Checkin' Out Mingering Mike: D.C.'s Imaginary Soul Superstar
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, Floor 1, Great Hall West
June 7 - August 28, 2023
Presented in collaboration with Hemphill Artworks, Checkin' Out Mingering Mike: D.C.'s Imaginary Soul Superstar features hand-drawn album covers, drawings, and song lyrics by self-taught Washington, D.C. artist known only by his alter-ego, Mingering Mike. On view at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library are fine art prints of thirteen albums, all originally drawn between 1968 and 1975, as well as a selection of original albums and handmade cabaret posters.
THE FANTASTICAL WORLD OF MINGERING MIKE IN MESSY NESSY
Mingering Mike was recently featured in an article written by Liam Ward for Messy Nessy that details the artist's "legendary" catalogue of handmade record covers.
The Rogues Gallery | MEPAINTSME
April 26 - June 6, 2022
HEMPHILL is pleased to share Mingering Mike's inclusion in the online group exhibition, The Rogues Gallery, curated by @mepaintsme.
Developed in 1855 by Inspector Allan Pinkerton, The Rogues Gallery established a uniform compilation of photographs, names, and descriptions of criminals meant for quick and accurate identification.
Mingering Mike created a soulful alternate universe in which he was able to express himself in the only way he knew how: through art and music, in fake intricately handcrafted albums complete with gatefold interiors, extensive liner notes, and grooves drawn onto "vinyl." The album covers offer a glimpse into Mingering Mike’s fascinating and awe-inspiring career.
~@mepaintsme
REPRESENT
At Hemphill Fine Arts, a retrospective show that's bigger than the gallery
November 15, 2013
Mark Jenkins, The Washington Post
"Several mini-shows nestle within “Represent,” Hemphill Fine Arts’s 20th-anniversary exhibition."
Artist-Citizen, Washington, DC
A quartet of gallery summer group shows
July 12, 2013
Mark Jenkins, The Washington Post
"If the personal is political, these grandiose, dysfunctional structures are calling artist-citizens to take to the streets (or, more likely, cul-de-sacs)."
Artist-Citizen, Washington, DC
"Artist-Citizen" at Hemphill, Reviewed
June 14, 2013
Matthew Smith, Washington City Paper
"The show focuses on artistic civic engagement—artists that are out of their studios and walking the streets. Mostly culled from the gallery’s stable of artists, 'Artist-Citizen' presents works that speak through the city itself."
Viewing Rm.
"Viewing Rm." at Hemphill Fine Arts
February 4, 2011
Louis Jacobson, Washington City Paper
"The exhibit is variegated, but like any good combine painting (and those are included too) it coheres pretty well despite itself, as giants like Robert Rauschenberg mix with such local figures as Joseph Mills, Mingering Mike and Colby Caldwell."
Viewing Rm.
Familiar favorites: Once more, with feeling
January 28, 2011
Jessica Dawson, The Washington Post
"Here hang big, striking works by Tom Downing and Jacob Kainen. Here, too, are precious works on paper by Al Jensen and Alma Thomas. That Eugene Atget picture of the taxidermist's vitrine? I'll take it."