(Washington, DC, June 25, 2009) — Albus Cavus has been creating innovative public art up and down the East Coast for seven years, bringing murals and events to community centers, bike trails, warehouses, and urban centers. This summer, 45 DC young people will work with the non-profit public arts organization to cover a wall in the Edgewood community of Northeast DC with beautiful art and to create a new curriculum on youth leadership in public arts. The result of their work will be a 300 foot-long mural alongside the new Metropolitan Branch Trail, which will serve cyclists and pedestrians when complete. The art will also be visible from the Rhode Island Metro station.
On day one of the nine-week program, Albus Cavus artists and 45 DC young people kick-started their summer with markers and charcoal on sheets of paper the size of tables. Flowers bloomed off the pages while bars of music ran in rainbows over a kaleidoscope of silhouettes and colors. “We start with tackling a big white space together by drawing and filling the page with color and images,” says project director Peter Krsko. “We learn how to work spontaneously and apply our unique personalities to a collaborative effort.”Under the direction of Albus Cavus and artists Pose 2, Quest Skinner, Decoy, Joshua Mays, and Chor Boogie, the young people will develop their own plans, learn painting techniques, collaborate on projects, and connect with the community. They will learn how to attract attention and talk to the media, finance a project, and create art that reflects and complements the neighborhood. In addition to the large-scale artwork that will uplift the Edgewood community, the young people will write their guidelines for community-sourced public art process. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities sponsors the 45 young participants who work for the 2009 DC Summer Youth Employment Program.
Albus Cavus will be providing a toolkit that surpasses just the artistic. They are working with the participants to develop the skills to enhance their lives and neighborhoods through art and the ability to transform a plan into action. By mid-August, the Edgewood community and DC will also experience how public art can change urban spaces and lives.
