G. Byron Peck is a Washington artist who has created more than 80 murals throughout the United States and abroad. He has taught classes at the Corcoran School of Art, the Smithsonian Museum, George Washington University and George Mason University. Ten years ago, he founded City Arts, a nonprofit that engages talented D.C. youth in the creation of large-scale public artworks.
How did you become interested in art?
I grew up on a dairy farm 20 miles outside D.C. in Herndon. I had bad allergies when I was young, so I stayed inside all the time and spent my time drawing. I went to art school in Richmond, [Va.], and came back to D.C. in the ’80s.
Which mural of yours in D.C. is your favorite?
I think the one that catches most people’s eyes is the Duke Ellington mural on U Street.
What are you working on these days?
One of our mosaics is just going up at the Southwest Gateway, [the 12th Street tunnel under Interstate 95, south of the Mall]. It’s going to be a mixture of mosaic tile, glass and stainless steel that we’ve been working on for seven years.
What are you working on with City Arts?
Our largest project is with the Department of Transportation and the Corcoran Gallery. We are working with 65 students from Ward 7 to create the basework for a mosaic mural to be installed on a bridge on Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue [in Northeast D.C.].
What do you think of D.C. as an art town?
It’s a little on the slow side in comparison to New York and Miami, but there is a lot of great opportunity. If you put energy in it, you can make things happen. Lots of people come in and out of the city, bringing new ideas all the time.
