FEATURED STORY
Behind the Scenes: Rosslyn’s Temporary Public Art Program
How Collaboration and Careful Planning Brought a
World-Renowned Photographer's Work to CentralSpace
Since March, Frank Hallam Day’s close-up photograph of a cluster of crape myrtle trees, taken in front of the Ruby Tuesday on Wilson Blvd., has covered the façade of a mostly vacant office building across the street from the Rosslyn Metro. The massive, 6,000 square foot image has recently been joined by more of Day’s photographs of nature in Rosslyn, which adorn a surrounding construction fence.
Kim Ward, public art consultant for the Rosslyn BID, collaborated with Lucia deCordré, the BID’s urban design director, to bring this collection of photographs to the neighborhood.
“This has been about escaping from [nearby] construction, hard surfaces and the built environment,” says Ward. “We wanted people to see Rosslyn differently. We wanted to create something that would have an element of mystery and wonder . . . something you could contemplate, whether you were an office worker looking down from your window or a passer by on the street.”
After talking with stakeholders and visiting the site at different times of the day to see how the community interacts with it, Ward decided that a photographic image on a slick surface, like vinyl, would have the greatest impact as the main, façade-mounted artwork. She knew that a photograph would reproduce well on vinyl and easily relate to other art planned for the construction fencing.
Ward and deCordré chose Frank Hallam Day, an internationally renowned, award-winning photographer, for the project. Ward had known Day for twelve years, and was certain his photos would offer a fresh perspective on Rosslyn. “Public art should have an element of surprise and delight, and I’d always found that in Frank’s work,” she says. Day was given significant control, deciding when and where he wanted to shoot, and at what time of year.
Before the photographs could be installed, the project needed the County’s approval. Arlington County, which has a robust, nationally recognized public art program of its own, was extremely supportive. They provided consent and helped remove a pipe on the side of the building that would have obscured part of the photograph. The BID’s Committee on the Public Realm, whose members are knowledgeable about landscaping and public art, also provided helpful input. Yet even with enthusiastic participation from these key groups, the process for getting Day’s images displayed in the community still took more than a year.
“All public art takes time,” Ward explains. “It’s rewarding, though, to be able to bring in an artist and hold up a mirror, if you will, or a magnifying glass and turn inside out what appears to be really pedestrian and make it great art.”
Day’s mural at Central Space, Holy Crape! It’s Myrtle Madness, will be on view until October. The rest of his photographs will remain on the construction fencing around the block (Wilson Blvd., N Moore St. and N. Lynn St.) for a while. Be sure to stop by to appreciate these photos of Rosslyn as seen through an artist’s eyes. A helpful key to the photos, which is posted just across the street from the N. Moore St. entrance of the Rosslyn Metro, is a good place to start.
Photo Caption: Photographer Frank Hallam Day, BID President Mary-Claire Burick, Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette and JBG Companies' Principal Andrew VanHorn at the unveiling of Holy Crape! It's Myrtle Madness in Rosslyn.
Related Items:
- More Public Art at CentralSpace
- Giant Mural by Frank Hallam Day To Be Unveiled at Rosslyn’s Central Space (3/10/14)
- Giant Mural by Frank Hallam Day Installed at Central Space (3/21/14)
- To learn more about Frank Hallam Day and see other examples of his photography, visit his website.