L Street Block Walk Preview

Michele McAuliffe, a deaf artist, created this overpass mural, which spells out “NOMA” in American Sign Language. It celebrates NoMa and nearby Union Market as the home neighborhoods of Galluadet University for the deaf and hard of hearing. McAuliffe's works are joyful, colorful and explore the connection between art and communication. The colors and shapes she chose for this mural specifically represent the multitude of identities that make up her vision of NoMa.

“Rain” is a beautifully crafted and thoughtfully designed lighting installation that transforms a practical pedestrian underpass into an inspiring public space. Through its responsive illumination and aesthetic appeal, it enhances both safety and the sense of urban connection across NoMa. It was created by the California-based Thurlow Small Architecture in collaboration with NIO architecten (Netherlands).

The first 'art park' created by the NoMa Parks Foundation, "Rain" is comprised of 4,000 polycarbonate tubes, each housing energy-efficient LED lights, suspended from the ceiling in vault formations along the underpass sidewalk. The light responds to the activity of pedestrians or traffic moving its way through this connective space.

This sculpture was designed by NADAA (a Boston-based multidisiplinary design firm), and installed through a grant by the DC Commission for Arts & Humanities. The imposing sculpture stands at one of the busiest corners in NoMa, creates a strong reference point for those who pass by, and was an early addition to our neighborhood's art bank. It consists of three steel beams, rising three stories high, with the fourth beam held in suspension between them by torqued wires. No two wires intersect.

"Spectrum at First Street" by Scottish Artist, David Batchelor, is composed of steel and aluminium light boxes, acrylic, vinyl, polycarbonate, and fluorescent lights. The two columns are seen from the street into the building lobby at 1100 First Street, NE. David Batchelor's work is concerned above all things with color, a sheer delight in the myriad brilliant hues of the urban environment and underlined by a critical concern with how we see and respond to colour in this advanced technological age.

These vibrant column wraps, located at the entrance of the Marriott Capitol Hill, were commissioned by the NoMa BID to add a playful and welcoming touch to the building’s exterior and the growing streetscape. Designed by the artist in response to the surrounding environment as well as the color palette of the hotel’s lobby, the wraps feature whimsical NoMa-inspired icons that playfully reflect the neighborhood’s character. The bold colors and cheerful imagery lend brightness and energy to the new hotel and for passers by, creating an uplifting first impression for visitors and passersby alike.

Puerto Rican artist Sergio Stuff, a.k.a Sergio Vasquez, created the mural at the garage entrance of NoMa Center. The style of this mural is very typical of his work and reflects his Carribean heritage, is full of movement and based in illustration, color and caricature.

Designed by FutureForms as the second of three Underpass Art installations, Lightweave transforms the L Street underpass with six spiraling lattices of stainless steel and curved LED tubing suspended overhead. The installation responds to ambient sound and the vibrations of passing trains, producing waves of color that ripple through the space—like a pebble dropped into still water. As multiple sounds layer, the light patterns become more complex and immersive. Thoughtfully placed lighting enhances both safety and comfort, while the overall design brings beauty and connectivity to the underpass. NoMa’s series of immersive underpasses was envisioned to enrich the experience of those moving between the east and west sides of the neighborhood.

Artist Rodrigo Pradel has created a floral mural on the southernmost entrance to the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT), the L Street stairs. This is the first-ever artwork in NoMa using stairs as a canvas, creating a unique and experimental pattern at the entrance to one of the most popular shared-use trails in all of Washington, D.C.

Along with the 80+ works of active public art in NoMa, the neighborhood has seen a total of more than 150 murals, sculptures, and underpass exhibits installed since 2016. These banners celebrate 10 years of changing murals in NoMa by highlighting past installations that are no longer in NoMa today. Many of these works were created during the annual mural festival, NoMa in Color, which brings together established and emerging artists to create inspiring art that celebrates DC's culture. The festival showcases local artists along one of the most popular bike trails in the region, switching half of the murals at Alethia Tanner Park out for new murals every September.

While much of the original mural art along the particular blocks on which these banners are installed has been lost to redevelopment, the BID pays tribute to them through this exhibit, inviting the neighborhood to experience the full spectrum of NoMa's public art, from sculptures along this block to more than 30 murals at and around Tanner Park.

See which artists, who painted murals in NoMa over the last 10 years, are highlighted in this temporary banner exhibit: nomabid.org/murals