Letter
Dear Mr. Wiedefeld:
In its meeting of 21 April, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed and approved a proposal from WMATA's Art in Transit Program to establish a new program for murals at the Brentwood Rail Yard, as part of a annual public mural festival in Washington, D.C.
The Commission members expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration of WMATA with the NoMa Business Improvement District, the international mural art organization Pow!Wow!, and the local community in developing this compelling new program. They commented that the mural's proposed location—a 900-foot-long expanse of retaining wall along the Metropolitan Branch Trail north of New York Avenue—provides the opportunity to produce an extraordinary work of public art, and it could be even more compelling if time permitted it to be designed by a single muralist. They recommended considering this installation as a temporal experience along the trail, not merely as the display of static artwork.
The Commission is pleased to support this proposal to use WMATA's infrastructure as the setting for public art. Please coordinate with the staff for participation in the review panel to advise on proposals for the annual installation of murals.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Paul J. Wiedefeld
General Manager and Chief Executive Officer
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
600 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
cc: Laurent Odde, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Kelly Towles, Pow!Wow! DC
Galin Brooks, NoMa Business Improvement District