WASHINGTON -- More murals will soon pop up across the District.
Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office recently announced that the first of eight new murals had been painted in the city.
The newest mural, painted by artist Federico Frum, is located at the West Education Campus DC Public School on 14th Street NW.
Seven other murals are expected to be completed in the city by the end of September.
The murals are part of the ‘MuralsDC’ program. It is a collaborative project between the Department of Public Works, the Commission on the and Humanities and numerous talented artists in the District.
There will be 70 murals in the District, under the MuralsDC program, by the end of the summer.
Rose Jaffe has painted several murals for MuralsDC in the past. She will also paint one of the newest ones that will go up on the 700 block of Kennedy Street NW.
She said murals present a beautiful way for passersby to explore a community they might not be familiar with.
“For a community itself, it can be an amazing way for them to tell their story the way they want, through art,” Jaffe said.
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MuralsDC has been around for a little more than 10 years.
“The MuralsDC program is an effective tool for preventing graffiti vandalism and a great way to support and sustain our city’s vibrant arts culture,” said DPW Director Christopher Shorter.
When it comes to graffiti, Jaffe points out the program also provides aerosol artists another opportunity to continue doing what they love in a legal setting where they can also be paid.
However, she did point out that murals do not always provide an immediate solution to make a neighborhood more lively.
"A mural can't remedy a brand-new development that doesn't bring any culture itself,” she said. “The mural is not going to fix that, and I think there are too many development companies who do think that will be the case."
She told WUSA9 a community should be consulted about what it wants before a piece of art goes up in its local area.
“If we can include communities from the start, and have a mural be a part of that integrated process, then it will be stronger,” she said.
