DCist, admittedly, was not in love with the first ArtWalk, the large installation of murals on the old convention center site at 10th St. between New York Ave. and H St., NW. The third edition of ArtWalk opened this afternoon, and while we still have many of the prior complaints about the space (Astroturf is unnecessary, and the backstops with tarps that make up the walkway are far from aesthetically pleasing), the artwork itself is much better this year, and some of it is actually very good.

The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities decided on Emerge for this year’s theme to correspond with the impending transformation of the space (buildings and condos are scheduled to be built on the site starting next January). This is the final ArtWalk due to these changes, and it is probably the most successful one of the three, with more hits than misses. The twelve 6′ x 24′ murals range in media from photography to painting to screen-printing, and the majority of the artists are from the Washington metro area, while two are from Philadelphia.

Nascent Flight by Michele de la Menardiere