900 U Street NW, Washington, DC, USA "Nellie's Ducky“ by Lisa Marie Thalhammer
Since May 2019, a new mural decorates Nellie’s Sports Bar in Washington DC. With two pride flags and two ducks – also in rainbow colors – Washington DC has a new queer mural. Why ducks? They are a recurring motive of Nellie’s Sports Bar which has been chosen for the artwork for a good reason: The bar has always been supportive of queer events, for example it currently offers drag brunches every Saturday and Sunday.
The artist behind the mural is Lisa Marie Thalhammer who has already received multiple awards. Her works often feature strong women or convey a queer pride message by including respective portraits, symbols and colors. She had already started using her art for sociopolitical and activist purposes while studying at the Art Institute of Chicago and when completing her Bachelor in Visual Arts at the University of Kansas with a focus on women’s studies and art history. Many awards, collaborations, and publications in well-known magazines and other media characterize her career.
Besides art, Lisa Marie’s second passion is yoga. She describes her approach to life and her artistic motivation in the following quote:
There are many types of love including romantic, physical, familial, friendship and self-love but the most powerful and radical type is an unconditional spiritual universal love for the planet and all sentient beings, which the Greeks call Agape or Buddhists call Metta. This type of love is unconditional and without expectation and can relieve negative states of mind when focused upon. As an artist, I feel it is my job to reimagine a better world free of the toxicity that results from our current cultural love deficiency. Through the visual language of color and public art, I believe that yes, we can shift our psychology and create a more equitable world.
