histories and images, through performance and installation. My practice of reclaiming material from queer archives and other cultural resources related to the historic marginalization of LGBTQ people is met with my practice of myth-making and ritual to pay homage to previous generations and posthumously liberate them. I feed my brain queer culture and history and become “possessed” by feelings and stories I imagine when I create my work. Embodying research and archiving is crucial to the ritual and myth-making component of my work.

Alexander D'Agostino is an interdisciplinary artist based in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2009 with a BFA in painting. He investigates the queer and otherworldly through visual and performance art. His work has been presented at Vox Populi in Philadelphia, VisArts in Rockville, the Center for Contemporary Art of Afghanistan in Kabul, Chashama's summer performance series in Manhattan, Itinerant Performance Art Festival at the Queens Museum, the Walters Art Museum, Transformer DC, the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington, Siren Arts Summer Performance Series,Target Gallery in Alexandria, Virgina, the Bromo Artist Tower in Baltimore, and most recently at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC.

As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Millennium Arts Salon, we honor a vibrant community that champions creativity, diversity, and dialogue. Collecting Community: Millennium Arts Salon at 25 reflects the organization’s journey through contemporary art, showcasing the innovative spirit that defines its mission.

Over the past 25 years, Millennium Arts Salon has been a vital platform for both emerging and established artists, fostering belonging and exploration while raising the visibility of local Washington, D.C. talent. This anniversary exhibition features curated works that embody collaboration, cultural exchange, and varied voices.

Each piece tells a unique story of personal expression and artistic evolution. From Aziza Gibson-Hunter’s colorful abstract sculptures exploring time and memory to Rashad Muhammad’s bold collages reflecting self-discovery, the works invite engagement and connection.

Jarvis DuBois

Jarvis, currently at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History since 2002 as a Museum Specialist, has over 22 years of art experience. He is working on his M.A. in Art History at the City College of New York, NYC.

Jarvis has curated several exhibitions including: Black Abstraction at the Harmony Hall gallery (2011); (in)Visible and (dis)Embodied: Repositioning the Marginalized within the Curatorial Initiative program at the District of Columbia Arts Center (2014) and co-curated Looking Back/Looking Forward: 15 Years of Millennium Arts Salon with Sharon Burton and Janelle Blackmon Pryor at the Brentwood Arts Exchange (2015). Most recently he co-curated with Lauren P. Davidson, The Ties That Bind and Zero Dollar Bill: The Prints of Imar Lyman at the IA&A at the Hillyer (2022) and UNTANGLED: Combing through the Roots of Black Hair (2023), presented by Johnny Wright and co-curated with Gia Harewood.

Lauren P. Davidson

Dr. Lauren Davidson is an independent art curator and the founder of Museum Nectar Art Consultancy, which focuses on contemporary African American art while supporting emerging and mid-career artists. Her curatorial work fosters conversations about the Black experience through contemporary art. Notable exhibitions she has curated include Chosen Family at Brentwood Arts Exchange (2024) and The Ties That Bind and Zero Dollar Bill: The Prints of Imar Lyman at IA&A at Hillyer (2022), alongside co-curator Jarvis DuBois. Her recent exhibition, Solace and Sisterhood, featuring the works of Evita Tezeno, Amber Robles-Gordon, and Lavett Ballard, is set to travel to The David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland in 2025.

Lauren is a multi-hyphenate academic, holding a B.S. from Cornell University and a Master’s Degree in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University. She actively engages with local DC arts organizations and serves as a docent at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.