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Edgewood Mural by Albus Cavus

Sarah Massey, (202) 518 6186, sarah@massey-media.com

Friday July 17, 2009

Transitions, Transportation and Transformation in Edgewood

(Washington, DC) -- Usually, when commuters step off the train at the Rhode Island Metro Station, they are greeted by shopping outlets, street traffic, and a vast stretch of concrete. However, as of this week, travelers are starting to see change. What was pockmarked and covered in grime, a vast stretch of wall in the parking lot west of the station now gleams white. Albus Cavus and 45 DC youth, with the help of artists Pose 2, Quest Skinner, Decoy, Joshua Mays and Chor Boogie, and in conjunction with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Summer Youth Employment Program, have begun the transformation of a parking lot into a work of public art.

Today, the wall exists as a blank canvas, waiting for the ideas of the artists, participants, and community to traverse its surface. The artists and participants have collaborated to create a plan for the 300-foot wall, considering the history and timeline of the Edgewood neighborhood during a period of transition. "We've talked to the people who live in Edgewood and the young people who are working on the designs and painting with us. Everyone is excited to see their ideas included in the mural," artist Alicia "Decoy" Cosnahan explained. By soliciting input from the community, the mural becomes a piece of art that is owned by the community, not the individual.

A significant part of the mural plan is to bring together the people and places of DC. Through paint, the wall will present images that are singularly DC, yet are defined by the artists' personalities, as well as the neighborhood's. The wall will be a veritable collage of viewpoints. "Through this mural and in this space, the whole city is interconnected. DC's young, the old, and everyone in between is involved in the Edgewood mural and gets to be a part of what they want to see in the city," artist Quest Skinner said.

On August 15, Albus Cavus is hosting a “mural jam” for local artists to contribute their work and extend the mural down the sprawling wall to the street. On August 22, the mural will be unveiled at a Public Opening. The event invites the community to learn and appreciate the artwork and will feature live music, deejays, giveaways and an artist market.

The mural will be transforming lives and helping the neighborhood transition towards its potential. The new Metropolitan Branch Trail will run alongside the mural, bringing cycle wheels, rollerblades, and jogging shoes to the neighborhood. When the mural is complete, the grey wall seen from the Rhode Island Metro stop will have ceased to exist. In its place, colors and designs will have appeared, wheeling across the wall. It will have transcended artistic ownership and be a gift to the Edgewood and greater DC community. Artist Quest Skinner concluded, "Our goal in life is not just to express ourselves but to give our natural gifts to the public."