Posts about Public Art

Transit

Metro morsels: SmarTrips and Gallery Place art

by David Alpert and Michael Perkins   •   July 8, 2010 11:09 am

This morning's WMATA Board meeting, as usual, brought up a number of small yet significant items.

Photo by brhefele on Flickr.

WMATA will sell SmarTrips at a loss: Last month, the WMATA Board voted to reduce the cost of SmarTrip cards to $2.50. That decision was made in part on information some staff told the Board that SmarTrip cards actually cost WMATA about $1.

However, a presentation today revealed that they actually cost $3.40. There is a reserve fund WMATA has created by saving up all the excess they've earned from the sale of earlier SmarTrips at $5, which will now start to be depleted.

Board Chair Peter Benjamin expressed some dismay that they had received this incorrect information and not been informed it was wrong earlier.

Today, CVS and Giant sell SmarTrips for $10, which come with $5 of stored value plus the $5 cost. They would like to keep the total retail cost at $10, so cards purchased there will come with $7.50 of stored value plus the $2.50 cost. Dispensers in the rail stations will also do the same thing, as they are not capable of providing change in coins.

"Making a gallery out of Gallery Place" (As Chris Zimmerman put it): Gallery Place-Chinatown will get a new piece of art by Martha Jackson Jarvis containing four panels depicting classic Chinese imagery:

Arts

Pianos as public art both look and sound beautiful

by Pete Witte   •   June 16, 2010 12:23 pm

Lancaster, Pennsylvania has a brilliant public art exhibit on display, Keys for the City. The exhibit contains twenty pianos dispersed throughout the city, each ready for a pianist to sit down and start playing.

A man plays a public piano in front of Lancaster's library.

The exhibit, a joint-venture between public and private interests, has been chiefly organized by a non-profit organization, Music for Everyone.

"The pianos are intended to engage the public by inspiring people to stop and strike a few keys or play an entire piece," said John Gerdy, president of Music For Everyone. "This project is a literal expression of what this organization is about—music for everyone."

Each piano on display was custom designed. Businesses and organizations could sponsor the pianos or select sites for pianos near their property. While I was wandering through only a small area of Downtown Lancaster for a short period of time, I saw two pianos, one being played directly in front of the City Library. (The scene reminded me of the piano staircase in Stockholm.)

A piano on display across from the Central Market on King Street.

Artwork and music joined together in public spaces is a great way to get people to interact with their environment--it can make a person linger around a place just a little while longer to hear someone's playing or provide an opportunity for random, joyful interactions between strangers over a mutual appreciation for a song that is being played.

What a great idea! New York City thinks so, too. I imagine that this type of interactive art display might be popping up in more cities in the near future, perhaps in the Washington region.

Arts

Ghost bikes going, giant musician bike coming

by David Alpert   •   September 19, 2009 10:48 am

There are two unrelated pieces of news involving bicycles and public art this morning. First, despite DDOT's signs that said the ghost bikes at Connecticut and R would be removed in 10 days, DC workers hauled them away yesterday. Was this another miscommunciation between DDOT and DPW? DDOT seemed to be making an effort to at least handle the issue in a less haphazard way, but then whoever did the hauling and whoever made the decision to order it fell back into the same pattern that triggered the controversy in the first place. It's disappointing.

Left: DC workers haul away the ghost bikes. Photo by Eric Gilliland.
Right: Proposal for the "Bicycle Musician" public art at 18th and Columbia.

Second, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities has picked the "Bicycle Musician" (above right) as the piece of public art for the corner of 18th and Columbia in Adams Morgan. Many residents dislike the piece, and KCA President Denis James editorialized against it. It was my least favorite of the three, as well, and doesn't provide seating while the other two do. In our poll, it came in last.

While there's no way people can agree on art, this does seem like one area where decisionmakers should lean toward deferring to community wishes. The Adams Morgan listserv thread alludes to some kind of poll taken to choose a finalist, but the DCCAH Web site has no information about the results. Or perhaps people are confusing our poll with being something official, as at least one poster did. There's also no announcement of the decision or any other information on the DCCAH site, their Twitter feed, or their blog.

Public Spaces

Adams Morgan reviews public art proposals

by David Alpert   •   May 5, 2009 11:41 am

A few weeks ago, DC released images of three finalists for a public art installation in Adams Morgan, for the newly created public plaza at Adams Mill and Columbia Road.

"Bicycle Musician" by James Simon:

"The 'Bicycle Musician' proposal creates a unique and spectacular large-scale sculpture for the Adams Morgan neighborhood. Depicting a well-dressed musician playing his guitar to the public, while perched on his bicycle. His bike's basket overflows with shopping items such as fruits and vegetables, his soccer ball, and a friendly Dachshund.

The sculpture's composition, like the neighborhood, is diverse, creating a local and international feeling while embracing past and present neighborhood cultures. The bike and music themes are perfect for the strong bicycle culture of Adams Morgan as well as its vibrant restaurant/bar nightlife. The shopping basket is a charming way to tie into the neighborhood's local grocery stores and farmers' markets. ...

The artist is open to color or keeping the sculpture concrete.

"Sunflowers" by Michael Milbourne:

The "Sunflower" proposal captures the heart and soul of the people of Adams Morgan by embracing the full diversity and rich history of Adams Morgan residents and architecture. The sunflower is iconic in many cultures and connects the multicultural feel of Adams Morgan to its' residents and visitors.

The sculpture's composition will become a real joy for the residents and visitors of Adams Morgan; it is something fresh and vibrant while also providing a beautiful and relaxing place to meet. This sculpture is able to creatively combine both public safety and art together.

"Adamor Circle" by Owen Morrel:

The "Adamor Circle" proposal emanates from one circle, a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. It is separated into many circles or hoops. Each circle houses divergent organic shapes charged with motion, presence and metaphor. The overriding metaphor is one of forward motion, positive thought and development. Each shape has the potential to fit or join with the others to form a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts.

This work reflects the diverse and rich community history of Adams Morgan and can be used as a tool and a reminder to the community of the power that people posses to work together in concert as do the divergent elements of the sculpture.

The "Bicycle Musician" seems to lack any public seating, while "Adamor Circle" contains many benches and plantings. "Sunflowers" also looks like it would accommodate seating, as we can see from the sketch showing people sitting on the flowerpot.