In the News

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

"50 Years of Hope and HA-HAs" is the first Vietnamese American art exhibit to open in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia region, according to the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Anthony Le and Phillipa Pham Hughes, the duo behind the Vietnamese art collective Vagabond, curated the exhibition.

FEBRUARY 21, 2025

‘Like a big gumbo pot’

The way Branford Marsalis sees it, the world needs social activists and artists. Yet the Grammy-winning saxophonist said he has a hard time doing both.

“Playing music is so hard — I don’t really have time for (activism),” Marsalis told an audience Thursday in the Joan and Sanford Weill Hall’s Annenberg Auditorium at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. “I mean, I have the things that I think about, but I have to practice every day and I’m constantly listening to music. … I don’t know how you square those two things.”

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

How can the arts bring us together in a divided world? In the premiere episode of “The Arts & Everything,” Brian Cole sits down with award-winning actor Stephen McKinley Henderson and artist Philippa Pham Hughes to talk arts and empathy. Through personal stories and inspiring projects, they explore how art can bridge divides, foster understanding, and create meaningful connections across social and political lines.

NOVEMBER 6, 2024

On Creative Currents, you’ll learn all about “social practice artist,” cultural strategist, and curator Philippa Hughes. The concept for this “social sculpture” exhibit, open at UMMA now through Feb. 9, 2025, started in Hughes D.C. home in 2016. Hughes developing relational and creative experiences are aimed at strengthening democracy and repairing the social fabric of our country one conversation at a time.

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

During the final days of this tense election, we take a look at a project fostering a different type of civic space to encourage young people to discuss issues, engage each other and vote. Jeffrey Brown visited the University of Michigan to see how this works. It's part of our series, Art in Action, exploring the intersection of art and democracy and for our arts and culture coverage, CANVAS.

OCTOBER 28, 2024

The “Hey, We Need to Talk!” Common Sense Diner brings together a small group of people from diverse backgrounds for a free meal and guided conversation led by artist and social connector Philippa Pham Hughes. Folks from all walks of life and of all political backgrounds are invited to apply for the experience. Hughes joined Stateside to talk about the project, and about her experience dining with a divided America.

OCTOBER 25, 2024

Arlington, Virginia is celebrating 40 years of its public art program, and Philippa Hughes gives us a tour of some of the works you can see across the county. From "Dark Star Park" to "Queen City" and beyond.

October 23, 2024

In a unique pairing between the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and U-M Museum of Art, students are learning how to develop human-centered experiences to guide public policy. This approach takes a step back from a traditional emphasis on economic growth and focuses on policies that prioritize human relationships, dignity and sustainability.

OCTOBER 22, 2024

From the moment you walk into the gorgeous space Philippa Pham Hughes has created at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) the vibes are immaculate. Think anthropology meets your grandmother‘s kitchen. Visiting Artist for Art & Civic Engagement at UMMA, Hughes has curated the “Hey, We Need to Talk!” exhibition with extreme intentionality. Every artwork, furniture piece, and even the wallpaper has been thoughtfully selected, each element carrying its own significance.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, and a small sampling of its treasures are on display in a brand new gallery space. Philippa Hughes takes us through "Collecting Memories."

MAY 3, 2024

Philippa Hughes brings us a dazzling world of color through the works of Pierre Bonnard. Take a tour of "Bonnard's Worlds" at the Phillips Collection. French painter Pierre Bonnard transformed intimate domestic scenes, fleeting moments of everyday life, lush landscapes, and intricate still lifes into dynamic and emotional paintings.

MARCH 29, 2024

The Rubell Museum digs deep into its personal collection to highlight works from its finest creators. Philippa Hughes takes us into Singular Views: 25 Artists.

MARCH 22, 2024

The weird, wild, wonderful world of orchids is blooming in the Smithsonian Art Museum's Kogod Courtyard this spring. Philippa Hughes takes us through a new exhibit, The Future of Orchids: Conservation and Collaboration, presented by the Smithsonian Gardens and the United States Botanic Garden.

FALL 2023

Philippa Pham Hughes, a visiting fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University for 2023–24, is a social sculptor, cultural strategist, and curator who focuses on democracy building and civic engagement. Her Blueberries + Cherries project invites politically diverse guests to break bread and talk to each other face-to-face over a home-cooked meal in order to understand the things that influence our votes and to find ways to bridge the vast ideological gap that plagues our country.

JULY 12, 2023

As a lawyer, Philippa Hughes lived with an insatiable passion for art. Her mother’s aspirations for her to have the security of a respected career led her to become a lawyer in DC. However, her zeal for art was so intense that she sought ways to immerse herself in it, surrounding herself with artists and art that filled her soul.

