Arlington, Virginia highlights its major public art program
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: This year, Arlington celebrates the 40th year of its dynamic and highly successful Public Art Project. During its long and evolving implementation process it was able to expand its focus within its own community, and over time the early success of this program influenced other communities around the country to initiate their own public art projects. During this expansion the Arlington initiative has been able to successfully install over 90 public arts projects, including some significant and larger projects that are recognized as nationally important initiatives in the public arts community. Most of the early projects in Arlington were initially installed in the major population centers along the new metro line, referred to as the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor. But as the program expanded, it was able to extend its reach to include art in the more recently developed high rise living complexes. It also began to place art in local neighborhoods, community parks, and public activity sites. Over time, the project also influenced private organizations and businesses in Arlington County to initiate their own art projects, as well as to consider adding more creative designs in a number of private settings and semipublic spaces. Eventually, the program opportunities had expanded significantly enough for visitors to be able to easily identify public art installations throughout the entire county (Figure 1). Arlington is one of a small number of independent communities that help make up the Greater Washington Area National Capital Region that surrounds the nation's capital. And although Arlington plays a unique and sometimes outsized role within the Washington constellation, it is only eighth in size in population compared to the other participating communities. And the close relationship with Washington is not only because it shares a long and important and highly visible shoreline along the Potomac River (Figure 2). Historically, when Washington was laid out as the nation's capital, it formed a sizeable square-shaped portion of land which included parcels on both sides of the Potomac River. This was partially influenced by George Washington as his own plantation came very close to Alexandria, Virginia, and he wanted his plantation close to the new capital (Figure 3). However, in the mid 19th century, the US Congress proposed that the land West of the Potomac River be returned to the state of Virginia. And in 1847, the Virginia Legislature voted to accept the land through an act of retrocession. After some adjustments with Alexandria, Virginia, the return of this major portion of land to Virginia formed what is now Arlington County. Through much of the 19th century, the major physical contact between Arlington and Washington was via a wooden trestle Bridge which replaced the Aqueduct Bridge, built in 1830 that carried the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. However, in the Twentieth Century as activity was significantly increasing between the two communities it was important to increase access, and a new six-lane reinforced concrete arch bridge, designed by Architects Wyeth and Taylor, was completed in 1923 to replace the trestle bridge. Named the Francis Scott Key Bridge, it extended from the newly expanding business district in Rosslyn and connected directly to the riverfront area of Georgetown, which today is below the Georgetown University Medical Complex (Figures 4 and 5). In the following brief decades, the relationship between the two communities continued to expand rapidly. As increasing international tension began to affect the focus of the US government due to growing foreign activities and interests in Europe and the Far East, this eventually pushed Washington to plan on an additional connection to Arlington, and a second six-lane bridge was completed in 1932 named the Arlington Memorial Bridge. It was a stone neoclassic arch bridge designed by the Architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White. The bridge extended from just below Arlington House and ended near the western steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the Washington side of the Potomac River. The bridge was designed by the architectural firm responsible for the City Beautiful Plan that influenced major changes in the early 1900s in Washington, including the reconstruction and redesign of the National Mall (Figures 6 and 7). Following the US entrance into the second World War, the planning and building of the Pentagon was undertaken and completed 1942. It was built just below the Arlington National Cemetery and was the largest office building in the world. It serves as the Headquarters of the Department of Defense, as well as the major site for components for all of the military branches of service. After the War, the technical and military resources that had begun to evolve in areas around the Pentagon during the war years had continued to increase around the communities of Pentagon City and Crystal City, significantly increasing the population in that area as well (Figures 8 and 9). In 1977, the important construction of the two metro rail lines was completed, and they were essentially built parallel to the bridges. One was designed to enter near The Arlington Memorial Cemetery and the other entered the central commercial area of Rosslyn. This added important changes and opportunities to Arlington, as well as significantly increased access for the area and improved direct connections to Washington and the rest of the metropolitan area. Not only did it add to the already increasing neighborhoods in Arlington, but it supported the newly expanding professional and business communities that were already established in the County. This also further increased the presence of a growing national and international community that had already begun to establish sites in Arlington. It also further increased activities within the three established universities in Arlington, as well as supported the expansion of a number of full-time university programs from several universities that had already began to develop activities in Arlington. This expanding professional