Free Music: The Illusion of Liberation

A collaborative music and arts exhibition led by Michael Bowie of Distrik Kollective, mixed-media artist Khadija Jahmila, and Eaton House, the project brings together DMV musicians and visual artists to examine the paradox of “free music” in the digital age, where access seems unlimited but artists remain financially and creatively constrained.

Music has long been a force of freedom, resistance, refuge, and change. Yet in the digital age, where access feels limitless, artists remain bound by an industry that capitalizes on their work. The show confronts the contradiction of creative freedom, exposing how corporate control and economic inequity limit artistic autonomy.

Streaming platforms and cultural commodification force artists to navigate a landscape where their work is consumed but rarely compensated. Through visual art and sound, the exhibition reveals the unseen labor, cultural erasure, and financial constraints that shape the artist’s reality.

More than a critique, the exhibition is a reclamation of artistic autonomy and creative agency.

MEET THE CURATORS

Khadija Jahmila is an Afro-Caribbean mixed-media artist, creative entrepreneur, and art educator whose work blends hand-cut paper and digital collage to explore Afrofuturistic themes, surrealism, and cultural memory. Her vibrant compositions celebrate the humanity, beauty, and otherworldliness of the African diaspora, merging the speculative with the historical to construct layered visual worlds.
She was the Season Artist for Baltimore Center Stage’s 2024–2025 season, creating visuals for six productions in close collaboration with directors and playwrights. A 2025 Eaton House Resident, Jahmila is developing original programming for the hotel and the greater DC area. Her work has been exhibited at venues including Eaton DC, Waller Gallery, 11:Eleven Gallery, and VisArts, and featured in publications such as Voyage Baltimore and District Fray.
She facilitates experimental collage workshops across communities and co-leads creative sessions for adults living with dementia and their care partners. Grounded in accessibility, storytelling, and transformation, Jahmila received the NextGen Award from VisArts in 2020.
Michael Bowie is a virtuoso musician with a career that spans across genres and continents. Hailing from the vibrant jazz and gospel community of Washington D.C., Michael's talent on both the electric and contrabass has garnered him international recognition. With accolades such as the National Endowment of the Arts Award in Jazz Studies and training under legends like Betty Carter and Keter Betts, Michael's musical journey has been nothing short of extraordinary.
As an original member of "The Harper Brothers" signed with Verve Records, Michael has shared the stage and studio with icons like Abdullah Ibrahim, Michel Pettruciani, Betty Carter, with whom he won a Grammy, and many more. His versatility as a musician has allowed him to seamlessly transition between jazz, symphony, rock, and beyond, working with a diverse range of artists such as Patti Labelle, James Ingram, Abbey Lincoln, and Isaac Hayes.
Beyond his impressive performance resume, Michael is deeply committed to music education and community enrichment. From teaching in D.C. public schools to lecturing at prestigious institutions like Shenandoah Conservatory and University of Missouri, Michael's passion for nurturing young talent is evident. He currently serves as the Musical Director for the Blues Alley Youth Orchestra, Bass tech teacher at the Duke Ellington School for the Arts, and a teaching artist with the Washington Performing Arts Society.
In addition to his work in education, Michael is the founder of the non-profit, Distrik Kollective, a company dedicated to empowering artists through educational workshops and events. His dedication to giving back to the community and fostering the next generation of musicians is a testament to his unwavering commitment to the power of music.
With a career that spans decades and continents, Michael Bowie continues to inspire and uplift audiences with his unparalleled talent and unwavering dedication to the art of music.