In the D.C. region where conversations often start with, “What do you do?” WTOP’s new series “Working Capital” profiles the people doing the work that makes the D.C. region so unique.
All artists want their art to be seen. In D.C., the audience for art includes world leaders, longtime residents and millions of tourists who may be focused on the art in the city’s many museums.
But for artists such as My Ly, founder of My Ly Design — who describes herself as a public artist, designer and architect — the artwork they create is often part of the landscape, and Ly said in order to capture the imagination of passersby, the pieces have to make an immediate first impression.
“It has to be world class, no matter what you do here,” Ly said.
But that’s not all.
‘It has to be big’
“The art can’t be small. It has to be big. If it’s going to be in the nation’s capital, it has to be big,” Ly said.
It’s also competing with some of the most iconic landmarks and monuments in the country, so she keeps a number of things in mind when creating a piece of art.
“People are busy, they only have a couple of seconds to take a look and see if they’re interested,” Ly said. “So you have to create something dynamic that changes between the day and nighttime, between the seasons as well.”
Among the works created by Ly is the giant mistletoe that was a part of the “Mistletoe Mingle,” an aerial art installation at Anthem Row on 8th Street NW between K and I streets.
“I wanted to create something large, something that would stop people in their tracks,” she said.
Ly said art like the giant mistletoe is more than just decorative, it’s functional.
“People interacted beneath the mistletoe. People got together and the word spread and it brought joy. It brought a smile to your face,” she said.
Ly also pointed out the piece generated foot traffic that spilled into retail spaces, benefiting local businesses: “So it was functional in that sense.”
WTOP met up with Ly at another site in D.C.’s Golden Triangle neighborhood, where her work “Chroma” is on display. She pointed out the piece, which is a series of multicolored triangular canopies, can be enjoyed from above or below, and that she designs her works to be viewed from a variety of angles.
Workers in neighboring office buildings can see the pointed shapes from above, and on sunny days, passersby are bathed in colored shafts of light as the sun pierces the translucent segments of the piece.
Asked how she chose the colors that make up Chroma, Ly said she considered that the area is known for tech.
“I borrowed, kind of cleverly, CMYK from the print cartridges,” she said, referencing the color scheme of cyan, magenta, yellow and black that’s associated with color printing.
Ly noted there were some twists and turns along the way when deciding to turn her passion into her career.
Making art and a living
“I wanted to be an artist,” she said, adding she had a full ride to art school.
Ly said her mother told her she’d never make a living as an artist. So she considered mechanical engineering and found it was not for her.
“It wasn’t creative. If I had to cut another section through another pipe, so help me,” she said with a laugh.
So Ly said she compromised and went to school where she got her architecture degree.
“That created a foundation for my understanding of how to build things,” and allowed her to integrate her art into her architecture, she said.
Her message to young people looking to get into creative fields: “Everyone has different journeys.”
“No matter what you study now, and you still have a passion for it, integrate that passion,” she added.
Knowing outdoor art is subject to changes in the weather and other elements outside an artist’s control, Ly said once it’s created and installed, it takes on a life of its own and the artist has to let go, in a sense.
“When I create a piece of art, it’s for the public. So I understand there might be graffiti, there might be public use, there might be trash, it might wear over time — and that’s OK. It’s for the public to enjoy,” Ly said.










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