NOVEMBER 3, 2022

The artist Philippa Pham Hughes wants people from both sides of the political aisle to sit down and hash things out. America, it’s time we had a talk. In the lead up to the mid-term elections in the U.S., political discourse has become more polarized than ever. And with the aim of finding some common ground, the artist Philippa Pham Hughes is organzing a dinner this evening at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) in Ann Arbor, where guests from both sides of the political aisle will sit down with each other to hash things out.

FALL 2022

Artist and social sculptor Philippa P.B. Hughes recently sat down with Student Advisory Board Members Sehrish Hussain and Jacob Ward to discuss her art practice. Take a listen to the fun and in-depth interview with Philippa below to hear her thoughts on topics like the intersectionality of being an artist (and a lawyer!), creating intentional spaces for honest conversations across political, social, and cultural differences, and more.

JUNE 17, 2022

Mock foliage and actual vegetation dominate the main gallery at Brentwood Arts Exchange, but at the room’s center is a grove not of trees, but of stools. Their purpose is explained by the subtitle to this collaborative exhibition, “Treehouse: A Floralscape for Compassionate Conversation.” Visitors may make their way through the simulated woods to a place to commune.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

In this era of deepening polarization and intensifying tribalization, Americans have fewer and fewer contacts and communication across partisan lines. Philippa Hughes is a Washington, D.C.-based social sculptor and creative strategist who has long attempted to bridge our divisions by bringing people together for meaningful conversations about art and our shared American identity.

APRIL 1, 2021

Social sculptor Philippa Hughes has been hosting dinners with Democrats and Republicans to discuss politics and break through polarization at a grassroots level since 2016. In this episode, Philippa discusses what she’s learned through her experiences and research, and how we can start to have meaningful discussions around polarizing topics in our communities and as communications professionals.

FEBRUARY 24, 2020

After the 2016 election, Hughes, a Democrat, felt compelled to talk to Trump voters. The daughter of a conservative Vietnamese mother and a white father who was a lifelong union member, Hughes grew up in a working-class suburb of Richmond. But as an undergrad at the University of Virginia, she felt out of place. “I’ve often felt invisible in my life, and I think that’s how a lot of America feels,” she told me. “Who is speaking for me? Who is listening to me? I want to let you know I’m listening.”

DECEMBER 16, 2019

Philippa Hughes, a local arts advocate, started by inviting liberals and Trump supporters to dinners for fewer than a dozen people at her home right after the 2016 election. Now, she’s grown the project to events and dinners for 50 people around the country. When it comes to something as polarizing as impeachment, Hughes sees value in having these conversations. The gatherings are unlikely to change minds, but that’s okay, Hughes said. She has seen the ways talking can start a dialogue — and maybe even open people up to different perspectives.

DECEMBER 5, 2019

"Build the wall. Don't let the refugees in," said my immigrant mother not long after the 2016 election. She'd finagled 17 members of our family into the US resettlement program when Vietnam fell to the communists after the withdrawal of American forces in 1975. Our family ended up in Richmond, Virginia.

Richmond was a challenging place for me—a half-Asian kid who did not fit neatly into its clear black and white racial divide or a socioeconomic hierarchy that disregarded the social status our family had lost when we fled our homeland. But it did teach me how to operate in uncomfortable spaces that are sometimes filled with contradictions.

NOVEMBER 13, 2019

She has since replicated these dinners in her home — and far beyond — bringing together Americans across the political divide to, as Hughes puts it, “experience art, share personal stories and break bread together.” And the greatest lesson she has taken from hosting nearly two dozen dinners? There’s no right way to be an American, and our democracy will be stronger if we are willing to embrace our differences.

NOVEMBER 8, 2019

Art has been inspiring writers for centuries. But what’s the value in it? Local community organizer - or social sculptor - Philippa Hughes of The Pink Line Project gives us her take on the conversation that can happen between disciplines. Then she joins Courtney and Rachel for an art-inspired writing session! Plus, we hear art-inspired pieces from Jennifer Clements and Jennifer Atkinson.

OCTOBER 28, 2019

In this episode, KiKi interviews Philippa Hughes, a social sculptor, creative placemaker, and cultural strategist. Hughes designs art-fueled projects “connecting people who would not normally meet in meaningful, humanizing dialogue.”

OCTOBER 22, 2019

"Looking for America: El Paso" at the El Paso History Museum looks at life on the border through art; it will be on display through Nov. 23, 2019.

