Moving from Minneapolis to DC was a culture shock in many, many ways (mainly, business wear, blogs, and excessive amounts of networking), but the lack of street art really cast the biggest blow. Inventive, expressive, angry, or beautiful, graffiti captures the mood of a city. Plus, when walking is your main mode of transportation, it just gives you something new to look at. More and more, this seems to be changing (see the giant George Washington on our block), as DC slowly sheds its sterile “national capital” image and embraces more local artists.
City Paper is speeding along the process with their current “Streetbox Contest.” They’ve turned over 10 of their streetboxes to Pyramid Atlantic artists (including our own Elizabeth Graeber!!!), and let them go wild. You can check them all out online, or wander around DC and see them in person. They even supply a map of where each is located. It’s an awesome, local artist scavenger hunt! Vote for your favorite, and support the beautification of Washington, DC.
And here’s an up close and personal look at Elizabeth’s:
This is my other favorite, by local artist Cara Hunt:
