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The annual Daryl Reich Rubenstein Guest Artist Program, generously funded by Lee Rubenstein and his children Beth Rubenstein '77, Barton Rubenstein '81, and Amy Rubenstein '84, honors the memory of Lee's late wife, Daryl. A passionate advocate for the arts, Daryl curated numerous exhibits at Sidwell Friends and prestigious galleries and museums, including the notable "Max Weber: Prints and Color Variations" at the Smithsonian Institution. In addition to her curatorial work, Daryl contributed extensively to art magazines and authored the comprehensive catalogue raisonné of Max Weber's graphic prints, published by the University of Chicago Press and later reissued in digital format.

Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg sits with over 700,000 small flags that she installed next to the Washington Monument in 2021, each representing a life lost to COVID. Photo by artist.

Daryl Reich Rubenstein Guest Artist Program

About

Established in 1981 by Lee Rubenstein, this program has since welcomed over 30 nationally recognized guest artists to Sidwell Friends. These artists have exhibited their work and shared their expertise, enriching the lives of students, faculty, and the broader art community.

Sidwell Friends School, a PK–12 co-educational Quaker day school, was founded in 1883 by Thomas Watson Sidwell. Originally named Friends’ Select School, it was established as a pioneering effort in co-ed urban day-school education. Sidwell Friends School is a dynamic educational community grounded in the Quaker belief that there is “that of God in everyone.” Individually and collectively, they challenge themselves to pursue excellence in academic, athletic, and artistic realms. 
 

2023 Guest Artist Nekisha Durrett discusses her exhibition and art with Barton Rubenstein

Guest Artists

Through the Daryl Reich Rubenstein Guest Artist Program, Sidwell Friends School continues to embody these principles, fostering an environment where the arts thrive and where differences among individuals enhance intellectual inquiry, expand understanding, and deepen empathy. This commitment to the arts and Quaker values prepares students and adults alike to “let their lives speak.”

Daryl Reich Rubenstein Guest Artists List

2024

María Magdalena Campos-Pons - performance art and painting

2023

Nekisha Durrett – art focused on marginalized communities

2022

Kenzo Kakuta – installed AIR, at Summit at One Vanderbilt, New York City

2021

Suzanne Firstenberg – installed In America, Honoring Lives Lost

2019

Carol Goldberg – painting and sculpture

2018

Lou Stovall – silkscreen prints

2017

Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz - visual and performance artist

2015

National Portrait Gallery Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition Semi-finalists: Sedrick Huckaby (lithographs), Louie Palu (photography), Alison Taylor (marquetry), Jefferson Pinder (videography)

2014

Bob Mankoff – cartoonist 

2012

G. Byron Peck – muralist 

2011

Iona Rozeal Brown – painting

2009

Yuriko Yamaguchi – sculpture, watercolors, lithograph, digital prints

2008

 Percy Martin – prints

2007

 Bruce Davidson – photography 

2006

 Barton Rubenstein – sculpture, photographs of public art installations, maquettes

2005

Renee Stout – painting, mixed media sculpture and painting

2004

Martha Jackson-Jarvis – photographs, material samples of large scale public art

2003

Jim Sanborn – photographs, spoke about his installation art and work with radiation

2002

Xu Bing – prints and calligraphy, computer software for calligraphy

2001

Nathan Oliveira – prints, monotypes, etching

2000

Vint Lawrence – political drawings and watercolor paintings

1999

Kendall Buster – installation sculpture, maquettes, sketches, photographs of installations

1998

David Adamson – digital prints

1997

Julian Waters – calligraphy 

1995

Edward Koren – cartoons 

1994

Claire Van Vliet – handmade books and prints

1993

 Sam Gilliam - prints

1992

 Larry Day - paintings

1991

 Joyce Scott – mixed media sculpture, works on paper

1990

Mark Leithauser – exhibition design drawings, maquettes

1989

Joyce Tenneson - photography

1988

Ming Cho Lee – theater set designs, maquettes

1987

Leonard Baskin – prints, drawings, and sculpture

1986

Helen Frederick – drawings and monotypes on artist-made papers

1985

 Lou Stovall – silkscreen prints

1984

William Christenberry – paintings, sculpture, photographs

1983

Ellen Lanyon – prints, lithographs

1982

Fritz Eichenberg – prints, etchings, wood engravings

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