OCTOBER 8, 2019

At a time when Americans are more polarized than ever, especially on the issue of immigration, national and local organizations have partnered together to help bridge the divide. Looking for America seeks to bring people together across a multitude of political opinions to answer the question, “What does it mean to be American?”

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

“They say a picture is worth a thousand words and that’s exactly what “The Looking for America Tour” is chasing after.

It’s a social experiment that involves a group of Siouxlanders from all walks of life.”

SEPTEMBER 29, 2019

“A new art exhibit at the Betty Strong Encounter Center encourages visitors to engage in a discussion about immigration and what it is to be an American.

The project, “Looking for America: Siouxland” asks guests, “What does it mean to be an American?” Local artists were invited to bring in works that speak to the theme in one form or fashion.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2019

“Philippa says that it’s impossible to universally answer that question because everyone’s American experience is unique. Which is why, throughout the conversation, she emphasizes the importance of face-to-face interaction and civil discourse. Because, she says, when we listen to each other, we learn more.”

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

“Civility is a trigger word in today’s political climate. Ironically, we use it as a weapon against our enemies. Yet it’s true that our normal political conversation has become far from civil. Civility doesn’t mean cowering in debate or abandoning our values. It means kindness, and respect, and real effort to understand.”

JULY 3, 2019

Like many Americans, I was surprised by the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Although I’m a Democrat, during the lead up to the election I consumed media from left- and right-leaning outlets to try to understand the deepening divide—and the anger, fear, and frustration voiced by voters of all political stripes—across the country.

APRIL 12, 2019

Is it possible to get liberals and conservatives to talk about politics without resorting to name calling? What if there were a way to get ordinary people from both sides of the political divide to discuss politics and policy using art and a creative process? Hear Philippa Hughes tell the story about how her curiosity about people's political views prompted her to start Blueberries and Cherries, a series of dinners that puts  'blue' and 'red' people together over dinner for civil discourse and how those dinners have evolved into larger events at art venues.

MARCH 21, 2019

The arts have a complicated relationship with gentrification in D.C. Artists and arts organizations can make neighborhoods more attractive to development — but are often displaced as rents rise and neighborhoods take on new identities. Is it possible to create sustainable space for the arts as neighborhoods change? And what is the role of arts organizations in telling the stories of communities facing gentrification?

As part of a series marking Kojo’s 20th year on air, we hosted a town hall event with artists, community leaders, city officials and developers to explore creative place-making and the role of artists and arts organizations within a rapidly changing region.

FEBRUARY 13, 2019

Para muito além do Capitólio e da Casa Branca, Washington tem uma cena cultural vibrante, com espaços para shows intimistas, bons restaurantes e ótimos museus que preservam parte da história do país.

NOVEMBER 20, 2018

A sense of belonging. A desire for civility. Both seem necessary for a welcoming and respectful society, especially during the holiday season. But what happens when the ideas backfire?

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

For Sanity’s first live episode, we traveled to Washington D.C. to help kick off a 50-person bipartisan dinner party celebrating the art exhibit at the Heurich House Museum with the show’s brainchild.

MAY 31, 2018

Located below Dupont Circle, the Dupont Underground brings avant-garde art and performances to life below the bustling streets of Washington, D.C.

MARCH/APRIL 2018

Humans just want to be seen, heard, and respected. I hope I can help that happen through my art practice.

JUNE 28, 2017

On a typically muggy late June evening, a small group of people gathered picnic blankets and tables on the lawn outside of the Anacostia Community Museum, as whirring cicadas complemented the sound of a circular saw and a slim brown woman giving instructions.

”What defines home for you?” performance artist/writer and D.C. resident Holly Bass asked the diverse group who came out for a “Candlelight Conversation” about what community and the concept of home means.

MARCH 13, 2017

It’s Tuesday night and Philippa Hughes is putting together the finishing touches on dinner. The smell of chicken baking in a cast iron pan floats through the air as water and coconut milk boil on the stove. Hughes is hosting a dinner party for strangers to talk politics over pasta. It’s an idea that could very easily get messy, and maybe that’s only appropriate for an idea borne from a messy presidential election.

MARCH 7, 2017

Like so many liberals, Hughes had watched Trump’s rise in 2016 with a sense of bewilderment and frustration. As she searched for answers in his victory, Hughes realized her confusion stemmed in part from the fact that she had never held a meaningful face-to-face interaction with a Trump supporter.

MARCH 2017

There are moments in life when you stumble upon something that feels remarkable, and your gut instinct is to hold on tight. As a writer, it’s those moments that can lead to the most compelling stories. On a Tuesday afternoon in late January, about 20 minutes into a private tour of a subterranean streetcar station reinvented as a creative space for the DC community, I knew I’d found a story worth telling: Dupont Underground.

