Letter
Dear Mr. Anderson:
In its public meeting of 15 April conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed a concept design submission for two public artworks proposed for Eastern Market Metro Park, located on Pennsylvania Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, SE. The Commission approved the submission with the following comments and delegated the review of the final design submission to the staff.
The Commission members expressed strong support for the two artworks—Found You! by Beth Nybeck and Loveful Hands by Jay Coleman—commending both as welcome contributions to the new park landscape. They commented that the three stainless-steel rabbits that comprise Found You! have a playful character that would bring people together and be a positive addition to the neighborhood. Regarding Loveful Hands—a bronze sculpture of oversize hands forming the shape of a heart— they found that its scale, placement, and warm gesture would make it a successful centerpiece for the park parcel. For the development of the final design, they encouraged consideration of higher-quality materials for the sculpture base and its seating surface, such as granite and wood, and they suggested developing a more elegant profile for the bench, which they said appears too austere as proposed.
Please coordinate the delegated review of the final design with the staff which, as always, is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Keith A. Anderson, Director
D.C. Department of General Services
2000 14th Street, NW, 8th Floor
Washington, DC 20009
cc: Paola Moya, Moya Design Partners
Beth Nybeck, artist
Jay Coleman, artist