Three New Murals Bring Color & Life to Friendship Heights
Three New Murals Bring Color & Life to Friendship Heights
WASHINGTON, DC, January 9, 2025 — Three new murals are completed in Friendship Heights, bringing bright colors and shapes to gateway spots during the darkest months of the year.
Managed and funded by the Friendship Heights Alliance, these three works of art bring the neighborhood total to six murals. “With its unique location, Friendship Heights is a gateway between DC and Montgomery County,” said Natalie Avery, Executive Director of the Friendship Heights Alliance. “Creating beautiful pockets of delight in large-scale form is one of the many ways our placemaking program helps to beautify and elevate the neighborhood as it experiences new growth and exciting changes.”
Lord & Taylor Facade: Splitting Light at 5255 Western Avenue NW in DC
The Alliance worked with Metro’s Art in Transit program to install a new mural on Metro property in the iconic arched doorways of the former Lord & Taylor building. Splitting Light includes seven, 17-foot-tall panels that fill the arches over the doorways fronting Western Avenue. Splitting Light was painted and designed by Jessie Unterhalter and Katey Truhn, the Baltimore-based artist team better known as Jessie and Katey. “The piece harmonizes a bold geometric pattern inspired by the existing architectural forms. Each arch is divided to capture the interplay of light and shadow, with gradients and colors that flow across the piece, evoking a sense of movement and energy,” wrote the artists in their statement. So as not to disturb the actual facade, the piece was painted in Baltimore on plywood panels, then installed by the team at Pipkin Creative.
The Chevy Chase Land Company: Two Facades at 2 Wisconsin Circle in MD
The Alliance partnered with The Chevy Chase Land Company to install two murals on either side of 2 Wisconsin Circle, the building above the bus turnaround and one of the five Metrorail entrances. Known as the Metro Building, 2 Wisconsin Circle occupies a prime spot at the corner of Western, Military, and Wisconsin, with high visibility from pedestrians, transit riders, and drivers.
“These vibrant murals reflect our commitment to fostering creativity and enhancing the sense of community in Friendship Heights,” said John Ziegenhein, CEO of The Chevy Chase Land Company. “By transforming our spaces with compelling art, we aim to inspire connection and create a welcoming environment for residents, visitors, and businesses alike."
Pipkin Creative also sourced these two murals, which total 1,020 SF, and brought Tampa Bay-based artist Cecilia Lueza into the project for design. The untitled work includes bright swaths of paint that evoke natural elements, the effects of color, and movement. “I strive to create visual narratives that evoke a feeling of wonder and contemplation while providing a memorable experience for the viewer,” Lueza said in a statement. The two murals were installed by award-winning local artist Juan Pineda.
Learn more about the growing murals program in Friendship Heights here.
About the Friendship Heights Alliance
The Friendship Heights Alliance envisions a more vibrant, dynamic, and inclusive future for Friendship Heights, with diversity in housing opportunities and retail experiences, and a people-friendly public realm. This place-focused nonprofit coordinates the community building needed to reinvigorate Friendship Heights, focusing on the commercial corridor along Wisconsin Avenue from Oliver Street in Montgomery County, Maryland, to Fessenden Street NW in Washington, DC. The Alliance is a 501(c)6 nonprofit created in 2021 to focus on public space management and coordination; increase collaboration amongst property owners in both Maryland and Washington, DC, as development continues; promote the neighborhood; and engage with residents and businesses. For more information or to get involved, contact hello@friendshipheights.com, visit friendshipheights.com, or follow the organization on Instagram @FriendshipHeightsAlliance.
About Art in Transit
The Art in Transit Program of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority incorporates visual and performing arts into the Metrorail system to enhance the experience of customers, the communities it serves, and the Capital region at large. It does so by utilizing the Metro transit environment as a place where customers and the public can enjoy the arts as a regular part of their daily lives and by contributing to the dynamic cultural and artistic scene of the Capital region. The Art in Transit program recognizes, values, and celebrates the communities it serves; encourages public-private partnerships to support art projects that may not be achieved independently; mitigates the impact of construction on surrounding communities by incorporating visual artwork into the preparation and building phases of new transit projects, and increases enthusiasm for and support of Metro and its interest in serving the public.
The Art in Transit Program works with visual and performing artists, other arts professionals, architects, engineers, community organizations and representatives, and jurisdictional arts councils to develop projects and performances that reflect the spirit and vitality of communities served by Metro. For more information, visit https://www.wmata.com/initiatives/art-in-transit/
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For Immediate Release
Media Contact
Rachel L. Davis