More on Lift Off

by KimFromTheK

The Lift Off sculpture installation is nearing completion despite being surrounded by caution tape. The lighting at the end of each of the horizontal beams appears to be the major outstanding item remaining.

Responses to this new artwork have been mixed. Fellow K at City Vista residents have comically started calling it "Big Bird" with one individual saying "if we don't feed it maybe it will fly away." Perhaps it will become landmark in DC like The Big Chicken is a point of reference for driving directions in the Atlanta area.

My condo listserv has been flooded with comments and jokes about the sculpture. And despite some negative feedback, someone pointed out that the new artwork is a great distraction from the strip club and parking lot at the 5th and K intersection.


Personally, I'm not a fan of the color (especially with a similar-colored building in the background), but overall I'm happy with the artwork and thrilled that the Master Plan is being implemented. I'd like to remind our readers that public art displays are part of the Mount Vernon Triangle Master Plan, which also includes the decorative grate artwork scheduled for installation in the coming months. While many of us were not yet residents of The Triangle in the spring of 2007, there was a two day community panel during which the artwork was selected.

What are your thoughts?

Image Credit: DCMud

Editor's note: The MVT CID has published a press release on the sculpture.

Lift off installation underway **UPDATED**

by KimFromTheK

The installation of David Black's Lift Off sculpture is underway this morning at the 5th and K plaza space in front of Busboys.



UPDATE (11/9/2009 1:22PM): City Vista resident Sean Smith has sent in photos of the installation progress.

22nd Annual Washington Craft Show this weekend

by KimFromTheK

Information Courtesy of Jo Ann Neuhaus at the Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association

This weekend Crafts America presents the 22nd Annual Washington Craft Show. The event takes place at the Washington Convention Center and showcases 190 Juried, Contemporary Craft Artists from 34 states and DC.

Top: Nancy Kubale; Bottom (left to right): Hideaki Miyamura; Ben Johnson; Robert & Barbara Matthews

Original pieces will be presented and available for sale in the following media: Basketry, Ceramics, Fiber, Furniture, Glass, Jewelry, Leather, Metal, Mixed-Media, Paper, Wearable Art, Wood

Hours:
Friday, November 6, 10:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday, November 7, 10:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday, November 8, 11:00am - 5:00pm

General admission $15, but discounted coupons are available here; No charge for children under 12

Saturday, 3:30pm

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and David McFadden, Chief Curator of New York's Museum of Arts and Design, discuss Ms. Albright's personal jewelry worn to communicate a message or a mood during her diplomatic tenure. Following the discussion, Ms. Albright will sign her book, Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box

For more information, visit the event website

American Century Theater presents

The American Century Theater is bringing A Piece of My Heart, a celebration of women who served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War, to Washington D.C. this November 6th - 21st. They are performing at the historic theater space of the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Avenue, NW.


A Piece of My Heart is the story of six women-- before, during and after the Vietnam War. Based on Keith Walker’s book of the same name, the play is a collage of sound and imagery pinpointing the significant moments in each woman’s journey. The reality of the play occurs at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. At the moment of dedication, memories come flooding back, transporting the audience to the beginning. We see six young women make the choice to serve and the consequences of those decisions on the course and direction of their lives. They return different people who must reconcile their need to serve humanity with the horrors they experienced during war. It is a piece about transcendence that deals with the themes of service, heroism, life, death, trauma, forgiveness, sacrifice, despair, depression, rejection, friendship and rebirth. A Piece of My Heart features the unsung heroes often overlooked in history until now.

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes, with one intermission.

Permitting for public sculpture at Madrigal Lofts

Tonight's ANC 6C meeting includes an item regarding an application by Madrigal Lofts to place a sculpture in public space.

The sculpture was in the original plans from Quadrangle Development Corporation for the Madrigal Lofts and measures 16’ x 8’ x7’ in size. It will placed on the Eye Street Side of the building in the area between and above the benches.

Rendering of proposed public art courtesy of Quadrangle

Pedestal and benches along Eye Street

Aerial of pedestal and benches along Eye Street

Quadrangle indicated to me that a preliminary meeting of the ANC appeared to agree that they would recommend to the DCRA that the permit be issued; however, a formal vote will be taken at the full commission meeting. Once Quadrangle earns the approval they plan to have a proper unveiling ceremony at the property.

Art Vista '09 a success

Susan Anthony of Sawmill Marketing Public Relations shared the following recap of Thursday night's Art Vista '09 Event:

Nearly 300 guests attended last night's art exhibit by seven Corcoran College of Art & Design alumni hosted by CityVista, 5th and L Street, NW . To enjoy a glimpse of the exhibit visit http://tinyurl.com/ygpomcc. In appreciation, Lowe Enterprises has made a donation to the Corcoran student scholarship fund.

