April 11, 2008

Two years ago, the DC government appropriated a generous sum for the purpose of filling the renovated District City Hall, the John A. Wilson Building, with a collection of the work of local artists. Ably administered by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, curated by my dear friend Sondra Arkin, and juried by a panel that included some of the most prominent museum curators in our area, the collection that was assembled is truly remarkable. It contains work from a broad cross-section of artists, from the nationally prominent (e.g. William Christenberry, Sam Gilliam), to the rest of us, and the living to the not so. I have the distinctly distinct distinction that my piece, "Twelve Linear Feet" is the biggest in the collection.

Twelve Linear Feet

The sad part is that most people don't know about this unique resource. You can see the work during any working day at the Wilson Building,1350 Pennsylvania Ave, MW. Make sure to pick up a copy of the map that shows where each piece is hung from the reception desk. Even better is to go on one of the guided tours that are given every month or so. To find out when they are, get in touch with Beth Baldwin at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Their website is http://dcarts.dc.gov.

John A Wilson Building