WASHINGTON EXAMINER on LM’s Boxer Girl Mural
The Washington Examiner
By Chris Klimek
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The Eye
Today’s art chosen by: Lisa Marie Thalhammer
Occupation: Artist
Residence: Eckington
The Work: “Boxer Girl,” a mural at the corner of 1st and W streets NW, Bloomingdale
What I Want to Tell You About This Piece:
As an artist, it is part of my job to get my art work where people can see it. I enjoy showing in galleries, but at the end of the day, there are only specific people who are able to visit them. Creating public art is a way to share my work with a greater population, engage people in the artistic process and hopefully spark conceptual dialogue about art.
Boxer Girl is based on a series of boxer girl drawings I created while participating and exhibiting in Exercises 3, a peer critique and mentorship program at Transformer, a DC-based non-profit visual arts organization. I hope that viewers who walk by feel that the art work brightens the neighborhood and that they respond to the physical qualities of the work; the bright colors, line quality and shapes. To me, conceptually, Boxer Girl references the empowerment of women, the relationship between self esteem and athletics and the beauty within each individual’s personal struggle and journey. The stars and design pattern are a reaction to the star shape in the window bars and the architectural elements of the building.
The homeowner, Veronica Jackson, who has been a supporter and collector of my art work for years, believes that, “art is, for many, a transformative experience and should be accessible to everyone.” So naturally, when I asked her if she would be willing to house this project, she was thrilled.
During the mural installation, I directly interacted with approximately two hundred people during the five days that it took me paint the wall. Most people would stop to talk or just watch while as I was working. Many people thanked me for bringing a mural to the Bloomingdale neighborhood, but my favorite interactions were with the neighborhood kids who would visit me day after day. Young boys would walk by and comment about how the painting was “tight” and discuss the painting’s development. Past experiences with neighborhood kids originally inspired my desire to make street art. I live up the street from the mural and it was important to me that this specific project live close to my home so that the youth in my neighborhood would be able to visit it. This project is dedicated to them.
IF YOU GO:
Where: Corner of 1st and W Sts. NW, Bloomingdale
More information: http://lisamariestudio.com/street-art
