City of Alexandria
Citysweep, by Bernard Collin
Art can appear in unexpected places in Alexandria — like on the side of a Harris Teeter grocery store.
On the brick wall on the north side of the Harris Teeter at 500 Madison St. in Old Town North, steel panels are laid as a reflection of the city of Alexandria.
“City Sweep,” created by French artist Bernard Collin in 2014, captures the dynamic environment of Alexandria with an emphasis on the history of the city and the relationship Alexandria holds with both nature and the District of Columbia.
It is one of multiple public art exhibits in Old Town North, the designated “Arts District” in Alexandria. More than three dozen public art pieces line the sidewalks and buildings throughout the neighborhood, including six added in 2023. (The 37 public art pieces do not include the artistic renderings in dozens of manhole covers installed last year.) A map of the artwork is available at oldtownnorthalliance.com/ arts-district.
In addition, later this month the Old Town North Alliance is hosting Chalk-a-Block, a public interactive art event featuring sidewalk chalk art, music, local arts and crafts vendors and a public-art focused scavenger hunt with prizes. The event is Sunday, Sept. 29 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. More info is available here.
While public art is a prominent aspect of Old Town North, both privately-commissioned (but publicly visible) art and government-commissioned public art can be found all around the city.
You can explore all the public art in Alexandria on an interactive map here.
Here are a few highlights:
‘ORIRI’ BY JOSHUA MARTEL (OOWAH)
@oowahmartel on Instagram
Oriri in progress, 2024
Along Eisenhower Avenue, a large-scale mural on the side of the SportRock building is visible from the Metro tracks. “Oriri” is Latin, meaning “to rise.” The piece by Joshua Martel (also known as Oowah) covers the entire back of the building at 5308 Eisenhower Ave.
Martel is an artist from the Pacific Northwest who specializes in many different art styles, from abstract to realism. Using black and white illustrations, in a style like what is seen in a comic book, Martel created a mural of climbers with a large focus on an individual putting chalk on their hands.
In an Instagram post showing progress on the mural, Martel wrote, “This mural is inspired by the climbing gym that lays behind the wall, but I was also inspired by the simple act of rising up.”
‘EFFLORESCENCE’ BY SILAS BAKER
Photo by Isabella Smith
Loading dock doors at the Torpedo Factory.
A newly commissioned mural went up in June, visible on North Union Street in Old Town Alexandria, at the loading dock of the Torpedo Factory, just north of the entrance to 105 N. Union St.
The Torpedo Factory loading dock was the site of a mural commissioned by the city in 2015, but after suffering damages, that mural was uninstalled in August 2021.
“Efflorescence” takes the place of the mural “Beaded Curtain” by Erin Curtis.
Commissioned by the City of Alexandria’s public art program through the City Office of the Arts, artist Silas Baker created a vibrant work that stands out to pedestrians.
A native of Hampton, Va., Baker’s style has been heavily influenced by street art and traditional graffiti. Prior to working commissions, he worked for 16 years in the tattoo industry before focusing on abstract art in 2020.
“Efflorescence” depicts dogwood flowers, the state flower of Virginia, with geometric and natural shapes in the background. The bright colors of this mural stand out with a stark contrast to the cement walls surrounding the work.
The city outlined its goals for this specific project noting that it would help to inspire, engage and delight the community; spark curiosity, and draw interest to the space; as well as bring light, color and public interaction to the less aesthetically pleasing side of the arts center.
‘BLUEPRINT FOR PEACE’ COLLABORATION
Isabella Smith/Alexandria Living Magazine
Blueprint for Peace, a mural at Bradlee Shopping Center in Alexandria.
Next to the newly built Minnie Howard Campus of Alexandria City High School, the Bradlee Shopping Center has recently become a place of unrest between high school students, local business owners and residents.
A recently installed mural facing Braddock Road called “Blueprint for Peace,” a collaboration between local artists and ACHS arts students, promotes peace and unity in the neighborhood.
Through a joint effort between local artists Nicole Bourgea and Roberto Seminario used the ideas and talents of local students, with the goal of having their voices heard through their art. The mural debuted this summer.
SCULPTURES IN OLD TOWN NORTH, DEL RAY AND BEYOND
Murals are not the only forms of public art that can be found in Alexandria.
Photo courtesy City of Alexandria
Promenade Classique by Anne Poirier
Sculptures are common around the city. One of the older public art installations is in Old Town North at the Canal Center Plaza. “Promenade Classique” was created in 1986 at the Canal Center Plaza by artists Anne and Patrick Poirier.
Both classical and modern style elements are present in this work. Contrasting marble and bronze elements draw the eye to this unique piece, showing human features on stairs.
Public art is not only made for adults to enjoy — a unique interactive sculpture project in Del Ray has a purpose. Commissioned in 2019, May & Watkins Design designed playful, artistic and functional pieces at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Del Ray called “Del Ray Play.”
Del Ray Play, by May & Watkins
May & Watkins is a collection of architects, designers, fabricators and visionaries who aim to bring the beauty of public art to communities with the idea of play and exploration in mind. The park includes a large climbing structure, as well as two smaller sculpture pieces that double as a spot for children to climb and explore. The pieces are located along the 400 block of East Duncan Street.
Over the past five years, the city of Alexandria has implemented a recurring public art installation at the Old Town Waterfront. This program, called “Site See,” is an annual series of temporary public art.
The current installation on display until November 2024 is called “Interstellar Influencer (Make an Impact).” This work is a reflection on an asteroid that hit Earth 35 million years ago near what is modern day Alexandria.
The artist chosen for the 2025 installation is Nekisha Durrett, a Washington, D.C. native. “Her work contemplates biases and the unreliability of memory, as information is filtered over time. Durrett illuminates individual and collective histories of Black life and imagination, addressing her own younger self and the stories she wished she had learned,” according to her artist biography. Durrett is the artist behind “Queen City,” a 35-foot tall “vessel” in Arlington that honors 903 people who were displaced in the 1940s, after construction of the Pentagon.
