Since I promised back in March that I would provide a more fulsome tour of DC’s alley art, it is time that I did just that. And what better place to start than Blagden Alley in Shaw? Tucked in between M and N Streets NW on the south and north, and 9th and 10th Streets on the east and west, Blagden Alley is actually H shaped, rather than just one straight line cutting through the block.
Blagden Alley is also the site of the DC Alley Museum. This isn’t a museum in the traditional sense with opening and closing times, galleries, and a gift shop, but rather a collection of outdoor murals, commissioned with local government funds to support neighborhood artists. It opened in 2015 to great hoopla and while the most recent events on the website date to 2017, the murals are still there for any passerby to contemplate.
Some of the works are overtly political, others more whimsical. Take, for example, this wall of carrots which, on my visit, was being captured by a photographer in an interesting and seasonally appropriate get up.
The Shaw neighborhood was once an epicenter of Black wealth in DC but saw a steep decline after the 1968 riots. Over the past 20 years, it has once again become hot, with the rising costs of real estate driving out long-time residents in favor of a younger, mostly whiter crowd who can afford high rents or the high cost of renovating older buildings long neglected. Blagden Alley itself, once the site of modest residences and workshops for working class folks who supported the livelihoods of those on main streets, has gone from one of those “insalubrious” areas destined for eradication to the site of high-end coffee and cocktail bars plus two Michelin-starred restaurants: The Dabney and Causa. I took my husband to The Dabney for his birthday and even though this was supposed to be treat, I’ve been full of regret ever since. The food was beautiful and interesting but the amount we paid along with the preciousness of each course on the tasting menu being described in detail by the server as it was brought to the table made me uncomfortable. Nearby, there are still remnants of the area’s past including the Permastone-clad Salem Baptist Church and townhomes with peeling paint and sagging shutters. Overall, the message that I found on one of the alley walls was clear.
There’s more to report on alley art so stay tuned for future post featuring works elsewhere in the city.
Had a similar reaction to the Dabney when taken there by friends. And the noise level made conversation almost impossible. Culinary trends fascinate. And I felt much more at home amidst the murals.