public art

Decorative Planters in Rosslyn Point the Way to Artisphere

By Katie Pyzyk

Art students have been working on a project to beautify Rosslyn while pointing visitors to Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd).

The Rosslyn Business Improvement District teamed up with students the Art Institute of Washington to set up temporary decorative planters in the temporary CentralSpace park along Wilson Boulevard. The planters feature artistic wrappers showcasing various Rosslyn-centric images.

The beautification project also included orange “orbs” painted on the sidewalk, which form a “bread crumb trail” from the Rosslyn Metro to Artisphere.

“We are enhancing Rosslyn’s streetscape and creating a sense of place with Artisphere as Arlington’s cultural center,” said Rosslyn BID Executive Director Cecilia Cassidy, in a statement.

“The BID does a great job of beautifying our landscape and public spaces,” said Art Institute of Washington President Todd Cunningham. “I am pleased our students could play a role in that effort.”

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New Etched Glass Panels Installed at County Gov’t HQ

By ARLnow.com

In an effort to combine form and function, Arlington has outfitted four conference rooms at the county government building (2100 Clarendon Blvd) with glass panels etched with unique designs by local artist Linn Meyers.

Before the artwork was proposed, the county was already planning to install an industrial film over the glass panels that line the conference rooms, to minimize the “distracting ‘fishbowl effect'” of people constantly walking by and peering inside during meetings. By combining the money set aside for the film installation and an existing fund for new public art in the building, the county was actually able to complete the project “well under budget.”

The artwork was dubbed “Untitled” by Meyers.

“Demonstrating how the inclusion of public art can be a savvy, attractive and economical civic design solution, Untitled is the second of eight major public art projects being delivered in a 12 month period,” said Jim Byers, Cultural Marketing Manager for Arlington Economic Development. “It is part of a broad initiative by Arlington’s Public Art Program to grow capacity in local artists to undertake public art projects.”

The etched panels were installed in three conference rooms on the ground floor of 2100 Clarendon Boulevard, and one conference room on the 3rd floor, near the County Board room. An official dedication for the artwork is planned for 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 10.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

State of the County Address — County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman delivered the annual State of the County address in Crystal City yesterday. “All indications are that we are well-positioned for the future,” Zimmerman told the crowd. “Demand is both strong and growing for transit-accessible, walkable urban communities.”[Sun Gazette]

Rosslyn Public Art Walking Tour — Take a self-guided tour of the eclectic pieces of public art around Rosslyn, thanks to a map provided by Arlington’s Cultural Affairs division. [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Are Library Lost Item Fees Too High? — An Arlington Public Library user wrote an angry letter to the Sun Gazette after her family lost a library DVD and had to pay about twice as much to replace it as it would have cost to buy it new at Target. “I would greatly appreciate an investigation of the county library finances,” Janet Dorn told the paper. The library has responded to the letter on its blog, arguing that its materials supplier charges more than discount stores, partially because each item comes pre-packaged in a library-specific case with call number stickers already attached. [Library Blog]

Meeting Tonight to Discuss Art Along Crystal City Transitway

By ARLnow.com

A new bus transitway is coming to Crystal City and Potomac Yard, and planners are asking for the public’s help to decide what kind of art should be placed along the route.

To that end, a public forum will be held tonight at 6:30 at the the Aurora Hills Community Center at 735 18th Street S.

“An artist has been commissioned to create public art along the corridor,” a flyer advertising tonight’s meeting says. “Join us as we help the artist gain a greater understanding of the Crystal City and Potomac Yard communities so she can develop truly site-specific work that meets the goals of your community.”

Next week another public meeting is scheduled to discuss the transitway itself. That meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, June 27, also at the Aurora Hills Community Center.

The Crystal City/Potomac Yard Transit Improvements project will build dedicated bus lanes along Crystal Drive, S. Clark Street and S. Bell Street, often at the expense of on-street parking.

The transitway will eventually be expanded. There are plans for the route to extend south through Potomac Yard and down Jefferson Davis Highway to the Braddock Road Metro station. It will also be extended to the Pentagon City Metro station. The transitway will “set the stage” for a planned Crystal City/Potomac Yard streetcar, planners say.

Construction is expected to begin next year.

Road in Crystal City to Get Tattooed

By ARLnow.com

Update on 10/15/10: The road tattoo has been rescheduled for Sunday, Oct. 17, TBD reports.

Weather permitting, New York artist Steed Taylor and a team of volunteers will “tattoo” a street in Crystal City on Sunday.

Taylor has painted his road tattoos on streets and paths in the District, New York City, North Carolina, Arizona, and even China. Now, he’s coming to Crystal City to create a tattoo on 18th Street between Bell Street and Crystal Drive.

The tattooing is expected to begin at 7:00 Sunday morning and last several hours. However, the forecast is currently calling for rain on Sunday, which could delay the tattoo creation until next week.