Dupont Underground’s most recent exhibit was a commemoration of the Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute’s 30 years of business. HTCMI built a community on teaching fitness and self-defense to the young people of D.C. The exhibit was open from Oct. 17 to Nov. 9.
Dupont Underground is a unique art exhibition space located near the Dupont Circle Metro Station, located on the Metro’s red line. The space has been transformed from an old underground streetcar station into a miniature museum, with rotating galleries and performances year round.
While promoting local artists, the arts organization reflects the diverse aspects of the community in the District, while also educating visitors on local programs like the HTCMLI.
Since its founding in 1995, the institute has taught martial arts, African drumming, traditional Chinese Lion and Dragon Dance and Chinese musical instruments to youth with the goal of improving health and keeping them out of the criminal justice system.
The HTCMLI exhibition celebrated the program’s 30-year journey, from their inception to recent collaborations with other organizations.
The exhibit opened with displays of awards received by HTCMLI students, and tables decorated with bright and colorful Chinese tapestries. Alongside these were intricate costumes used for the traditional Lion and Dragon Dances, used by the institute to teach their students.
Distributed throughout the exhibit are framed photos front and back of HTCMLI students at various events around D.C. performing along neighborhood streets, waving the institute’s flags or covered by the decorative face of a lion or dragon.
The frames stretched across the length of the entire exhibit, giving visitors the opportunity to understand the institute’s role in their community.
The exhibit also included many interactive elements for younger visitors, like worksheets counting the stuffed pandas hidden in the exhibition and a post-it board for patrons to share their reactions to the exhibit.
Further in the exhibit was the institute’s newest parade dragon, imported from Malaysia. It is one of the few dragons labeled by name. It was named Ali, after Ben and Virginia Ali, the owners of Ben’s Chili Bowl which HTCMLI has partnered with for years.
Among the collection of animal costumes, was a tower of African drums painted with other notable figures including Frederick Douglass and Alice Walker.
Following this was a collection recognizing recipients of the “Here I Stand” award. Partnered with the Historic Lincoln Theatre, HTCMLI presented an award to artist activists, in the spirit of Paul Robeson. Robeson was an actor and singer in the Renaissance era, most notable for his passions towards civil rights.
The award has been awarded to remarkable figures including Dick Gregory, Rita Moreno and Spike Lee, who were memorialized at the exhibit.
The HTCMLI continually partners with local organizations, like Art Building Longevity for Our Community or Art BLOC D.C., an artists collective. The organizations collaborated on a week-long event in September 2017 that assembled local artists to reinvent their traditional performance drums into portraits of figures that represent liberation.
The marked end of the exhibit was covered by curtains that opened to reveal glow-in-the-dark lion and dragon costumes. Brightened under ultraviolet lights, the costumes shone neon green, pink and blue against the white concrete walls.
The exhibit was a testament to not just the institute’s impact on youth, but also community. HTCMLI works to uplift surrounding communities and connect with them in a way that is both beneficial and educational to their youth.
“At HTCMLI, we believe that preparation for a meaningful life extends beyond martial arts proficiency,” their website states. “[I]t encompasses the development of ethical leadership and a steadfast commitment to personal growth and community upliftment.”
This article was edited by Alia Messina, Jessica Ackerman and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Arin Burrell, Paige Caron, Andrew Kummeth and Ryan Sieve.
