Hope for Tomorrow
Description: Painted this mural for the Tinner Hill Foundation and Falls Church. This “Hope for Tomorrow” mural commemorates the survival of a local landmark, a blacksmith shop with a history that dates to antebellum Falls Church. Even more significantly, it features two men, one White and one Black, who operated that shop for a half century. The mural honors their success in running a successful business in the first half of the twentieth century and in establishing a bi-racial business partnership during the Jim Crow era. This mural is a testament to both men and to the continuing struggle for equality, justice, racial harmony, and respect. -David Barr
Inspired both by contemporary culture as well as a historical theme, David Barr’s “Hope for Tomorrow” commemorates a local landmark blacksmith shop established in the 1850’s. In the center, the mural features two men, one white and one black, who successfully operated the biracial business together from the early 1900’s and into the Jim Crow era.
Together, The Tinner Hill Foundation and The Falls Church commissioned this public mural, as part of The Tinner Hill Initiative with support of the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia and other local and regional donors. According to The Tinner Hill Foundation, the blacksmith shop was purchased in 1906 by Robert Harmon, a white man. Harmon hired Henry Simms, a skilled African- American blacksmith, to work with him. During their decades-long partnership, Simms gained a reputation for his calm way of handling nervous horses. Descendants of both men still live in the Falls Church area to this day.
Unveiled in 2022 during a Juneteenth celebration in the city, the mural includes three distinct but interrelated sections:
Flames on the left burning brightly not only recall the blacksmith’s trade, but also the struggle for equality, justice, harmony and respect,
The upturned horseshoe, forged in iron, represents strength, good luck, good fortune and has also been believed to ward off evil in Greek and Early Christian societies.
Black Lives Matter marchers depicted on the right, along with the jagged lines between each section, remind us that the path to ideal racial harmony may not be smooth but may be inspired by others such as the peaceful protesters or Harmon and Simms.
According to the artist David Barr, the pop culture he grew up with influences his designs. In Hope for Tomorrow, Barr creates a collage blending nostalgic and contemporary images, infused by a modern pop aesthetic, similar to Andy Warhol’s distinctive portraits. Barr’s work also echoes Roy Lichtenstein as he incorporates primary colors of yellow with the historic partners in black, along with blue for the protesters. The Black Lives Matter sign hoisted above the crowd evokes Lichtenstein’s use of speech bubbles to convey messages.
Originally from Pittsburgh, David Barr studied art and graduated from Slippery Rock University. David has lived in the DC area for over 20 years and currently paints at his studio in Fairfax, Virginia. He is a member of Washington Project for the Arts, Falls Church Arts and McLean Project for the Arts. Other murals created by Barr can be found in the Falls Church City Police department call room as well as for the back patio of Dogwood Tavern on Broad Street.
Artist: David Barr
Year: 2022
Medium: Mural
Location: 203 E Fairfax St.
Ownership: Privately Owned
GPS: 38.880497, -77.170188