Making a Mural For The Phillips

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Artist Piniang (Ibrahima Niang) on day one of the five day mural painting process. Note the smaller-scale diagram of the finished mural at bottom left; the artists used a grid system to transfer an outline onto the wall. All photos courtesy The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC

Four mural artists completed an original work on the back courtyard wall of The Phillips Collection in late October. Muhsana Ali, Fodé Camara, Viyé Diba, and Piniang (Ibrahima Niang) were part of a larger group of painters that created a mural at the US Embassy in Dakar in May 2014. The Senegalese artists traveled here as part of a cultural exchange organized by the State Department’s ART in Embassies program. Huge thanks to generous supporters Toni A. Ritzenberg, Millennium Arts Salon, CulturalDC, International Arts and Artists, and the Cameroon American Council.

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Hard at work on days one and two of painting.

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About halfway done on day 3!

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Lots of paint from Farrow & Ball.

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The completed mural.

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The artists in front of their completed work. Left to right: Fodé Camara, Muhsana Ali, Viyé Diba, and Piniang (Ibrahima Niang)

Creativity in Progress: What’s happening on the café walls?

Panorama of Tryst at the Phillips Cafe as the walls are being painted

The walls of Tryst at the Phillips café, in transition. Photo: Amy Wike

You didn’t think we would leave the walls of Tryst at the Phillips café bare, did you? It’s been just over a week since the Phillips bid adieu to Sandra Cinto’s installation, but we are working on a plan to brighten the place up again. Check back in September to see what we’ve cooked up; until then, pardon our dust!

Image of sign reading Creativity in Progress

Creativity in progress. The café upgrade will be completed soon. Photo: Sarah Osborne Bender