As children, we are frequently told to never, ever write on the walls at home or at school. And we dream of an adulthood filled with extra recess, as many cookies as you can eat and Crayola masterpieces adorning every surface.
Unfortunately, these dreams don't usually pan out quite as we had wished (NPR has way less scheduled recess time than I had hoped...), and there are few occasions to scribble with abandon. But as an adult, if you wait for the perfect moment, you might just get a bit more flexibility in the rules.
Recently, we "adults" here at NPR seized an opportunity for such art and ran with it. You see, NPR is moving. We're departing our old offices in Washington, D.C., and relocating to a new building just down the road. The "old building," as we lovingly call it, is getting torn down soon. So, in our final days of occupancy, we decided to leave our mark with a little bit of beautiful, creative and occasionally hilarious graffiti collected in the slideshow below.
Please don't tell our parents.
1 of 13
— A glimpse inside the window of creativity.
A glimpse inside the window of creativity.
Daniel M.N. Turner / NPR
2 of 13
— The Science Desk knows that the opposite of "ninjas" is "pirates."
The Science Desk knows that the opposite of "ninjas" is "pirates."
Daniel M.N. Turner / NPR
3 of 13
— "There's no crying in radio. (Except for StoryCorps)"
"There's no crying in radio. (Except for StoryCorps)"
Daniel M.N. Turner / NPR
4 of 13
— The NPR Music dragon guards the hallway.
The NPR Music dragon guards the hallway.
Marie McGrory / NPR
5 of 13
— Our librarians have been hard at work archiving NPR history. Someone thought this was worthy of the collection. "Woman with Wheelchair," 1973. Unknown Artist (Stamberg Collection). Acrylic mold.
Our librarians have been hard at work archiving NPR history. Someone thought this was worthy of the collection. "Woman with Wheelchair," 1973. Unknown Artist (Stamberg Collection). Acrylic mold.
Marie McGrory / NPR
6 of 13
— The ladies of NPR trying a mustached look.
The ladies of NPR trying a mustached look.
Kainaz Amaria / NPR
7 of 13
— Science Desk giraffe created by multimedia animator Adam Cole.
Science Desk giraffe created by multimedia animator Adam Cole.
Daniel M.N. Turner / NPR
8 of 13
— Digital Media is growing up!
Digital Media is growing up!
Marie McGrory / NPR
9 of 13
— "NPR: The only people willing to hear why you cover 19th century sea shanties on a glockenspiel."
"NPR: The only people willing to hear why you cover 19th century sea shanties on a glockenspiel."
Molly Hart / NPR
10 of 13
— NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg makes her mark.
NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg makes her mark.
Ari Shapiro / NPR
11 of 13
— A few members of the multimedia team get cartoonish.
A few members of the multimedia team get cartoonish.
Marie McGrory / NPR
12 of 13
— We might be leaving the building but that doesn't stop the love.
We might be leaving the building but that doesn't stop the love.
Molly Hart / NPR
13 of 13
— Our mantra for the last few months: "everything will be better in the new building." Here's to big dreams for the future of NPR.
Our mantra for the last few months: "everything will be better in the new building." Here's to big dreams for the future of NPR.
Gabriella Demczuk / NPR
[Note: No buildings were harmed in the making of this blog post.]
Molly Hart works with NPR News in Washington, D.C. She is definitely not an artist but very fond of recess and cookies.
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