Marquita Edwards
Marquita Edwards has instructed yoga, taught university classes and worked in holistic health for 20 years, but she has volunteered eight of those years towards the King Drive Commons Gallery and Studio of African Diaspora Culture with the late Welford Sanders. She is the cofounder, director and curator of the Gallery, and this position has earned her the title of “Lady Renaissance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.”
What got you interested in African American arts and art in general?
I spent a lot of time in New York and Maryland studying communication and media. And then I worked as a general manager for an arts theatre and had a jazz radio show. I interviewed a number of artists throughout the area of Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland. I met artists like Dizzy Gillespie. That got me more immersed and interested in it. And then I had the chance to travel, so I traveled to parts of Europe and parts of Africa and saw the common threads of African culture in a lot of these places, which I didn’t see enough of. Growing up as a young lady, I didn’t see a lot of African culture.
Can you tell me more about how growing up shaped your views?
I can remember back to when I was a schoolgirl, sitting in class in eighth grade, opening a book about world history. We learned about all the different countries, and when we got to Africa, there were one or two pages. That began my first question, “If this is the cradle of civilization, why is there so little information?” If Africa is portrayed in such a negative way, then why would the British want to name one of Africa’s most beautiful falls Victoria Falls? That began my exploration into various countries in Africa. I think all of this has led up to where I am now.
How did the King Drive Commons Art Gallery come to be?
About 11 years ago, I was working with Welford Sanders. When I looked in the community, I didn’t see any health offerings outside of the local clinic. I worked in preventative health, so I thought, “Wow, I’ve taught yoga and health awareness for 20 years, we really need to introduce this to the community.” I talked to Mr. Sanders, he liked the idea and agreed to build a space in this residence for health classes. We opened our space to children’s dance classes and eventually to artists. He and I looked around and purchased some art and set up a gallery. The reception was so wonderful when we had these gallery nights, that we decided, “Let’s continue with it.”
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You’ve told me this story before, but how did you get your title as Lady Renaissance?
One day, I asked Mr. Sanders for planters to try and beautify the area. We ordered them from the city and I was out there planting flowers, and this neighbor from right across street walks over. He’s about 59. He said, “I’ve been seeing you plant these flowers. I’ve lived here all my life. I’ve never seen flowers on King Drive. You know what? You’re like a Renaissance Lady.” He said I was bringing art, dance and yoga, which was something they haven’t had before. He said I was bringing a total package, and that with the new buildings coming up, it was like a renaissance.
What do you want to see in the future of MLK Jr. Drive?
Well, I’ve seen the area expand in the last 10 years that I’ve been here. When I think about cities like New York City, Greenwich Village, Raleigh, N.C., Georgetown, I’ve lived in those cities and saw how those became the really cool spots where artists wanted to hang out. And now you can’t afford to live there. Now, I don’t want to see that happen, where people are pushed out of the community because it’s such a cool place to live. I don’t want to see that happen, but I want to see the area continue to grow and become a place where people can go and have a positive experience. That has happened, so I’d like to see this concept and this gallery grow.
