You can restore a Mondrian this weekend. Well, a mural in the style of Mondrian, anyway.
After a break the weekend of July 31st, Commissioner Brian Ready (6B03) is back on top of the effort to restore the murals painted on the underpass below Highway 395, where Virginia Avenue and Sixth Street SE meet.
The next event will be August 7th from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. Volunteers will continue the work to clear the way to painting the mural.
At this event, volunteers will ontinue to prepare the walls for painting. The peeling and graffiti areas must be scraped and sanded to provide a smooth surface for painting. We will also sweep up the removed paint peelings from the ground. All skill levels are welcome.
A plaque on site attributes the work to local DC public artist Byron Peck, making it one of the earliest of his 80 murals throughout the city. According to George Mason sociologist and blogger Johanna Bockman, a Capitol Hill resident, the murals were painted between 1988 and 1992, as a tribute to the work of Piet Mondrian. The Dutch modernist painter is known for his simple square designs. A companion mural was painted on the Ellen Wilson building, formerly located to the south of the murals. The building was demolished in 1996.
Volunteers should meet under the 395 Expressway at Virginia Ave and Sixth Street SE a 9 a.m. They will be provided with tools, masks, and water. Dress confortable in outdoor working clothing. Work will take place in the shade of the underpass.
All skill levels are welcome. Contact Commissioner Ready with questions or comment via email at 6B03@anc.dc.gov
