As illegal graffiti continues to appear on D.C.’s streets, the D.C. Council sought a way to do more than paint over it and send the taggers to jail, only to repeat the process again and again. Council member Jim Graham’s office contacted The Midnight Forum, a non-profit with a mission to empower youth through hip-hop, through both the entertainment side as well as teaching business and life skills.
These two groups, together with Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative and Bell Multicultural High School, started Murals DC, “D.C.’s new legal graffiti initiative.” The D.C. Commission on Arts and Humanities then chose a group of talented teens, who used their artistic skills to cover up illegal graffiti tags in Ward 1 with beautiful murals of flowers, animals, and yup, even the mascot from Cluck-U Chicken (don’t fret, it’s on the establishment’s building). Dominic Painter, the manager of the Murals DC program, told is via email that he’s
proud to be involved in something that speaks directly to the youth and has also been fully supported by the DC government. Aerosol art has been a world wide accepted art form for over a decade and, although being birthed in the states, has had a difficult time gaining acceptance from the general public and government here. This can probably be attributed to the generation divide that has become evident in the current media blitz against the Hip-Hop generation. This proves that times can change so that youthful expression and artistic aesthetics can be supported by past generations. In turn, the District can be beautified and a sense of community pride can be instilled in our youth.
What better way to celebrate a community art project than to have a neighborhood block party? Head over to the Howard University parking lot on Georgia Avenue (corner of Fairmont Avenue) this Saturday at 11 a.m. to hear introductory words by Graham and representatives from all the organizations involved. Or just wait until 11:30 a.m., when you can hear DJ Kool spinning his old school hip-hop, along with other DJs, hip-hop dancers, Capoeira demonstrations, and a performance by teens from The Midnight Forum. The block party runs until 2 p.m., and will also feature large drawing boards for the kids to practice getting their artistic yearnings out legally. Murals DC will be spreading into Wards 7 and 8 soon.