FEBRUARY 9, 2017

Considering the timing of this exhibit, just one week before the inauguration of Donald J. Trump, and considering the title of the show, and the depressing dark cloud that has hovered over Washington DC since November 8th, I expected it to be something very different. I imagined angry artists reacting to the dangerous changes that our country is facing. I imagined protest. What they gave me was a calm and meditative breath that I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

JANUARY 29–FEBRUARY 3, 2017

Though not specifically about housing, SEE/CHANGE DC is an example of a successful, creative, community engagement project to encourage community building and foster dialogue about rapid neighborhood change. Something similar in Collier County could help create discussion about housing and community and could give greater visibility to housing affordability challenges.

JANUARY 12, 2017

Over the last decade, the arts scene in and around D.C. has been a hot topic for developers, patrons and the artists themselves. The Obama administration displayed a clear appreciation for the arts and brought some Hollywood glamour to the District, including renowned visiting artists. But how much influence does an administration have over the arts landscape nationally and in this region? As the transition to the Trump administration nears, we consider the ways in which the arts scene has flourished in the city and how it might both be challenged and continue to thrive in the years ahead.

NOVEMBER 17, 2016

A creative placemaking project in Washington, D.C., puts residents’ faces front and center.

Illuminated faces loom large in storefronts and street corners along lower Georgia Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. Some are backgrounded by humming cars, others by chain link fences, or patterned wallpaper. They blink, smile, or turn slightly as wind musses their hair.

JANUARY 24, 2014

Sometimes a fresh start can actually be a work in progress. And that’s definitely the case for 45-year-old D.C. resident Philippa Hughes.

“I think when people want to have a fresh start, they think a lightning bolt is going to come down and hit them, and everything is going to be great, or changed, or somehow different,” she says. “And in fact [my] change happened over a period of time. But the day I was diagnosed with cancer, I can point to as a day that everything did change. So I’ve labeled that day ‘the worst day of my life.’”

JUNE 19, 2013

Supernova is a performance art festival that is an explosion of creativity in Rossyln. It's three days artists are coming from all over the world, over 80 of them. And they are just going to liven the streets of Rossyln with public art and they're just gonna do kinda weird, but really awesome things.

JUNE 11, 2013

Why did the performance artists stare at a can of orange juice for a day and a half? Because it said concentrate.

What did one performance artist say to the other performance artist? Nothing for eight hours.

What did the mother say when her son said a wanted to grow up to be a performance artist? I'm sorry dear, but you can't do both.

JULY 29, 2011

For one week, artist Agnes Bolt moved into the home of the very sociable and curious Philippa Hughes to playfully explore the dynamics between an artist and an art collector. With a naive optimism and subtle social critique the project manifested itself with a large obtrusive structure situated within Philippa’s home in which the artist lived.

JULY 27, 2011

In 2010, DC artist Jeffry Cudlin impersonated me and toured DC-area galleries on my own pink scooter, attempting to entice gallery directors to dance with him. Why did he do this? Read more about the project here.

MAY 15, 2011

For a week-long art project that ended Sunday, D.C. collector and patron Philippa Hughes hosted Agnes Bolt, a Pittsburgh-based artist and graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, in her home. The visit, an art performance, was meant to test the boundaries of the artist-collector relationship.

APRIL 27, 2011

When Philippa Hughes went to London last year, she asked Zach Storm to cat-sit—and, if he felt like it, to decorate a wall in her 14th Street apartment. The result: Storm, a local artist, created a burst of colored geometric shapes that dashed across the ceiling of Hughes’ apartment, accented with little pink cotton-candy-like clouds. Hughes returned and loved it.

APRIL 14, 2011

No neighborhood likes empty storefronts, especially up-and-coming areas. Now artists, city agencies, and landlords are teaming up to fill vacant spaces with “pop-ups”—creative temporary projects that generate visitors and buzz. We explore the art installations, performances, supper clubs and craft stores bringing life to underused urban spaces.

OCTOBER 22, 2010

The crowd doubles from 50 to 100 between 8 and 9 p.m. Just off an alley behind 52 O St. NW, Philippa Hughes is hosting her 42nd birthday party. It is in most respects a typical Philippa party.

2010 NO. 2

Town and Country has dubbed her “a champion of under-the-radar artists” while the Washington Post has called her “an arch-organizer of all things arty.” If you ask Philippa P.B. Hughes herself, she’d probably answer with her job title at the Pink Line Project—Chief Creative Contrarian.