Another good find in Captiol Hill.
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Sculpture
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You may recall back in May Charles wrote a post titled, Which Weird Sculpture Captures Adams Morgan Best? Well, a reader tipped me off that a winner had been selected. After doing a bit of research and pleading I was able to confirm that a winner had indeed been selected. And it’s the Bike Musician by James Simon (rendering above).
I spoke with Kristen Barden of the Adams Morgan BID who was unable to confirm but said that the winning sculpture should be completed in 2010. Kristen did mention that she is a bit concerned that the sculpture may break up the recently created plaza which is currently being used for a Summer concert series.
Do you like the selection? Do you think it will break up the feel of the plaza?
UPDATE: Just received the following email:
“I am with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the organization that is commissioning the artwork for Adams Morgan. I wanted to let you know that a final decision has not been made for the Adams Morgan public art project.
Deirdre Thayer Ehlen, DC Creates Public Art Coordinator”
Well, we’ll stay tuned.
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These haunting sculptures were found outside 1611 21 Street, NW (fittingly at a home across the street from the Philips Museum.)
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Well this is the nicest Dentist sign I’ve ever seen. Then again Phelps Place is a pretty sweet block. In addition to the cool sign they’ve also got a pretty great lawn decoration that really speaks to me:
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“Dear PoP,
I like your posts on sculptures in front of buildings and homes around DC. There is one abstract sculpture that has frequently piqued my interest, because I can’t figure out what it is supposed to represent. It’s near Dupont on Hopkins Street, which is one of those little side streets that’s only one block long.
My best interpretation is: headless orange giraffe. I suppose it can be the mark of good art that this sculpture defies definition and makes the viewer think. But if you’re looking for more sculptures to post about, I am curious how you and your readers would interpret this sculptural Rorschach test.”
Hmm, I’m gonna say this sculpture reminds me of a dancer. What do you guys think? Does it speak to you?
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This is from the 1313 L Street, NW outside of the National Association for the Education of Young Children Building.
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I really liked this tree from the sculpture garden on the Mall. It was a Yoko Ono Exhibit where people placed their wishes on the tree. The one above seemed more sincere than one’s simply wishing for world peace, it says:
“Good SAT Scores, get into a good college, I wish that me and Nick will get to be good friends again, love, happiness, prosperity for all, a BMW would be nice too.”
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Jazz in the Sculpture Garden, located at 7th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, is a blast. When the weather is warm as it was last Friday it is hard to find a better way to spend your early evening. The concerts go from 5:00PM to 8:30PM and you can find the full schedule here. I hadn’t been for a while and forgot how fun it was. It’s a great spot for a picnic or just to put your feet in the fountain.
And don’t forget the cool sculptures:
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This great sign and wild sculpture is from H Street, NE. I told you I had much love for H Street, NE…
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Charles was prolific this week!
The newly reformulated, traffic-calming, briefly Third World (repaving has begun) corner of 18th and Columbia/Adams Mill is soon to be graced with one of three large pieces of new sculpture and, possibly, and enhanced kiosk. Sadly, the survey is closed and our opinions mean nothing any more, but you can find more info about designs at:
All modern art has the potential to be silly, but even sillier is the claptrap artists put in their proposals:
“The sculpture’s composition, like the neighborhood, is diverse, creating a local and international feeling while embracing past and present neighborhood cultures.”
“…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 “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…. 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…”
Guess they used the word “diversity” in the RFP. Call me a lightweight but I think they should just pick out a great piece of sculpture and worry about what it “captures” later on. I saw a sign in a gallery once that said “good art does not match your couch.” It might not “match” your neighborhood, either, but as long as it’s good…
So, which one are you rooting for? I hate to admit it, but I like the boring modern one most, perhaps because I, too have a center which is everywhere and a circumference which is nowhere. But the sunflowers are cool, too. I think the goofy bike will get old quick.
Ed. Note: GGW also took a look at these proposals. As for the sculptures, I hate to admit it but I kinda like the bike one!