“Un pueblo sin murales es un pueblo desmuralizado” mural in Adams Morgan on Adams Mill Road. (Photo | Marlene Orantes)

The streets of Adams Morgan are filled with young people, vintage clothing shops, cute cafes and colorful yet history-filled walls on the outside of businesses.

Home to large-scale public art for decades, Adams Morgan is the go-to neighborhood for artwork that reflects the creativity of the people who live there. The neighborhood is home to more than 15 murals, most reflecting the history of people living in Washington, D.C.

The public art scene continues to rise as there are plans to paint more murals in the neighborhood. The DC Arts Center is a free institution that exhibits all types of art to help underrepresented artists present their work publicly. Sean Elias, executive director of DCAC, said they plan to have a mural painted on the outside of the arts center.

“We want a mural painted on the side of our building to draw more attention upwards. That’s certainly in the works,” Elias said. “We love public art. We love murals.”

The Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District is a nonprofit organization that promotes the neighborhood, and is a “connector and facilitator” between local artists and business owners to work together and enhance a storefront.

“Public art in Adams Morgan has really grown from a handful of murals and smaller installations into a much more intentional, neighborhood-wide effort to celebrate our identity and create a more vibrant streetscape,” Kristen Barden, executive director of Adams Morgan Partnership BID, said in an email.

Adams Morgan Partnership BID includes a “public art” section on their website listing all the murals within the neighborhood, with details on most of the murals explaining the history of a selected mural.

“Public art adds character, sparks conversation, and reinforces what Adams Morgan is known for: creativity, culture, and a neighborhood identity that feels authentic and alive,” Barden said.

Despite the District being home to politics, the Partnership BID said that Adams Morgan has always been home to “creative people and counterculture,” and celebrates art through different mediums.

“Art is essential to Washington, D.C. It humanizes a city that’s often defined by politics and thought of as a ‘government town’,” said Barden. “In Adams Morgan especially, art is part of our DNA. It reflects the neighborhood’s global roots, creative spirit, and independent energy.”

The mural “Un pueblo sin murales es un pueblo desmuralizado” (A people without murals is a demuralized people) is one of the longest-standing murals and the oldest Latino mural in the city. Chilean immigrant brothers Renato and Carlos “Caco” Salazar created it in 1977 after fleeing dictatorship in Chile, according to Boundary Stones, a website that shares local history about the Washington, D.C., area.

The mural was restored in 2005 by artist Juan Pineda, and again in 2011 because of an earthquake with the help of the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities and the DC Arts Center, according to Adams Morgan BID website.

Pineda is a graffiti artist and muralist who grew up in Hyattsville, Maryland, right outside D.C. Pineda has painted murals all over the DMV, including a mural at the Bethesda Metro Station. He said he was discovered by writer and activist Quique Avilés while painting graffiti in Maryland when he was asked if he wanted to restore the mural.

“I was just stunned by the size. This guy wants me to restore this three story mural,” Pineda said.

Despite being a young artist, Pineda said he gained confidence to paint the mural because it was an opportunity to “step up” and do a large-scale project.

“There was no way I was going to turn down such a symbolic structure,” Pineda said.

Pineda said that he saw the community impact through his restoration of the mural, as many people watched and shared stories with him about the original mural.

“A lot of people started coming up to me just sharing their stories, sharing their memories,” Pineda said.

Last March, Republican legislators introduced a bill to urge D.C. city leaders to rename and repaint the 16th Street NW plaza, leading to the removal of the Black Lives Matter road mural. Despite murals in Adams Morgan being on private businesses, other public murals in the city not connected to privately owned businesses have been taken down, such as the Brookland Metro station mural, which was covered up last August.

Pineda said that murals don’t last forever, and muralists shouldn’t be disappointed if their mural doesn’t last.

“Nothing’s been meant to last forever, especially street murals,” Pineda said. “Unfortunately, if it has to go down, it’s gonna go down.”