Met Branch Trail Mural: Before & After
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Check out more shots and the community that helped to paint these murals here.
My Day on the Trail
It was super rockin! Unbelievably hot and muggy, but the community spirit overcame the weather. Many folks stopped by to paint a few brush strokes, some staying for hours to leave their mark on the mural. All ages too, and all totally enthusiastic. It was a reaffirming kind of experience - and it reinforced the importance of community involvement in art and place. Here are some snap shots of the day… I’ll post a Flickr album once the mural is complete.
Prepping for Public Trail Mural
Today I primed two stone seating areas along DC’s new Met Branch Trail. All I was doing was painting these things white, but it instigated a lot of smiles, thank yous, and conversations with the trail users.
The big issue is that everything on this trail gets tagged within nano seconds of its placement. I am hoping these stay relatively clean through the night, since tomorrow is the big painting day. If you are available, come and meet the trail- tomorrow, Saturday, June 5, from 10am to 2pm. You can paint with me, or just enjoy the trail and community! Lots of activities going on…
Here’s some pics of today’s venture…. The before, tagged version of one of the benches:
Here it is prepped for some bright art to be added tomorrow:
Mural Scouting: New One on H Street
Snapped this mural from a car window as we drove by it on our way from our old Cap Hill row house to meet the landlords at our new Eckington apartment. This mural is on 10th & H NE, and looks like a celebration of H Street’s vibrancy. I’ll have to go back for a closer look though…
Michelle Obama: mural painter! » link
The First Lady gets involved in a mural painting and other community revitilization projects in DC.
DC mural gets flack for not enough community input » link
A mural in this DC park was proposed to the community via listserv - a move that some residents resent. They say many people didn’t even know about the mural until after it was painted, and were thereby not able to put in any of their own opinions and desires for what they would like in their park…. On the other hand, with a small budget and super tight time frame, this is what the process allowed for.
Lessons learned: Even if you only have a month between the time the project is approved and the painting starts, reach out to the community through multiple avenues. Listservs are a good idea. But add to that. Post a sign, leave a number or email address for people to comment on. Figure out what themes are important to them. Somehow allow the community to take ownership of their art.
Scenes from “Give Me a Vote” Mural Jam
Albus Cavus hosted a mural jam yesterday in Edgewood centering on DC’s fight for a vote. The concept is that each artist creates a hand on the mural. Met lots of cool folks, and used spray paint for the first time - totally rockin!
Mural Scouting: Lines of Colorful Figures on H St
Brilliantly colorful abstracted human figures line H Street NE right behind Union Station. Many of these mosaic figures have dedications, posted on plaques on their panel. A great mural close by to public transportation, and a gateway for visitors entering the H St NE corridor – a strip which is flowering with all sorts of new establishments from coffee shops to a bar that offers mini golf.
Sketches for Takoma Park Mural Unveiled » link
Metro just released the designs for two upcoming public artworks coming to the area. DC artist Sam Gilliam will be presenting his colorful art as a public mural near the Takoma Park metro station. In addition, Michael Sirvet will install his beautiful sculptural artwork at the Farragut West metro station.
