POW! WOW! DC Mural Festival Returns to NoMa Saturday

Photo by PoPville flickr user Peter Hershey

From a press release:

“For the third straight year, the NoMa neighborhood will transform into an Instagram dream with the return of POW! WOW! DC. The 10-day international mural festival brings artists from the D.C. region and around the globe together to adorn building walls, enliven streetscapes, and beautify the community. Attendees can expect to see a variety of mural styles and perspectives, and even witness the creative process in action, as artists will begin creating their pieces on May 5.

For POW! WOW! DC director Towles, raising the profile of murals and mural artists — and, conversely, demonstrating that D.C. is a welcoming place for this kind of creative expression — was an express goal in launching the festival. “We made it happen in 2016, and the feedback was amazing,” said Towles. “Then we did it again in 2017 and got a bigger response. And now, this year, continuing to build on the success we’ve achieved thanks to our partnership with the NoMa BID, we’re bringing in more artists than ever.”

The festival is a partnership between the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) and POW! WOW! DC, the local chapter of the worldwide POW! WOW! collective, based in Hawaii.

“We absolutely love POW! WOW! DC and look forward to hosting the festival again,” said Robin-Eve Jasper, president of the NoMa BID. “The dynamic artworks that brighten up NoMa are treasured by residents and workers, and a strong draw for visitors. And it’s been exciting to see how, every year, more property owners in the neighborhood are eager to participate by making wall space available and sponsoring the event.”

The festival kicks off on Saturday, May 5, with a noon-6:00 p.m. party at the Wunder Garten beer garden (1101 First St. NE) that will feature a makers market with D.C.-area vendors, as well as a slate of DJs. Across the street, in the lot at 1150 First St. NE, there will be live art plus a tour of all the 2018 POW! WOW! DC mural sites that will begin at 3:00 p.m. at the corner of First and Pierce streets.

Other POW! WOW! DC events that will take place during the 10-day festival:

• May 6, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: mural tour; starts at First and Pierce, ends at Wunder Garten • May 8, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.: mural tour; starts at First and Pierce, ends at Wunder Garten • May 9, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.: R.A.R.E. Digital Art Network Auction, 52 O Street Studios
• May 9, 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.: POW! WOW! DC Dance Party at U Street Music Hall
• May 10, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.: Secret Walls Live Graffiti Battle at Dock 5, Union Market
• May 12, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.: mural tour; starts at First and Pierce, ends at Wunder Garten • May 13, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.: mural tour; starts at First and Pierce, ends at Wunder Garten

The 2018 POW! WOW! DC artist roster features nine people from the D.C. region, including Towles, and 11 from elsewhere in the U.S., plus the Caribbean, England, Europe, and Japan. (Because Instagram is the social media platform of choice for mural artists, the list below includes each person’s account name.)

More information about this year’s festival, artists, and events may be found at powwowdc.com and nomabid.org/pow-wow-dc.”