Haven’t been to New York recently? No worries — Lady Liberty is making her way to the D.C. region, but in a unique pose.
“Reclining Liberty,” a 25-foot-long Lady Liberty set in a lounging pose by artist Zaq Landsberg, is moving from the New York area and taking up residence in Arlington, Virginia.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington and Arlington Public Art announced that the statue will be on display on MoCA Arlington’s front lawn from Aug. 5, 2023, through July 28, 2024.
MoCA Arlington said that “Reclining Liberty” takes inspiration from the giant reclining Buddha statues of Asia, which represent the Buddha in one stage on the path to enlightenment and are a theme throughout Buddhist art.
An opening celebration and picnic for the new lady will be held at the site from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on August 5.
“I’ve been following Zaq’s practice for many years, and when I saw Reclining Liberty, I knew it was the perfect work to bring to Arlington,” said Blair Murphy, MoCA Arlington’s Curator of Exhibitions in a statement from the museum.
“I love that the work brings the statue down to the eye level (and reach) of the public. Its playfulness and accessibility suggest that the ideals of liberty and freedom represented by the Statue of Liberty are active, tangible, and evolving and need to be directly engaged with, debated and defended.”
The art installation made its first stop in Manhattan’s Morningside Park in April 2021. In May 2022, the work was relocated to Liberty State Park, where it greeted visitors boarding the ferries to Liberty Island.
“Arlington Public Art is delighted to co-sponsor this ‘enlightened’ temporary public art project in the County’s Maury Park. We look forward to the community conversations that this sculpture will inspire including those related to monuments and memorials, immigration, and our democratic ideals,” said Angela Anderson Adams, director of Arlington Public Art, in a statement.
