A 10-day international mural festival will take place for the fourth time in Washington, D.C. from May 2-14.
D.C. Mural Festival, or POW! WOW!, the biggest of its sort to date, brings together D.C.-based artists, as well as those from elsewhere in the country and others visiting the U.S. capital from across the world. They will all paint larger-than-life murals on walls and streetscapes in the city’s NoMa neighborhood.
The annual event’s name was inspired by the colorful pages of comic books; “POW!” being the impact that art has on a person like a punch in the face and “WOW!” being the reaction. Together, they form POW! WOW! to refer to “a gathering that celebrates culture, music, and art,” the festival website explains.
Founded in Hawaii in 2010 by Jasper Wong, the festival has since expanded over the years and grown into a global network of artists. Meanwhile, many lectures and concerts were held around the world, as part of the festival.
Local artists who will paint their murals during the event include Jasjyot Singh Hans, Marni Manning, Nick Zimbro, Red Swan, Rodrigo Pradel, Sarah Jamison, and Tracie Ching. Visiting Artists are Eamon Gillen from Worcester, MA, Hanna Soderholm from Bristol, U.K., Niki Zarrabi from Atlanta, Noségo from Philadelphia, Priscilla Yu from Vancouver, Rever from Paris, Stom500 from Strasbourg, France, and Trav from Los Angeles.
Volunteers can join the festival by filling out a form here.