You Can Sit With Us, I Hope U Stay  

These two distinct titles, You Can Sit With Us and I Hope U Stay demarcate two separate but equally compelling and poetic Big Chair commissions for the summer season at Historic Congressional Cemetery. The poetic synergy of these two ideas, though inspired by different artists and their work, deeply reflect the community spirit of the project. As a landmark that welcomes guests and visitors to the cemetery, The Big Chair remains a beloved icon for the cemetery community. 

The early summer months welcomed a new commission for the Big Chair by DC-based artist Ashley Jaye Williams (they/them). In late May and June, Washington DC welcomed an international audience to experience World Pride in our city. Historic Congressional Cemetery organized a number of LGBTQIA+ events, including a unique Big Chair commission. Their title, You Can Sit With Us, inverts a pithy pop culture reference with a warm invitation. It was crucial that the welcoming gesture of the chair itself mirrored the goals of this season of programming—to ensure that all felt welcomed, seen and included. 

Williams’ multidisciplinary practice includes painting, video, sculpture, and mixed media works. For their commission, they were drawn to Art Deco references, reflecting on the art historical period’s saturation of beauty, decorative motifs, and flourishing forms. Beyond a mere appreciation of the period, Williams ascribes to this saturation as a way of being in the world: “I also love the believe that surrounding ourselves in beauty and aesthetics is fundamental to enhancing everyday life”. Utilizing bold color and pattern in their painting work, which incorporates tertiary colors to guide the visitor’s eye across the surface, they merge color theory compositions with colors often seen in progressive Pride flags like purple, orange, light blue, pink. As the eye travels, the artists is encouraging people to “err on the side of curiosity”—a goal meant to inspire a series of questions rather than answers.  

Color continues to be a common thread with the work of Capitol Hill artist Heather Anderson, whose third September Suicide Prevention Month commission for the Big Chair uses the purple and teal of the suicide prevention awareness to boldly share her messages of hope. Though both artists use color in different ways, there is a powerful gesture of solidarity between these two paintings.  

As the artist shares, I Hope U Stay “is meant to spark reflection and encourage conversations about mental health”. Since 2023, Anderson has worked in partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and Out of the Darkness Walks with the profound hope that sharing these messages will have real life impact for suicide prevention. Like many artists, Anderson identifies how powerful a vehicle and pathway for engagement art can be and uses her practice and this platform for “healing, remembrance, and advocacy”. Beyond a testament of hope, her work is also living tribute to her nephew Justin and son Aiden, both of whom were lost to suicide in 2020 and 2024 respectively.  

In both commissions, there is an overlapping message: you matter, you belong here, and it’s important that you stay. With different inspirations and ways of visually communicating their messages, Congressional Cemetery is grateful to Ashley Jaye Williams and Heather Anderson for so generously sharing their work with the community.  

In 2026, The Big Chair will begin to take on new commissions for other local DC-based artists.

Stay tuned for updates about the project and more information about how to participate.