POW! WOW! DC Mural Festival Returns to NoMa for Third Year
WASHINGTON (PRWEB) April 28, 2018 -- For the third year, the NoMa neighborhood will transform into an Instagram dream, with the return of POW! WOW! DC. The 10-day international mural festival brings artists from the D.C. region and around the globe together to adorn building walls and enliven streetscapes, and beautify the community. Attendees can expect to see a variety of styles and perspectives and even see the creative process in action, as artists will begin creating their pieces on May 5th.
For POW! WOW! DC director Towles, raising the profile of murals and mural artists — and, conversely, demonstrating that D.C. is a welcoming place for this kind of creative expression — was an express goal in launching the festival. “We made it happen in 2016, and the feedback was amazing,” said Towles. “Then we did it again in 2017 and got an even bigger response. And now, this year, continuing to build on the success we’ve achieved thanks to our partnership with the BID, we’re bringing in more artists than ever.”
The festival is a partnership between the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) and POW! WOW! DC, the local chapter of the worldwide POW! WOW! collective, based in Hawaii.
“We absolutely love POW! WOW! DC and look forward to hosting the festival again,” said Robin-Eve Jasper, president of the NoMa BID. “The dynamic artworks that brighten up NoMa are treasured by residents and workers, and a strong draw for visitors. And it’s been exciting to see how, every year, more property owners in the neighborhood are eager to participate by making wall space available and sponsoring the event.”
The 2018 POW! WOW! DC artist roster features eight people from the D.C. region, including Towles, and 11 from elsewhere in the U.S., plus the Caribbean, England, Europe, and Japan. (Because Instagram is the social media platform of choice for mural artists, the list below includes each person’s account name.)
Visiting Artists
• Rylsee (Cyril Vouilloz), Berlin + Geneva, @rylsee
• Richt (Rich Thorne), Bristol, England, @richtpaint
• Mari Inukai, Japan, @marillavanilla
• Jeff Gress, Hawaii, @pro_gress
• Taj Tenfold (Taj Francis), Kingston, Jamaica, @tajfrancis
• Birdcap (Michael Roy), Memphis, TN, @birdcap
• Johan Moorman, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, @johan_moorman
• Mike Murphy/Perceptual Art, Brooklyn, @perceptual_art
• Joys (Cristian Bovo), Padova, Italy, @joys_ead
• LAP (Luis Alberto Pérez), Ponce, Puerto Rico, @lapstract
• Wingchow (Christina Wing Chow), Richmond, VA, @wing.chow
Local Artists
• Golden Rabbit Silent Monkey (Henley Bounkhong), Silver Spring, MD + Providence, RI, @goldenrabbitsilentmonkey
• Kate Fleming, Arlington, VA, @kateflemingpaintings
• Asad “Ultra” Walker, Washington, DC, @asadultrawalker
• CRI (Juan Pineda), Washington, DC, @criomatic_designs
BROCOLOCO - Washington, DC, @thebrocoloco
• Marcella Kriebel, Washington, DC, @marcellakriebel
• No Kings Collective (Brandon Hill + Peter Chang), @nokingsdc
• Zunzima (Takashi Nakajima), Washington, DC, @zunzima
• Kelly Towles, Washington, DC, @kellytowles
The festival kicks off on Saturday, May 5, with a noon–6:00 p.m. party at the Wunder Garten beer garden (1101 First St. NE) that will feature a makers market with D.C.-area vendors, as well as a slate of DJs. Across the street, in the lot at 1150 First St. NE, local artists Frida Larios (@fridalarious), Marly Mcfly (Marlon Diggs; @marly_mcfly87), and Spectrum Studio (Hanna Moran, Lindy Swan, Mary Grace Corpus; @spectrummurals) will be creating art on large wooden boxes. There will also be a participatory live art wall, plus a tour of all the 2018 POW! WOW! DC mural sites that will begin at 3:00 p.m. at the corner of First and Pierce streets.
Other POW! WOW! DC events that will take place during the 10-day festival:
• May 6, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: mural tour; starts at First and Pierce, ends at Wunder Garten
• May 8, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.: mural tour; starts at First and Pierce, ends at Wunder Garten
• May 9, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.: R.A.R.E. Digital Art Network Auction, 52 O Street Studios
• May 9, 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.: POW! WOW! DC Dance Party at U Street Music Hall
• May 10, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.: Secret Walls Live Graffiti Battle at Dock 5, Union Market
• May 12, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.: mural tour; starts at First and Pierce, ends at Wunder Garten
• May 13, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.: mural tour; starts at First and Pierce, ends at Wunder Garten
More information about this year’s festival, artists, and events may be found at powwowdc.com and nomabid.org/pow-wow-dc.
POW! WOW! DC 2018 / Presented by Heineken and In Partnership with the NoMa BID
Sponsored by Graco, Hyatt Place, Sherwin-Williams, Herc Rentals, Montana Cans, Dock5, Skanska, R.A.R.E. Art Labs, ’47, Monster Energy, Olukai, WMATA, 1xRUN, 100KApartments of Equity Residential, JBG Smith, Wunder Garten, U Street Music Hall, Holy Bones Studio, &pizza, Pow Pow, sweetgreen, Takorean, CAVA, Nando's PERi-PERi, RASA, honeygrow, Red Apron, Maketto, Venom Steel, Kind Snacks, Oakley, Yarndi, Craft Kombucha, Treason Toting, Trader Joe’s
About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, growing neighborhood in Washington, D.C., nestled among Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, Shaw, Union Market, and the H Street NE corridor. Already, NoMa has more than 18 million square feet of commercial and residential space, and almost 40 percent of NoMa’s office space is home to private sector tenants, including major media, technology, and think tank organizations. Each day, more than 100,000 people are out and about in NoMa’s commercial core. Through a public-private partnership with the D.C. government, the neighborhood will soon have great new parks and public spaces—an important development, as NoMa now contains 4,800 new apartments, and more than 54,000 people work here each day. NoMa is also the District’s most connected neighborhood, with a Walk Score of 94, stellar cycling infrastructure, unparalleled rail options, two Metro stops, and vehicular access to major highways. The NoMa BID organizes and sponsors dozens of free community events each year and also maintains a free outdoor WiFi network. For more information about NoMa, visit nomabid.org and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter. Follow us on Twitter (@NoMaBID) and Instagram (@noma.bid), and like us on Facebook.
About POW! WOW! Worldwide
The name POW! WOW! was inspired from the color-filled pages of comic books. “POW!” being the impact that art has on a person — a punch in the face, something that surprised you. “WOW!” being the reaction that art has on a viewer. Together they form POW! WOW!, a term which describes a gathering that celebrates culture, music and art. This event represents the core mission of POW! WOW!: to beautify, educate and bring people together through the power of art. Since its 2010 founding in Hawai’i, POW! WOW! has expanded and grown into a global network of artists. It organizes the production of art, exhibitions, lecture series, creative community spaces, schools for art and music, concerts, and live art installations across the globe. powwowhawaii.com / @powwowworldwide on Twitter and Instagram / @powwowhawaii on Facebook
Kelly Towles, POW! WOW! Washington DC 2018, https://www.powwowdc.com/, +1 5042158452, [email protected]
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