IPAR Seeking Entries for Bike Racks That Are Works of Art

A bike rack can be a work of art.

That’s the message the Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR) is hoping to convey. IPAR is holding a call for artists through the end of May to design artistic bike racks for several Reston locations.

Says IPAR: “Winning bike rack designs will be both imaginative and functional, enhancing the community’s public art collection. The organizations (IPAR and Reston Association Multimodal Transportation Advisory Committee) seek to develop a series of site-specific bike racks that will represent Reston’s unique aesthetic, natural, and cultural identities. The goals of the project are to provide safe bike parking for cyclists throughout Reston and to weave art into the fabric of Reston’s infrastructure.”

Five designs will be selected, and the design should reflect the surrounding site. IPAR plans installations at Walker Nature Education Center, the Lake House, the Pony Barn, and Hunters Woods Village Center.

Artists must be from the Maryland-DC-Virginia-West Virginia area. Selected artists will receive $1,000. Winning designs will be selected by a committee and ultimately approved by IPAR.

Winning entries will be chosen in June. Installation of the racks is expected by August.

See much more information and design specifics on this Call for Entries.

Photos: Artistic bike racks in downtown DC/Credit: Golden Triangle BID