AARP Hearing Center
635 North Carolina Avenue SE, Washington, D.C.
Photo by Geoff Alexander
Created by artist Aniekan Udofia, the mural "Mermaid" floats across the entrance to the William Rumsey Aquatic Facility. It was created in 2014 as part of MuralsDC, a project funded by the district's Department of Public Works in cooperation with the arts and humanities commission. Although the program typically selects locations that are targets of or are at risk for graffiti, building owners are invited to offer the use of their walls.
837 Jersey Avenue, Jersey City, New Jersey
Photo by Corinne Stanton
Located across the Hudson River from downtown Manhattan, Jersey City launched a mural program in 2013 to "create an outdoor gallery citywide," the Jersey Journal reported, "showcasing the works of local, national and international artists." Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra created his 180-foot-tall, kaleidoscopic spray-painted mural in 2016, a few months after singer David Bowie's death. Mayor Steve Fulop called the towering tribute, which accurately captures the musician's unique gaze, "an iconic image that will draw people here to visit the mural and our entire collection of outdoor art."
112 E. Main Street, Marion, Virginia
Photo by Geoff Alexander
The Song of the Mountains concert series of "old-time" and bluegrass music is staged at The Lincoln Theatre and broadcast on select PBS stations. The mural, by painter and show host Tim White, is on the side of Hester's Country Store & Fudgery, which is located near the historic theater. After opening in 1929, the theater was closed and abandoned in 1977, then reopened in 2004 thanks to the advocacy of local residents.
Near 308 7th Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Photo by Melissa Stanton
Located on the side of the city-run Smithfield-Liberty parking garage, "Yesterday's Tomorrow" is a nearly 3,000-square-foot transportation-themed work of art. "There's sidewalks zig-zagging everywhere throughout the piece," artist Brian Holderman told the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette in 2006. "That's kind of an homage to the oldest form of transportation, which is your feet." The mural was financed by the nonprofit Sprout Fund to "sprinkle the city with art," the paper reported.
2855 Tremont Place, Denver, Colorado
Photo by Geoff Alexander
Created in 2015 by artist Frank Garza, the mural "No Shoes Too Big" is a tribute to the ethnic diversity of the city's Five Points neighborhood. The local news and culture guide Westword describes the work as a “first of its kind in Denver, putting a cloth-like material coating called Polytab on the wall beneath the paint, to ensure that the brick and rest of the exterior is not damaged.”
5600 E. Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC
Photo by Melissa Stanton
Maya Angelou, the late poet, author and civil rights activist, is present throughout the young adult learning center named in her honor. The mural at the high school wing's entrance was created in 2019 by artist Eric B. Ricks and, contrary to what viewers might assume, isn't solely an homage to Angelou's celebrated memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. “The main motif is a bird feeding a younger bird because she’s nurturing the young mind and this is where you are feeding the mind," Ricks told WJLA-TV. The quotation on the wall is by Angelou and reads: "If you're always trying to be normal you will never know how Amazing you can be."
