Foggy Bottom Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit On View
Anyone going to the Kennedy Center, the Watergate, George Washington University, or any other Foggy Bottom attraction should be sure to take a path down K Street, between 24th and 26th Streets NW.
In the inaugural Foggy Bottom Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, the Foggy Bottom Association has installed twelve sculptures within the gardens and front yards of some of the neighborhood’s colorful homes. They are all contemporary works by D.C. metro area artists, and they contrast nicely with the historic homes, some of which date back to Foggy Bottom’s 19th century working class days.
Last Saturday, at the opening day tour, we followed the map on one of the pamphlets available at most of the sculpture sites and listened to the artists speak about their work. Even though most of the works were not commissioned specifically for this exhibit (Aerial Delineation by Craig Kraft, for example, had been at AU’s Katzen Arts Center), the artists categorically praised curator Shirley Koller’s ability to match each sculpture with an appropriate space.
So these are not mere ornaments—they stimulate intriguing notions of how sculptures interact with a non-museum environment.
At the first sculpture on the tour, for example, sculptor Pamela Burris said that she named her contorted red sculpture, Accumulative Effect (pictured right), because it showed “how things blend.” It was a fitting kickoff to the walk, because the entire exhibition is an exercise in blending styles, times, colors, and ideas.
Burris' piece is energetic and loud—its solid color (from an auto body finish) and large size make it a good opening to the walk. As the most visible sculpture, sitting on the corner New Hampshire and Eye within view of the Foggy Bottom Metro, it also serves as a guard post of sorts, telling passersby they are no longer in the metal and glass environs of the World Bank/IMF campus and downtown.
Many of the sculptures, indeed, help highlight the residential feeling of Foggy Bottom. While Kraft's work of green and blue neon tubes feels dangerously close to literally overshadowing the home behind it, most of the sculptures are tasteful works that make an ordinary front yard extraordinary.
The exhibition's success points both to the dynamism of effective sculpture and Koller's skill in placing them.Philippe Mougne spoke of contrasting his airy Dance (pictured left)—motivated by movements of dance and ideas of music—with the narrow and linear architecture of row houses. Koller called his piece "lyrical," and though its stolid brown base would seem to take away from the work's overall effect, the fact that the support was made from the same metal as the house's railing only strengthens the way his work both challenges and adds to its space.
Sam Noto said his piece, Blue, relies completely on fitting in. “Any bigger it would be ridiculous,” he said, obviously pleased with the final result. “Any smaller it’s lost.”
As the hundred or so walkers clamored after her with questions and comments about the event, Koller was visibly excited. Asked about placing sculptures into a natural environment, she said, “It just doesn’t happen enough.”
Participating homeowner Russell Conlan explained why he enjoyed the sculptures' placement on each lawn. “You get a different sense and feel as you walk up to a sculpture versus standing straight in front of it."
Students from neighboring George Washington University and others near the Metro saw the commotion and joined the group, which got so big the directors of the exhibit eventually had to split the main group into smaller ones so that everyone could hear the artists talk.
For an in-depth look, go on one of the walking tours every second Saturday of the month, starting at 11 a.m. at New Hampshire Avenue and Eye Street NW.
Photos of Pamela Burris' Accumulative Effect and Philippe Mougne's Dance by Benjamin Schuman-Stoler.