A sprawling rainbow lawn mural now covers the grass outside the National Building Museum in Penn Quarter. DC artist Lisa Marie Thalhammer created the colorful work in honor of Pride Month.
The mural, called “Equilateral Network,” features pink triangles—set a socially distant six feet apart—surrounded by a variety of colors. Thalhammer was inspired by the sacred geometry in architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant’s original design for DC. Her rainbow spectrums and pink triangles, painted with an eco-friendly turf paint, represent the historic symbols of gay rights activism. As Thalhammer puts it: “This balanced, steady, and strong geometry is highlighted in a proud pink amongst a healing full-color rainbow spectrum and is meant to inspire feelings of calm, unity, peace, equity and joy.”
Thalhammer has become known for creating feminist and LGBTQ-inspired artwork, such as her thirteen-color rainbow “LOVE” mural located in Shaw’s Blagden Alley (it’s become a popular Instagram background, too).
Her lawn mural will be on display all summer.
National Building Museum, 401 F St., NW.
Before becoming Research Editor, Damare Baker was an Editorial Fellow and Assistant Editor for Washingtonian. She has previously written for Voice of America and The Hill. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she studied international relations, Korean, and journalism.
