Since its summer 2002 opening, Transformer has steadily made its mark on the D.C. arts scene. Around town and in its blink-and-you'll-miss-it gallery space, Transformer already has overseen an array of site-specific art installations, lecture series and performances.

Directors and co-founders Victoria Reis and Jayme McLellan hope to literally transform artists' careers -- to give them the push that can launch them locally, nationally and internationally. Although their primary focus is to help local artists, Reis and McLellan have not limited the geographic scope of the work shown in their gallery.

On its first anniversary, in an exhibition titled "Super," Transformer featured Bosnian artist Nebojsa Seric-Shoba. An illuminating video installation, his "Let Their Be Light" gives politics a global spin.

For Transformer, the emphasis is on change and freedom, diverse voices and new artistic mediums for expression. But with the unorthodox comes the traditional. Look for the flashback catalogue of Transformer's first year of exhibitions -- a catalogue slated to be an annual publication. Their upcoming Framework Field Guide will be a round-up of their speaker panel series. Check out the Web site for forthcoming events

-- Lara N. Caldwell