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WAUKESHA, WI - MAY 1st: Former president Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on Wednesday May 1st, 2024.  (Photo by Sara Stathas for the Washington Post)

Amanda Andrade-Rhoades

Brush in hand, Tarika Campbell added final touches of acrylic paint to a mural of a woman in a flowy yellow blouse, taking in the scent of lilies. The woman’s face is tranquil, her eyes closed.

“It is about just being in the moment, enjoying nature,” Campbell, 28, said as she worked through a sprinkle of rain on Sunday.

Her art belongs to <a href="https://nomabid.org/nomaincolor/#murals" target=_blank>a diverse collection of 16 murals</a> along the Metropolitan Branch Trail, near <a href="https://nomabid.org/venue/alethia-tanner-park/" target=_blank>Alethia Tanner Park</a> in Northeast Washington. All are part of an arts celebration called <a href="https://nomabid.org/nomaincolor/" target=_blank>“NoMa in Color.”</a>

“These murals and the festivals that we have hosted over the past eight years have helped to establish a strong arts identity in the neighborhood,” said Maura Brophy, president of the NoMa Business Improvement District, which organized the events.

Like Campbell, the other artists involved — both established and emerging — live or work in the Washington region. Their creations brighten 900 linear feet of concrete wall, owned by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, that supports train tracks used by Metro’s Red Line, along with MARC and Amtrak trains.

The 16 artists were selected by a panel of judges — including residents, business district representatives and a local artist <b>—  </b>from among more than 70 applicants. They had great leeway in their designs, a $600 supply stipend and an undisclosed amount of monetary compensation.

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/marly_mcfly87/?hl=en" target=_blank>Marly McFly</a>, 35, wanted to attract kids. His work, called “urban pop,” centers on a 10-year-old character named Zook, whom he considers a version of his “own inner child” and “a kind of a gateway for young kids to get more comfortable and make art more approachable.”

In the mural, about 11 feet high and 24 feet wide, Zook rides a bike, wearing yellow Jordan sneakers, a patch on one eye and a black baseball hat. Hot pink runs through the middle, while doodles and landmarks fill the background.

McFly wanted children to see themselves in Zook.

Growing up in Newport News, Va., he remembers that there were few pathways to art. He has been a full-time artist since 2016, some of his work now on display at a Philadelphia gallery.

“I wanted something that kids see around the community, that they wouldn’t mind walking up, touching it, taking a picture with it,” said McFly, who lives in Woodbridge, Va.

Down the wall a bit, artist Lea Craigie-Marshall, 46, went with a mental health theme, painting the words “You Are Not Alone” on a yellow mural partly adorned with images of pets she had met while painting. Included are a goldendoodle and a dachshund.

Her work is part of <a href="https://www.youarenotalonemurals.com/" target=_blank>a broader project to bring attention to mental health</a> challenges through murals.

“If somebody is having a rough day, it’s just a little reminder that they’re not alone, and if they’re having a good day, I just want them to pass by and be cheered on by it,” said Craigie-Marshall, who lives in Frederick County, Md., and whose work has been selected for other events.

Donna St. George

At a time when the pandemic has exacerbated mental health difficulties, she said, the more that people can support one another, the better. “What if this one message just comes in and helps them get through that day to the next? That’s all I’m hoping,” she said.

The arts celebration in NoMa, which continues through Oct. 19, includes movie nights, self-guided tours and live performances.

NoMa has been called the “mural capital of D.C.” for its many pieces, said Brophy, the Business Improvement District leader. In previous years, murals were done by artists from across the country and the world. This is the first year it’s been limited to locals. The murals are expected to stay up a year, then be replaced by others.

The area provides a lot of visibility for artworks, being so near to the popular park and along the well-traveled trail. Passersby stop to ask questions or take photos. Many ask how long the artists have spent working on their murals (at least several days).

Pushing her daughter in a stroller on Sunday, Kameya Shows-Ciers stopped to marvel at Campbell’s work. Campbell said the pandemic opened the way to a full-time career in art. She was a 2012 graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in D.C., then studied art in college. She lives in Southwest Washington.

Artist Yewande Kotun Davis, 33, said her goal was to reflect the longtime residents of the Eckington neighborhood, who predate recent business investments in the area. Her mural is called “Joy’s Reverie,” with a beaming woman flashing a gaptoothed smile, set against a floral landscape.

“She’s just surrounded by color and brightness,” Davis said of the woman in her mural. “And I feel like the image really tries to capture the light in all of us.”

While she was painting the mural, Davis commuted to the neighborhood before dawn every day — arriving as people were practicing yoga in the park and the rising sun glinted off nearby buildings and her mural. Just a few months ago, she left her public health job to work full time as an artist.

“It’s a piece that’s meant to be felt,” she said.

The joy of life was similarly inspiring for Rae Akino. In her piece, a woman with a wide smile is flashing a peace sign against a colorful background with bright rowhouses.

Akino, 32, who grew up in and near the District, wanted to capture the high energy and exuberance she remembers of family and friends, including an uncle in a go-go band. “I hope to represent the culture of D.C. for its natives,” she said.

Making art in public has its charms, Akino and others said.

It’s not just that people walking the trail take photos or ask for social media handles and websites. It’s also that the often solitary hours of art-making are far more communal, with artists inspired by one another.

“Every time I come here, I have to walk down the trail just to see what’s going on — and it’s a lot of fun,” Akino said. “Doing the mural, I really felt the sense of community among the artists and the public.”

NABJ 1st Place Award for Enterprise writing 2005 

Livingston Award Finalist

Ernie Pyle Human Interest Award Finalist

Virginia and Maryland press association awards, including "Best of Show" for Feature stories 

Six nominations for Pulitzers over the years from three news organizations 

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill., political science major

Donna St. George is a national education reporter for The Washington Post, where she has been a staff writer since 1998. She previously worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the New York Times.

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New murals along D.C. Metropolitan Branch Trail bring color and praise

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