Yoga-Themed Mural Debuts on 9th Street in Shaw with Dogs, Butterflies and More, 10/02/19!
A dedication ceremony featuring a Monarch butterfly release, Yoga instructors, and canine companions will be held on Wednesday, October 2, 2019, at 12;:00 PM to mark the completion of a new mural at 1232 9th Street, NW, home of Wagtime Pet Spa and Boutique, the neighborhood’s award winning doggie daycare.
The ceremony, organized by Shaw Main Streets (SMS), the commercial revitalization and historic preservation organization serving central Shaw’s commercial corridors, is a tribute to Lisa Schreiber, founder and co-owner of Wagtime. Schreiber, a former SMS Board member, died tragically in 2018 at the age of 45 from double pneumonia.
The mural, entitled “Namaste,” which means bow in Sanskrit and is a popular Hindu greeting used both upon meeting and departing, depicts a woman in a yoga pose levitating, surrounded by nature. The mural is the work of noted DC muralist Aniekan Udofia, who was commissioned by the Murals DC program this summer. Wagtime owns the building and donated the wall as a canvas for the work.
A citywide tour of new Murals DC projects on Wednesday morning will conclude with a ceremony dedicating the new mural in Shaw. Mural artists, DC officials, and guests from arts and tourism organizations will visit all six murals completed this year.
The community, as well as Schreiber’s family and friends, are invited to join in the celebration at the northeast corner of 9th and N Streets, NW, which had a perfect view of the mural diagonally across the street. Instructors from Shaw Yoga, now in nearby Naylor Court but originally located on the same block as Wagtime, will bring a yogic touch to the event. All are encouraged to bring their pets, as Schreiber’s love for animals caused her to start Wagtime and dedicate countless hours supporting pet charities. Following brief remarks, a dozen Monarch butterflies will be released instead of cutting a ribbon.
The idea of adding a mural to the building’s north wall had been under consideration for several years, but began to gain momentum after Schreiber’s passing. Udofia offers the following artist’s statement about the mural: "In today's chaotic, technology-filled world, we've lost our connection to nature. This mural expresses my wish for all of us to return to nature and be present in the moment. Just as the woman depicted is being embraced by trees and wildlife, I hope this mural inspires viewers to communicate with and through nature."
About Murals DC:
MuralsDC is a project funded by the DC Department of Public Works, in cooperation with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and is designed to provide permanent graffiti abatement to those properties that have experienced or are at risk of this type of vandalism. Since its pilot in 2007, MuralsDC has painted more than 85 murals in all wards of the city. While most of the artists are local, the program has worked with artists around and outside of the country.
About Shaw Main Streets:
Shaw Main Streets is the nonprofit commercial revitalization and historic preservation organization serving the commercial corridors of Washington, DC’s Shaw neighborhood. Since its founding in 2003, the organization has helped attract and has supported the opening of over 350 new retail businesses to the area and over $3 billion in private and public investment. The group has championed the growth of the DC Main Streets program and pioneered the Clean and Safe Team programs that are now active throughout Washington, DC. Shaw Main Streets is the winner of the 2016 Great American Main Street Award and the 2015 Innovation on Main Street Award, both conferred by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center. Shaw Main Streets is a designated DC Main Streets local program, funded in part by the Department of Small and Local Business Development, Muriel E. Bowser, Mayor.
