WASHINGTON — No part of D.C. was immune to the financial devastation of COVID-19, but a new outdoor art exhibit aims to ease some of the burdens on Adams Morgan businesses.
AdMo Art Walk features the work of nearly a dozen Adams Morgan artists. Visitors can see their artwork displayed in restaurant and business windows throughout the Northwest D.C. neighborhood.
For Jessica Beels, it's a chance to use her art to benefit businesses she's frequented for years.
"We're family," she said. "And sometimes literally!"
Kristen Barden is the executive director of the Adams Morgan Partnership BID. Her organization put the Art Walk together.
"We're really hoping to draw...people in a socially distant, responsible way," she said.
According to her, COVID-19 forced six AdMo businesses to close. Six others opened during the pandemic.
Barden hopes the Art Walk helps new and old businesses alike.
The goal is to use art to encourage visitors to explore more of the area and to spend more of their money at AdMo shops that need it.
Artist Jessica Beels is glad to be a part of the project. She's lived in Adams Morgan for years and says watching local businesses struggle throughout the pandemic was difficult.
"It's been really hard because I've lived here a long time and we know a lot of the business owners in the neighborhood," she said.
There's a possible financial benefit for the artists, too: all of the work displayed is available for purchase.
But just as the pandemic pushed so many Americans to try new hobbies, Sarah J. Hull also hopes her work inspires others of all ability levels to exercise their own creative muscles.
"Art is not just for the professionals," she said. "It's for everyone. It's a way to just have fun. There's no rules in it."
Pat Goslee, another featured artist, said making art can even be restorative.
"The pandemic has made us all realize how we're all interconnected," she said.
The AdMo Art Walk began on April 12 and runs through May 14.