By Derek Kravitz, Washington Post Staff Writer, Sunday, July 13, 2008; Page C04
Standing in front of a giant Afrocentric mural, D.C. council member Jim Graham spoke about Ward 1'slong-standing problems with graffiti, noting the images of Malcolm X and African freedom fighters behind him as an example of artwork done right.
"We want to advance art, like this mural, not the messages of hate or gang affiliation," said Graham (D-Ward 1).
But the militant theme of the artwork on the brick wall of Sankofa Books on Georgia Avenue NW, which depicts Malcolm X with a gun, highlights an often bitter fight among residents in the area. Yesterday, a city-funded program designed to cover graffiti with murals by teenagers was begun, and residents and city officials hope it will quell debate while beautifying the area.
Three summers ago, students from nearby Howard University painted a mural featuring local residents and black leaders, including D.C. Council member and former mayor Marion Barry, on a 10-foot-tall retaining wall on Fairmont Street NW, near Georgia Avenue.
Some neighbors complained that it was an eyesore, others wanted less political imagery, and Howard officials said the students did not have permission to paint the images. City workers soon covered the mural with white paint.
A few months later, in response to that mural's removal, Sankofa Books owner Haile Gerima commissioned the mural on the brick wall of his store in the 2700 block of Georgia Avenue, a few hundred feet from the former one. "We wanted to have a piece of black history," said Gerima, who is originally from Ethiopia.
The retaining wall on Fairmont remained a blank canvas.
Enter the Midnight Forum, a hip-hop-influenced youth group that specializes in the arts in the District. The group met with residents, who wanted a mural to reflect the community's musical heritage. Duke Ellington, Melba Moore and Marvin Gaye all once called the area home.
"When we talked to people, they wanted to show the history of the area," said Dominic Painter, the forum's director. "And once we showed them what we wanted to do, they were all for it."
After a year-long pilot program, the $100,000, city-funded MuralsDC project celebrated its official start as six teenagers created the first designs at Georgia and Fairmont. Over the coming year, 12 murals will be commissioned across the city to cover graffiti.
"I used to tag some places, like my garage, but nothing like this," said Raphael Jones, 16, a sophomore atBell Multicultural High in Northwest. Yesterday, the aspiring graphic designer spent hours painting the wall white. "This is much better."
Two portions of the 50-foot-long brick wall will feature images of a trumpet player, a girl playing a guitar and a diploma-clutching graduate. The artists will use a type of oil paint that repels the spray paint typically used by taggers. William O. Howland Jr., director of the city's Department of Public Works, said the program gives teens an outlet to paint.
"This is a great way to get people truly interested in art doing something productive," Howland said.
The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities has approved designs for six locations, including at commercial sites in the 400 block of Florida Avenue NW, the 3900 block of 14th Street NW, the 1300 block of U Street NW and on a wall in the 1400 block of Meridian Place NW.
Gerima, in his Georgia Avenue bookstore, said he thought that the mural of musicians was a good idea.
"This is positive," he said. "I would've been out there protesting if it wasn't."
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