Client: DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities

Overview

Washington, DC Ward 7 Community Gateway; artwork project was commissioned by the DCCAH for the new Unity Healthcare facility. Our glass and steel sculptures intricacy and craftsmanship projects a strong sense of place and shows the care and love involved in its creation as it strengthens and affirms the sense of arrival.

Goals

The design of the public artwork was intended to mark the symbolic entrance to the Kenilworth / Parkside section of DC s Ward 7. After meeting with community representatives, the WGS team focused on themes that were strongly held. A Community Gateway Arch became the vision for the placemaking sculpture that would help identify the new environment. The glass panel insets in the 16 foot tall sculpture would be made with the help of the neighborhood residents, students of the high school, and the staff of the new Unity Healthcare facility. The use of internal LED lighting allows a spectacular presentation at night.

Process

Washington Glass Studio brought the residents of the community to the glass studio to create the over 300 individual fused glass elements for the sculpture, and the integration of community effort as part of its design helped deepen the connection to the neighborhood and enriched the overall work.