Sitting at the desk across from me, Lawrence Madden looks like a professor. The sleeves on his white oxford are pushed up to his elbows; his office is encircled by bookcase upon bookcase filled to the brim with a collection of the greatest authors; his desk is not easily seen through the many piles of mismatched papers that have built up probably in the last day alone.

Have you ever heard of the name James Wormley? If you haven’t, you are not alone. This pioneer in civil rights, who successfully campaigned for the right of African-American students to attend public schools, has largely been forgotten by the Georgetown community.

Have you ever found yourself at the Rosslyn Metro station, losing a fight with the farecard machine, only to look up and see a sprawling array of twisted objects mixed with unnaturally bright colors and asked yourself, “What the hell is that?”

If you have, then welcome to the world of one of D.C.’s most prominent beautification initiatives.

On one side stand seven men, almost all in ragged attire: four of them with their hands casually in their pockets, two of them with facial hair that could make a Bee Gee jealous, one with facial hair that could make Hitler jealous, one wearing a headband, one daring to don a blazer and tie and one married to Jane Fonda.