Public Art Commissions Selected for 11th Street Bridge Park – Four Local DC-area, all-women artist teams to create art pieces tied to park’s design principles and values
In response to over 200 community meetings where public art was prioritized, a lighted sculpture inspired by plants growing along the Anacostia River; a mural depicting the African American and Native American experiences tied to caring for the land, hammocks created to honor DC culture reflective of the community; and design of a mobile, small business kiosk aimed at supporting East of the River Black entrepreneurs were selected from over 60 entries by the park’s curatorial committee comprised of local residents, experts, and artists. – PoPville
11th Street Bridge Park Project Commissions Four More Artworks From Local Artists
The team behind the 11th Street Bridge Park project has selected four installations by local creatives to enliven the seven acres of new park space set to open in Southeast D.C. in 2025. All four of the pieces have been designed by women, which is becoming a bit of a theme for the park’s larger art collection. Last year, the nonprofit that is raising money to build the park announced it had commissioned a large sculpture by mother-daughter-duo Jackson Jarvis Studio. -DCist
Envisioning Inclusion: How Scott Kratz Transformed Bold Community Voices into the 11th Street Bridge Park
This interview was conducted in November 2021, as part of a series designed to celebrate park visionaries and share inspiring and practical insights into their perspectives, challenges, and advice. Follow the series to learn from developers, planners, and other leaders implementing their creative visions for parks worldwide… – Urban Land Institute
Bank of America makes multimillion-dollar investment in D.C. projects
“This is an area where we see a lot of promise and a lot of opportunity, and a lot of need,” said Larry Di Rita, president of Bank of America Greater Washington, D.C. … – Washington Business Journal
11th Street Bridge Park Announces Selection of Major Commissioned Artwork by Martha Jackson Jarvis and Njena Surae Jarvis
On February 16, 2022, the 11th Street Bridge Park—a partnership between the local non-profit Building Bridges Across the River (BBAR) and the District government—announced the selection of Anacostia’s Sunrise/Sunset Portals by DC-based artists Martha Jackson Jarvis and Njena Surae Jarvis of Jackson Jarvis Studio as the park’s first and largest commissioned artwork. – East City Art
“the $400,000 commissioned piece will help orient and invite visitors into the park and welcome neighbors home to historic Anacostia”
The site for this artwork will act as a gateway to the 11th Street Bridge Park and in a highly visible, public green space along the river’s edge that is referred to as the “Anacostia Approach.” – PoPville
A community comes together to expand an important DC urban garden
It only occupies a small open area near Allen Chapel AME Church in Southeast D.C., but a newly expanded urban garden is having a big impact on the community it serves. – WTOP News
Opinion: A bridge-turned-park in Southeast can be a national example of how to reconnect communities
Largely overlooked in President Biden’s economic recovery and infrastructure plan is sweeping effort to reconnect communities divided by urban highways. The $20 billion in aid Biden proposed in his American Jobs Plan would be a historic effort to correct the racism in how we built our highway system and lay the groundwork for reinvigorating neighborhoods… – The Washington Post
Can a Park Prevent Gentrification?
“…and Building Bridges across the River, the nonprofit behind the bridge plan, is channeling the resources raised for the park to promote truly equitable development, especially in long-neglected Anacostia and its surrounding neighborhoods.” — Next City