Public art brings life and beauty to a place. The Friendship Heights Alliance has hired local artists and worked with property owners to install three new murals in the neighborhood. 

Pepco Wall, 5210 Wisconsin Ave. NW

The lengthy, 123-foot wall adjacent to the Pepco substation consisted of an unusual striated material and presented a blank, empty scene to passersby at a highly visible spot in the neighborhood. The Alliance worked with Pipkin Creative and Baltimore-based artist Justin Nethercut to create a gorgeous, eye-catching natural scene with aerosol and paint sprayer applications. 

Title: Eastern Migration
Artist's Statement: This piece blended local native birds and plant species with a blue-ridged mountain backdrop, bringing naturescapes found less than an hour away into the cityscape. The featured birds from left to right are a peregrine falcon, an eastern bluebird, and a blue heron. The changing sky, painted with a paint sprayer, represents the change in sky colors throughout the seasons as the birds migrate south. Tag the artist @nether410.

Dog Coop, 5205 Wisconsin Ave. NW

While the Dog Coop is under construction at 5205 Wisconsin Avenue NW (the former Paul's Liquor Store), plywood became a magnet for graffiti. The Alliance worked with Pipkin Creative and artist Juan Pineda to create a colorful, dog-themed mural. Pineda created the mural in his studio on 8'x4' plywood panels that can be removed and placed elsewhere once construction is finished. Tag the artist @criomatic. 

Crunch Fitness, 5100 Wisconsin Ave. NW

After installing comfortable furniture and planters in an empty planter box right in front of Crunch Fitness, the Alliance worked with Pipkin Creative and artist Luther Wright to create a bright mural along the window to hide office paraphernalia and enliven the space. The artist team coordinated with Crunch's in-house chalk artist (check out their sidewalk signs!) and came up with a flowing, colorful representation of the Crunch mantra "Good Vibes Only." Completed in late 2022. Tag the artist @lutherwrightart.

Tag Pipkin Creative @pipkincreative.