Ready for Lift Off

The corner of 5th and K has been transformed from a sleepy asphalt lot into a bustling downtown destination. A steady stream of Safeway shoppers are now a constant on Fifth Street. Busboys and Poets, and soon Taylor Gourmet, attract an influx of loyal diners while Ace Hardware and Results Gym fill valuable neighborhood needs.

An area on the figurative ascent is now ready for Lift Off thanks to internationally recognized sculptor David Black. Lift Off is the latest of Black's open, walk-under structures that combine architectural elements with the energy and references of sculpture.

Side view of David Black's Lift Off.

Aerial view of David Black's Lift Off.

In a 2008 presentation to the Commission of Fine Arts, Black ascribed his inspiration for the sculpture to a Kite festival he saw on the National Mall. The design of his proposal is a transparent, canopy-like structure that spreads out while not interrupting pedestrian movement. The design features a small bench incorporated into the lower part of the sculpture. Lights are to be placed at the end of the four cross beams.

Three concrete pedestals have been stationed in the plaza area at 5th & K for over a year in anticipation of Lift Off's arrival. The wait is near an end as Mount Vernon Triangle CID Executive Director Bill McLeod says installation is nearly ready to be scheduled. More details will be forthcoming in the CID's fall newsletter.

Over the summer we previewed a future public art installation from Midnight Metal Works that will conceal an air intake louver along the 5th Street facade of City Vista. These two pieces share similar styles and should complement each other nicely.

Shepard Fairey Poster removed in Chinatown

What's the story here? John from City Vista sent me a photo of the Downtown BID clean team removing a Shepard Fairey poster in Chinatown this morning.


Was the poster deteriorating on it's own and the Downtown BID just finished the job? Also if anyone can chime in with the exact location of this poster that would be useful context to share (unfortunately I can't recall).

Image Credits: joyride1x1 (left); and John Thompson (right)

Art Vista '09 this Thursday

To RSVP for this event click [here].

Convention Center reveals its artistic side

The Washington Convention Center will unveil Windows into DC, a new art exhibit featuring solely homegrown DC artists, in a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:00pm on Tuesday September 29th.

Mayor Fenty and other Council members are expect to attend the event which will take place at 7th & M Streets outside of the Mt Vernon Sq/7th St-Convention Center Metro entrance.


The exhibit is sponsored by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.

The artists featured are: Beth Baldwin, Jason Clark, Tim Conlon, Liani Foster, Amber Robles-Gordon, Eve Hennessa, Michael Dax Iacovone, Anne Marchand, Cory Oberndorfer, Michael Platt & Carol A. Beane, Kelly Towles, Aneikan Udofia, Colin Winterbottom and The New Community for Children.

Discover Colombia Through Its Heart

With the family in town over Labor Day weekend I was a frequent visitor to Union Station. Picking up and dropping off the fam for Amtrak and taking my young niece on the DCDucks (which I knew she'd get a kick out of).

Union Station is currently the epicenter of a promotion by the Colombian Embassy called Discover Colombia Through Its Heart. The exhibit which runs from September 5th through 15th includes 47 larger than life sculptures – seven interactive 13-foot heart sculptures displayed in Washington’s Union Station, and 40 eight-foot heart sculptures.

Allicia from ReadysetDC has written a great comprehensive post on the exhibit's background and the event calendar so I won't rehash that. To be balanced I'll make you aware of an human rights group's response called No More Broken Hearts that opposes this PR campaign and the proposed Free Trade Agreement being discussed in Congress.

In front of the DC Historical Society at Mount Vernon Square

One of 7 interactive hearts inside the main hall of Union Station

Three of the hearts outside the front of Union Station

Getting past the Colombia specific politics of this particular exhibit do you enjoy or dislike these kind of temporary art installations? I know not everyone agrees but I enjoyed the Party Animals in 2002 and the Pandamania (flickr) in 2004 and generally support more of these organized citywide public art endeavors.

Arts on Foot - Sep 10th thru 12th

The 2009 Edition of Arts on Foot will take place in less than two weeks. The event begins with the Art Market on Thursday September 10th which highlights local, regional and national artists. The event concludes on Saturday with a Festival that supplements the Arts Market with entertainment and sampling areas from participating restaurants and wineries.



You may follow Arts on Foot on facebook under the name The Washington Examiner's ARTS ON FOOT sponsored by Wines of Argentina.

Shakespeare Free for All

Tim from The 42 Bus brought my attention to the Free for All event by the Shakespeare Theatre Company at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW).


There are 21 shows of Taming of the Shrew running between now and September 12th. An accompanying Family Fun Fair will be sponsored by Target on Saturday August 29th.

