Murals, artists’ workshops and international cuisine
One day in D.C. with artists Kelly Towles and Virginia Arrisueño
By WP BrandStudio
Washington, D.C. is brimming with culture. There’s a thriving live music scene, nationally recognized cuisine and a community of inventive artists. The hardest part for a visitor is deciding where to start. In this series, inspired by the idea to Discover the Real D.C., washington.org and WPBrandStudio will profile some of the capital’s coolest locals across three creative industries, taking tips on how they spend a day in the city. This is #MyDCcool.
Kelly Towles and Virginia Arrisueño are D.C.-based artists who have had a major impact on the local scene. Virginia champions local, small-scale artisans and creators; Kelly is a leader of the city’s flourishing street art movement. But just as much as they are artists, they’re businesspeople; they both work themselves to the bone six days a week, juggling multiple projects and taking turns being present for their son.
The now-married couple met as BFA students at the University of Maryland, though they disagree on who made the official first move. (Virginia insists she did it as soon as the two of them were single at the same time, three years after they met. Kelly insists he did it in the moonlight, on one knee, in a very romantic fashion.)
In the years since, the two of them have lived and created in D.C., watching the local art scene change during the recession, the rise of the artist-as-influencer era, and beyond—and becoming de facto experts in D.C. art in the process. See how they spend a day in the city.
9 am: Coffee and mingling at The LINE DC
Kelly and Virginia live in Adams Morgan with their 7-year-old son, Atticus. It’s a good neighborhood to raise a family, thanks to quality schools and a relatively quiet atmosphere. And it’s a good place to stay adjacent to some of the most interesting spots the city has to offer—including The LINE, a hotel that’s more than a hotel.
In addition to having 220 guest rooms, The LINE has a café that serves up quality coffees and pastries that are baked on site, a recording booth for a radio station, a community arts incubator space, and three restaurants, including Spoken English, which offers Asian-inspired dishes in an intimate, standing-room-only space. The whole mix of offerings is anchored by an expansive, high-ceilinged lobby outfitted with art installations, glossy black tables and cushion-covered benches. There, local artists and creators post up to use like a coworking area—something that the hotel encourages.
“They help nurture and breed creativity and an ethos of welcoming and warmth,” Kelly says. “Any time I have a meeting, I just say, ‘Let’s meet at The LINE.’”
If he’s hanging in his neighborhood with Virginia and Atticus instead of colleagues and clients, he prefers to grab a treat at Pleasant Pops, a café that has both quality espresso drinks (for the parents) and a wide variety of popsicles (for the kids). Or they’ll all grab snacks at Hana Market—a Japanese food shop that helps Virginia and Kelly reminisce on their many family trips to Tokyo.
11 am: Make art, plan festivals and get stuff done at 52 O Street
When it comes time to get work done, Kelly goes to his artist’s studio at 52 O Street in Truxton Circle. The entire building is devoted to giving spaces to local artists like Kelly and Virginia; prior to moving to their apartment in Adams Morgan, they actually lived in the studio, raising Atticus there when he was still a baby.
One of the best parts of 52 O Street is that it’s close to the street art in NoMA. If you’ve ever seen a cool mural there, it’s at least partly thanks to Kelly. He spearheaded D.C.’s iteration of the Pow! Wow! street art festival. Cities throughout the world, including Kobe, Japan, and Honolulu, Hawaii, have their own branches of Pow! Wow!, and Kelly established a local chapter in 2016. Every year since, artists have come together to add to the city’s repertoire of murals. Currently, Kelly estimates, there are around 50 in the NoMA neighborhood alone; more were recently added after Pow! Wow! returned to the city this spring.
Kelly would be the last to take credit for the role he played in making murals a popular part of the D.C. arts scene, though. He’s just in it to beautify the area.
“I wouldn’t really be anything without my community supporting me,” he says of his art. “So it’s only right that I give back.”
2 pm: Run a business and foster community events at Steadfast Supply
Across town in Navy Yard, Virginia runs Steadfast Supply, a shop focused on selling small and locally made goods. The store is what weekend shopping dreams are made of: it’s housed in a bright and airy space where visitors can choose from graphic tees, cheeky handmade greeting cards, illustrations of D.C.’s neighborhoods, boutique skincare and hand-selected books. (The kids’ books sold at the store were curated by Atticus.)
Steadfast Supply also doubles as an event space. Recently, the store hosted workshops on smartphone photography, watercolor and hand lettering, as well as music classes, Q&As with local artisans and networking events. The events are designed to help small-scale artists find a voice, spread the word about their talents and, hopefully, teach someone something new.
“It not only benefits the surrounding neighborhoods with fun and cool activities to do, but hopefully inspires someone to learn something new,” Virginia said.
In the rare occasion that she gets a chance to take a break from running her store, planning the grand opening of her second location in Ballston Square, Va., coordinating an event and picking up or dropping off Atticus, she’ll head over to some of her favorite spots in Navy Yard, like Juice Laundry and Ice Cream Jubilee—both of which, of course, are small businesses.
6 pm: Unwind with some family time at Bul
At the end of each day, Kelly, Virginia and Atticus regroup for a family meal, which usually happens at home. But sometimes, the three will go out to eat, often venturing to Bul, a Korean restaurant on 18th Street NW.
The top draw of Bul is the killer food, Virginia says. The menu features a spicy, umami dish called Soldier Soup that comes in a bowl twice the size of Virginia’s head, and bibimbap with tender beef, soft mushrooms and crunchy bean sprouts. Plus, meals at Bul always come with amazing service—which seals the deal for Virginia. One time, she even brought her father there for a meal while he was in town on a visit; the next time she showed up, the host asked if her father would be joining her again.
“They remember us each time we go,” she says. “That, to me, is really impressive, because it makes us feel like a valued customer.”
When they’re not at Bul the family will head to the Izakaya Seki, a Japanese joint on V Street NW. Dinners that feature international cuisines are partly a way for the three of them to revisit their overseas family vacations; Atticus has already been to Mexico (his favorite) and Spain (Virginia’s favorite) in addition to Japan (Kelly’s favorite). Just to name a few.
So they’re global jet-setters, yet they choose D.C. as their home base?
“Yeah,” Kelly says. “D.C. kicks butt, man.”
Culture abounds in the capital city. Book your trip today and define what it means to do D.C.