Public Art

You never know what you’ll see on the way home – especially when you’re riding a bike. This week I noticed several new sculptures along the Metropolitan Branch Trail, each more intriguing than the next. The first one involved a pile of stones caught up in wire, topped with a brightly painted totem pole; the second I liked better, a pole with ceramic masks set in it at intervals. I slowed down and said to the young family standing among the sculptures that I’d not seen this art before, was it new? And the woman replied yes, he is the artist, and pointed to her husband standing beside her.

How often does that happen?
See art.
See the artist.
Right there on the side of the bike path.

The artist, Wilfredo Valladares, explained that his commission was to create eight abstract totem poles, representing the eight wards of the city. They are planted now like odd, mismatched flowers beside the trail, but I later discovered that they were originally installed, temporarily, at 3rd and H Streets. The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities had something to do with it – and posted the pictures I have here on their facebook page.

My favorite is the woven funnel-shaped swirl of a cone, open to the sky, like an unfinished basket or the bell of a trumpet pointed up. Some of the woven strips of wood have words carved into them: “More kids parks.” “Racially undivided city.” “Peace, love and happiness.” Little prayers, shooting skyward.