Compilation CD artwork

Below is a flyer CD cover art related to Sonic Circuits prominently featuring the Triangle's I-395 air shaft (aka the Nixon Memorial).


Photo caption from IntangibleArts says:

Front panel of the very fab compilation CD of DC-area experimental music. Will be released this September, in conjunction with the 2009 Sonic Circuits Festival. Rock on like bitter freaks!

Gold Leaf Studios Open House

GOLD LEAF STUDIOS
Summer Open House

Sunday, June 28, 2 - 6pm
443 I Street NW

Building photo of 443 I St from flickr user Kyle Walton

From Brightest Young Things:

Gold Leaf Studios is a converted car garage, and has been the home to many legendary dc artists, musicians and scenesters for many years. The building has undergone a few revolutions and is still hoppin’ and better than ever with new artists, musicians and a soon-to-be-opened ground floor retail shop and design house DURKL (opening in July).

City Vista Grate Public Art - UPDATED

UPDATE (4/15/2009 3:40PM) - Artist Ethan Kerber has sent me the most up-to-date renderings. I've edited this post to reflect them. Ethan has an entire Flickr photostream dedicated to the project.

Following up on the prior posting regarding the Ethan Kerber art for City Vista the below images show the rendering and the location the art will be installed.

Renderings emailed to me by artist Ethan Kerber on 4/15/2009

Red polygon denotes the large grate

From the 2007 press release:

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities in collaboration with the Office of planning and local developers have selected artist Ethan Kerber to create and install a large permanent decorative grate for the ground level fresh air intake at City Vista, a new development in the Mount Vernon Triangle area of downtown Washington D.C. This sculpture will enhance the purely functional role of the vent and create a powerful visual metaphor on the façade of the building. This work of art is a representation and celebration of the diverse paths we all walk in life. It engages with the audience to lift their eyes upward along the building and integrates a fluid urban style into the modern lines of the architecture.

Image of ongoing fabrication at Midnight Metal Works

SFSU student designs public art for City Vista

Updated [4/15/2009 11AM]: This piece of public art is not for the 5th and K corner - but rather a decorative grate to beautify the large fresh air intake grate adjacent to Busboys' 5th Street entrance.

From the San Francisco State website:

Student's public art to spruce up downtown D.C.

April 14, 2009 -- Ethan Kerber hunches over a giant metal frame, illuminating his SOMA warehouse with pulses of light from a blow torch as he bonds metal to metal.

For nearly two years, Kerber, a graduate student in Design and Industry, has worked to design and create a metal public art piece that will be on permanent display 10 blocks from the White House.

After finishing, Kerber removes his welding mask and admires the work in progress, titled, "Inspiration." Made of five panels, it will measure 25 ft. by 25 ft. and weigh nearly 3,500 pounds when it is installed this summer.

"I'm only about three months away from install, and it's still hard to imagine what it will look like, but it will be big, that's for sure," Kerber said of the piece commissioned by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities in conjunction with Lowe Enterprises.

The two-year process has been a learning experience for Kerber. Finishing a public art piece requires constant communication between the artist, the client and engineers who ensure that the art meets building codes. Kerber's work will adorn the side of a mixed-use retail/residential building as part of revitalization efforts in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood.

Assistant Professor of Design and Industry Hsiao-Yun Chu said the process of producing public art can be overwhelming, particularly for an individual facing their first big commission. "He's not a big architectural firm," Chu said. "Ethan is communicating long distance with fabricators and engineers and adjusting his designs accordingly. For a student, it's not something he's doing for his schoolwork. It's a highly professional product."

To create the piece, Kerber used computer-aided design technology. He then took the design to a CNC machine, which turns the design into X-Y coordinates and then makes the cuts in the metal. He then took those pieces and welded them to five metal frames.

The 3-D piece is inspired by art in the Queens, N.Y. neighborhood where Kerber grew up. "Inspiration" has a distinctly "modern, urban" feel, and the differing depths of the metal pieces mirror Kerber's interest in emphasizing space. He envisioned an urban-style version of the exhaled breath on a cold winter morning when designing the piece.

Before it's unveiling, scheduled for the middle of this summer, the piece will be fit into a packing frame, and lifted with a crane onto a truck for its cross country journey. "I've always dreamed of building things for a public space," Kerber said. "public art can transform a space and create a unique experience."

LENSCAPE at Zenith Art Gallery

Zenith Gallery (413 7th Street NW) will be showcasing a new photography exhibit called LENSCAPE running from Nov 14th to 30th. The show features works from David Glick and Colin Winterbottom is dedicated to landscapes, some by man and some created by nature.


Gallery Hours are Tuesday thru Friday 11-6, Saturday 11-7, and Sunday 12-5.

Zenith Gallery is a future tenant of The Arts at 5th and I project.