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Catalogue Blog

A Colorful Addition

By Marie LeBlanc, Community Partnerships Coordinator

The brick wall of a small alley just off U Street, between 12th and 13th streets in Northwest Washington, looks a little brighter these days. You might recognize that block as the home of a DC institution — Ben’s Chili Bowl — but another, newer DC institution has spent the past few weeks making its mark on that same corner. Catalogue nonprofit Words Beats & Life Inc., a member of the Washington-based partnership Murals DC, worked with renowned local visual artist Aniekan Udofia and Ben’s Chili Bowl to plan for and create a striking new mural, which features the faces of Bill Cosby, President Obama, Donnie Simpson, and Chuck Brown. According to the Washington Post, “the mural is a tremendous example of what happens when government and nonprofit groups work together.” The work of art has so far received a positive reception from the public, despite the push-back that graffiti-based street art has faced in the past.

Murals DC tackles this (mis)conception of street art head on. Their mission is to “help replace illegal graffiti with artistic works, to revitalize sites within the community, and to teach young people the art of aerosol painting”, and in doing so, “positively impact the District’s youth by providing them with the resources they need to engage in this project.” Words Beats & Life Inc. plays an important role in this collaboration, as a nonprofit partner working with several offices of the DC government. WBL Inc focuses more broadly on the role of popular, urban art (including music mixing and break dancing, as well as graffiti art) as a positive force in the lives of youth.

Washington isn’t the only city to embrace street art in recent years. The New York Times recently profiled an Atlanta-based organization called Living Walls that “commissions artists to spruce up recession-hit neighborhoods” around Atlanta. In 2012, its third year, Living Walls commissioned works only from female artists, with the goal of “ the creations, in aerosol and latex paint, of women from around the world, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Italy and Spain.”

In the District, another Catalogue nonprofit also supports the development of a public art culture. City Arts “creates vibrant public murals and mosaics in Washington, DC and beyond through a collaborative process with community members.” Check out both City Arts and WBL Inc in Catalogue’s online nonprofit catalogue for more information about how to support their work and help brighten Washington’s public spaces.

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