10 New Murals coming around town as part of the MuralsDC program

Photo by PoPville flickr user Gerry Suchy

From a press release:

“The Department of Public Works (DPW) and the Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) will paint 10 additional murals as part of its collaborative MuralsDC program. This week murals began on the alley wall of 624 T Street, NW, adjacent to the Howard Theatre and at 1210 V Street NW, adjacent to the Ben’s Chili Bowl mural in Ben Ali Way. This summer, MuralsDC celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a new mural on the wall of Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street.

“We achieved our goal this year to complete 10 new mural sites to add vibrancy to District neighborhoods in every quadrant of the city and give District residents and visitors beautiful art to enjoy and admire,” said DPW Director Christopher Shorter. “I want to thank all of the property owners who donated walls to help keep DC corridors beautiful and revitalized.

The mural at 624 T Street, NW, which is being painted by local artists Kate DeCiccio and Rose Jaffe, was donated by Right Proper restaurant. From 1910 to 1923, the building housed Frank Holliday’s Pool Hall, which was frequented by a teenage Duke Ellington, other musicians and African Americans from all walks of life.

The mural at 1210 V Street, a condominium in northwest, is being painted by Alberto Clerencia from Madrid, Spain and promotes message of unity and cohesion.

MuralsDC is one of several tools DPW employs to curb graffiti vandalism in the District. Since 2007, the program has installed murals in every ward of the District. This year, Mayor Bowser called on District residents and property owners to help identify MuralsDC sites. CAH also increased funding this year to celebrate a decade of murals.

“For 10 years, MuralsDC has enriched the city’s landscape with colorful monuments and provided original backdrops for everything from photo selfies, to music videos, to weddings,” said CAH Executive Director Arthur Espinoza. “But most important to CAH is that we have helped to build the portfolio of many of our local artists and provided them opportunities that have contributed to their success.”

The remaining murals, which will begin later this month in wards 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8, are as follows:

Update: 2107 11th St, NW also by Artist Skyler Kelly