Murals of Washington DC

Hello Out There:

Our blog is back up and running–

American Dreams & Associates, Inc., in partnership with City Arts, Inc., has received another $5,000 grant to support documentation of 10 new murals for diplay on our website over the next year. In advance of next week’s kickoff meeting, we are seeking suggestions for the additional murals. Our original site showcases 25 murals, five in each of five different categories: Beginnings, The Greats, Neighborhood Anchors, New, and Mural Graveyard.

Our concept is to place the new murals in the appropriate existing categories–ideas so far are:

1. From Model to Rainbow–Sam Gilliam, 2011, Takoma Park metro–a vibrant abstract piece by a major local artist, first to be documented in Takoma Park

Diamond Teague Memorial–Recently completed by Byron Peck to honor the memory of Diamond Teague, a Youth Conservation Corp youth who was murdered in 2003

Red Line Mural–near Catholic U and waste treatment plant–honors environment–Words, Beats, Life

Parkview Stories–Restoration//revision of old and fading Parkview mural, blends themes of diversity and black pride

Another I am following up is being sponsored by Hope House, an addiction recovery facility located in Maryland. The mural will be designed and painted by youth–am checking into location this week.

Would appreciate feedback–we are seeking community in-put.

Perry Frank
202-997-3011
perryf12@gmail.com

DC Murals: Spectacle and Story, is seeking suggestions from the community for new murals to be documented and uploaded in the fall. We will definitely capture Sam Gilliam’s recently dedicated mural at the Takoma Park metro; our website partner Byron Peck is working on a new installation slated for completion over the next few months, as well. I’d also like to include Takoma Green–the Words, Beats, & Life Redline project is great. I’m looking for several more–10 in all, for Phase II of our documentation project.

I’m thrilled with the response to our initial blog post–as a result of my outreach, we were able to contact and interview Norris Vassell, one of the original youth participants in the CETA-sponsored mural project led by the late “Big Al” Carter at Marie Reed School site in 1982. Norris has provided wonderful photos of the mural taking shape, as well as a wealth of information for our commentary.

I was in DC researching during June and July–among other amazing things, I spoke with Laurenellen McCann, who is managing the ArtsAround project, to discuss cross-listings and collaboration. Another high point was connecting with independent filmmaker Arlene Grant, who is working on a documentary about murals and graffiti. Arlene interviewed me and plans to include footage about our project in the film.

As you can see, we are still a work in progress–by the time the new images are up, the 25 featured murals currently on the site will include the “stories” behind the works–explanatory text linking the art with neighborhood, national, and global history, as well as the various aesthetic traditions represented in Washington’s rich oeuvre of outdoor murals.

We are seeking comments, critiques, and ideas that will enlarge our vision and help make the website the important resource it can become.

For those who don’t know, I’ve been living in Florida since January, but am returning to DC permanently the first week of September–in large part, to enable my continued work on the DC mural documentation project that I began 14 years ago.

Perry Frank
202-997-3011 cell
352-475-9653 FL number
perryf12@gmail.com

HELLO OUT THERE:

To those who have discovered our partially completed website: American Dreams & Associates, Inc., in partnership with City Arts, Inc., and with partial funding from the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, began work on this website in 2010. We loaded approximately 25 featured murals organized into five major categories onto the site. Many visitors will recognize these iconic local landmarks–the text to come will provide information about the artists, sponsors, designs, and meaning of the pieces.

Inevitably, we are making some changes as we finalize the first edition of the site. We need some help from the community to correctly ID and describe one of the last murals we have researched– a work carried out as a Summer Youth project and funded under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA–USDept. of Labor) of the 1970s and early ’80s.

The Latino/cubist style mural still exists on the back or side of the Marie Reed Elementary School located in Adams Morgan at 2200 Champlain St., NW. The image is not yet up on our site, but will be soon–it was created in the early 1980s by students working under the supervision of Allen Carter– “Big Al”– a prolific and important DC artist who died a few years ago. I believe the mural is untitled and undated, and it’s difficult to find records relating to it. However, the plaque to the side credits the youth who worked on it as follows:

Enrique Aviles; Bernard F. Carter, Jr. (possible relative of Big Al?); Judith C. Miller; Maribel Molina; Nikita F. Morris; Richard McQueen; Luis Rosales; Diego Silva; Rual Willarreal; Marcos Vilar; Norris A. Vassell; and Ligia M. Becker. I was unable to locate contact information for these individuals through an electronic search, with the exception of Bernard Carter, who appears to have an unlisted phone number in the District.

I would so much appreciate hearing from any of the participants in this project so that I can provide information about the theme, method of construction, impressions of youth artists, etc. Will those with information please post to the blog, e-mail, or call–

Perry Frank
352-475-9653 home
202-997-3011 cell
perryf12@gmail.com

Welcome to the www.DCmurals.info blog. Our website is the latest phase pf a project begun in 1997 to document the contemporary outdoor murals in the nation’s capital. We envision the blog as a forum for lively discussion where artists. educators, sponsors, community groups, and fans can comment on murals about town and offer corrections and additional information for our website.

Welcome to the new  Murals of Washington DC blog!