Art proposals sought to decorate Reston’s Fairway Drive underpass

RestonNow.com February 10, 2023 at 2:18pm

Thoreau's Ensemble — Ben Volta’s artwork was the second of three art projects at underpasses in Reston (via Public Art Reston)

The Fairway Drive underpass in Reston is slated for a facelift.

Public Art Reston is seeking artists to submit ideas for an art project at the underpass, which connects residential areas with a pool, community center and the Lake Anne Village Center.

The project is the third permanent public artwork commissioned by Public Art Reston. The organization partners with Reston Association.

Reston’s master plan for public art contemplates using the pedestrian tunnels for public art projects in an effort to “foster community engagement, enhance public safety and instill pride of place,” according to Public Art Reston.

The organization expects to involve the community in the project. The selected artist or artist team will work with Lake Anne Elementary School students and other neighborhood groups to create the work.

A similar workflow was adopted to add Ben Volta’s “Thoreau’s Ensemble” on the Colts Neck Road underpass in 2019 and Valeria Theberge’s “Emerge” at the Glade Drive underpass in 2010.

Here’s more from Public Art Reston on the importance of artwork in Reston’s history:

Public art is an important part of Reston’s history. Commissioned, site-specific play sculptures were integrated into the built environment of its first development at Lake Anne Village Center. Offering residents daily encounters with art was a unique feature for a 1960s suburban development, and one that distinguishes Reston for its visionary role in current placemaking initiatives. Among these commissions are Uruguayan modernist Gonzalo Fonseca’s whimsical sculptural environment for North Shore Drive Underpass (1965) and Baltimore-based potter, Olin Rossum’s abstract ceramic mosaic for Moorings Drive Underpass (1967).

The application deadline is Feb. 24. Materials are available online.