and business residential population in the community is one of the important sources for the active support given to the success of Arlington's interest to develop its successful community arts programs and the presence of a population largely supportive of strong cultural community resources (Figures10-12). Over 24 million visitors come to the Washington Metropolitan area annually, and Arlington accepts a large contingent of these visitors into its community. And while many come to visit the significant number of nationally important sites in the County, such as the Arlington Memorial Cemetery, The Pentagon, Arlington House and other historic sites and use the Reagan National Airport, many come for the plentiful housing opportunities available to visitors and the easy transportation systems. They are also attracted to Arlington's significant arts resources, such as the Museum of Contemporary Arts, formerly Arlington Arts Center, and a number of important art specialists and related arts resources. They also come for its expanded entertainment sector, and it is also known for its quality theater performances and sophisticated music scene. It is because of a highly educated and supportive population found in this community that the art initiative was easily promoted and successful. A recent Vision Art Statement noted, “Arlington is a unique community because arts and culture create a sense of space, collegial vitality and enrich the lives of those who live in, visit or work here” (Figures 13 and 14). Over the past 40 years, Public Art has played a significant role in creating the identity of Arlington County. Arlington's first major commissioned artwork was a site-specific landscape project in Rosslyn called “Dark Star Park.” Designed by New York artist Nancy Holt (1938–2014) and installed in 1984, this seminal work successfully integrated landscape architecture, sculpture and astronomy into an urban landscape in the middle of a bustling city center. This 0.4-acre park consisted of five spheres created to resemble fallen, extinguished stars, and it included other landscape elements such as poles, bridges, trees and other plantings that created an extraordinary inviting public space. There was an adjacent traffic island included in the park where every year on August 1 at 9: 32 a.m. visitors can witness a shadow alignment commemorating the moment William Henry Ross (in 1860) purchased the land that would become Rosslyn. The actual shadows are cast by the spheres and poles and align with the permanent inset outlines in the ground. Joining the County in bringing this ambitious project to fruition was a local developer and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal Agency. Over the years, this project has gained national attention. This impressive example of public art integrating into a bustling urban neighborhood inspired the County to create a plan that incorporated artwork into all of its future building projects and redevelopment plans. Arlington County's Public Art Program is one of the oldest in the country. In the year 2000, the County Board approved its first Public Art Policy and adopted a Public Art Master Plan in 2004. Through the creation of its Master Plan the role of public art projects has dramatically enhanced Arlington's visual landscape. Over the years, this policy has broadened and expanded tremendously. It now includes not only a percentage of all County Capital Improvement Projects that is reviewed every 2 years, but also established a review process for all county facilities and infrastructure that includes bridges, walkways and pavers for open plazas. Historically, the public art program engaged developers in their private property plans along the metro system in what is known as the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor. Developers who are interested in adding a public art amenity to their site plan could do so when they submitted their plan to the County for approval. The Public Art Policy has evolved over the years since its creation. The review process has been expanded to include public art projects submitted to the program from the greater community. A Public Art Fund was also established to fund projects on a smaller scale, often proposed by community groups within the County. By commissioning an artist to work with community members, they were able to enhance neighborhood parks, local businesses and other public spaces. By expanding the scope of art projects to include a dialog with community groups, Arlington's public art policy and Public Art Master plan succeeded in reaching a much broader audience that included public art projects located in underserved neighborhoods. The biggest news in the last few years is Amazon's announcement that it had selected Arlington, Virginia for its second headquarters. Amazon will invest $2.5 billion dollars and occupy 4 million square feet in the Crystal City neighborhood, called National Landing. They promised to create 25,000 full-time jobs over the next decade. They broke ground in 2020 and have committed to integrate art into its development projects. Phase One of HQ2 opened in May of 2023 and has 8,000 employees working there at the moment. They plan on building two 22-story towers, surrounded by green outdoor terraces, shops, restaurants and recreation areas. There are also plans for a childcare center, a dog park and farmer's market. They have committed to working with local artists and telling the stories of important narratives that need to be told and remembered from the cultural history of this area. They have engaged local artists in several Art projects, so far. The unique public art projects being planned will include both outdoor spaces and interiors of the Amazon buildings. Their commitment to include public art integrated into their campus is sure to be a delightful addition to the amenities that Arlington already provides and will certainly be an immediate draw for the years to come, for not only Arlington residents but for out-of-town visitors, as well. The authors have no funding to report.
DOI: 10.1002/smo3.12016
Author: Rita E. Bartolo
Language: English
Topic: Public Spaces through Art
Subfield: Urban Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,000
OpenAlex ID: W4404220098