August 14, 2024 | Beyond the museum: Art hits the streets of DC (WTOP's Rachel Nania)
WASHINGTON — Those who work, live or walk around 19th and I Streets NW near Farragut Square may soon find themselves face-to-face with a 14-foot-tall bear.
If this happens to you, don’t panic. There’s no need to fear the beast — he is made of 170,000 pennies.
The bear, named “Ursa Major,” is one of six pieces of art hitting the streets of D.C.’s Golden Triangle — a 43-square-block of neighborhood that stretches from Dupont Circle to the White House. The large-scale installations are part of a collaboration between the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District and Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery to bring art from the famed desert festival, Burning Man, to the nation’s capital.
Crews install the 5-ton cast cement bust of Maya Angelou on 17th Street, between H and I Streets. The piece, “Maya’s Mind” is one of six outdoor art installations in the exhibit “No Spectators: Beyond the Renwick.”
(Photo credit: Abram Eric Landes, Courtesy Golden Triangle BID)
Photo credit: Abram Eric Landes, Courtesy Golden Triangle BID
“Maya’s Mind” sits on the sidewalk on 17th Street, between H and I Streets. The looming 20-foot-tall sculpture of the famous poet sits in sharp contrast to the glass office buildings that surround it.
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
“You can’t pass by this piece without stopping to look at it, to read about the artist and to read about Maya Angelou,” said Leona Agouridis, executive director of the Golden Triangle BID.
(Photo credit: Abram Eric Landes, Courtesy Golden Triangle BID)
Photo credit: Abram Eric Landes, Courtesy Golden Triangle BID
The back of the sculpture “Maya’s Mind,” one of six in the outdoor exhibit “No Spectators: Beyond the Renwick.”
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
“Future’s Past,” by artist Kate Raudenbush, is adjacent to James Monroe Park.
(Photo credit: Abram Eric Landes, Courtesy Golden Triangle BID)
Photo credit: Abram Eric Landes, Courtesy Golden Triangle BID
“We’re seeing a lot of people who stop with surprise,” said Leona Agouridis, executive director of the Golden Triangle BID.
“The [pieces] add color to the street, they add texture, they add interest.”
(Photo credit: Abram Eric Landes, Courtesy Golden Triangle BID)
Photo credit: Abram Eric Landes, Courtesy Golden Triangle BID
“Ursa Major” gets installed on the sidewalk of 19th Street NW, between I and K Streets.
(Photo credit: Abram Eric Landes, Courtesy Golden Triangle BID)
Photo credit: Abram Eric Landes, Courtesy Golden Triangle BID
The giant bear is made from 170,000 pennies, collected from the U.S., Canada and Europe.
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
The art group HYBYCOZO installs “Golden Spike” at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and K Street NW.
(Courtesy Golden Triangle BID)
Courtesy Golden Triangle BID
The art group HYBYCOZO installs “Golden Spike” at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and K Street NW.
(Courtesy Golden Triangle BID)
Courtesy Golden Triangle BID
The six larger-than-life pieces will be on display outside through December 2018. Beginning March 30, the Renwick Gallery will host a building-wide exhibit, “No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man,” displaying even more art from the famed desert festival.
(Photo credit: Phil Pasquini, Courtesy Golden Triangle BID)
Photo credit: Phil Pasquini, Courtesy Golden Triangle BID
“We’re seeing a lot of people who stop with surprise,” said Leona Agouridis, executive director of the Golden Triangle BID.
“The [pieces] add color to the street, they add texture, they add interest.”
One particular piece of interest in the outdoor exhibit, called “No Spectators: Beyond the Renwick,” is a 5-ton cast cement bust of Maya Angelou on 17th Street, between H and I streets. The looming 20-foot-tall sculpture of the famous poet sits in sharp contrast to the glass office buildings that surround it.
“And it absolutely stops people in their tracks,” said Agouridis about the piece, “Maya’s Mind.”
“You can’t pass by this piece without stopping to look at it, to read about the artist and to read about Maya Angelou.”
Just a few blocks up at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and K Street is the steel sculpture “Golden Spike” from the artists HYBYCOZO, and around the corner at the Farragut West Metro station is Laura Kimpton’s 20-foot long “XOXO” installation.
The outdoor exhibition is an extension of a building-wide exhibit at the Renwick Gallery, called “No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man,” which opens March 30 and runs through Jan. 21, 2019. The six outdoor pieces will be on display through December 2018.
Throughout the duration of the two exhibits, the Golden Triangle BID and the Renwick Gallery will host walking tours and events. Maps detailing the artworks and their locations are also spread throughout the neighborhood.