At the 2018 Emmy Awards, freelance journalist and producer Alec Schreck received the coveted statue for his story featuring Garin Baker and his recently completed “28 Blocks” mural in Washington, DC. (Watch the “28 Blocks” news piece here)
We’re honored to recognize this important project that has received extensive media coverage over the last year since its completion in 2017, including in the Washington Post, on News 9 in Washington, DC, and in a featured article in the 2018 April/May issue of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine.
This monumental mural project took Garin Baker and his team of apprentice artists almost two years to complete. It’s located on the Penn Center Building in northeast Washington, DC, and measures 65 feet high x 160 feet long. The mural faces the Amtrak and DC Metro Commuter rail, where it will be seen by thousands of visitors.
Baker’s mural features the large seated figure of Abraham Lincoln as he rises above the adjacent buildings. As its title suggests, the Lincoln Memorial statue was carved out of 28 blocks of the finest white marble quarried in the United States by the sons and grandsons of slaves in 1916. The memorial was designed and created by famed American sculptor Daniel Chester French, who personally oversaw the individual carving of each block. These blocks were hand carved by the Piccirilli Brothers, a family of Italian immigrants whose skills and timeless artistry stretch back to the great sculptors of the Renaissance in Florence and Rome.
This until-now-hidden American story is told through iconic imagery and symbolism in Baker’s mural and goes to the core of recognizing all of those who labored in the building of America.
A full feature documentary film is in the works, and the artist and filmmaker, Shawn Strong, is in the process of raising the necessary funds. Any donations and in-kind support is greatly appreciated. Please contact Garin Baker at [email protected] or www.garinbaker.com.
Related:
Watch the “28 Blocks” Trailor
Watch a Time Lapse of the “28 Blocks” Mural
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