About the Exhibition

The award-winning Arts in Foggy Bottom outdoor sculpture biennial—one of Washington’s leading programs for presenting public art—is back for its fourth season with the 2014 exhibition, Sculpted: Histories Revealed.

Sculpted: Histories Revealed features 16 contemporary sculptures by 15 artists, most of whom are nationally recognized. The work responds to the spaces, personae and stories of the Historic Foggy Bottom neighborhood.

Visiting the exhibition

Histories Revealed runs from May 17 through October 25, 2014. Visitors are invited to tour the exhibition at their convenience throughout the day. There is no admission fee.

The exhibition is presented on private properties between 24th-26th Streets NW and H-K Streets NW, and is accessible from the Foggy Bottom-George Washington Metro stop. View an interactive map of the exhibition at the link below:

View the exhibition map

About Sculpted: Histories Revealed

The physical nature and diverse material choices of the 2014 selected works connect the business, educational and residential communities of Foggy Bottom and the adjacent Metropolitan communities. All 16 works are site-specific and most are on view for the first time in Sculpted: Histories Revealed.

The 2014 exhibition was selected by curator and public art expert Deirdre Ehlen MacWilliams, in partnership with Arts in Foggy Bottom founders and co-directors Jackie Lemire, Jill Nevius and Mary Kay Shaw, with support from the Arts in Foggy Bottom advisory committee.

Sculpted: Histories Revealed features work by the following artists: Christian Benefiel, Greg Braun, Graham Caldwell, Joseph Fischhaber, Mary Frank, Elizabeth Graeber, Mariah Anne Johnson, Laurel Lukaszewski, Dalya Luttwak, Leigh Maddox, Rachel Schmidt, Paul Steinkoenig, Veronica Szalus, Richard Vosseller and Bill Wood.

Funding for the 2014 exhibition has been provided by a Planned Unit Development (PUD) amenity from the Hilton Garden Inn at 2201 M Street, NW. Major support for the three prior biennials was from the Foggy Bottom Association Defense and Improvement Corporation.

Curator's Statement

Sculpted: Histories Revealed intends to examine and reveal a collective history of the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, its residents and the selected artists. The sculptures have been brought together to create a continuous narrative focused on the densely layered history and the ever-changing landscape of Foggy Bottom through the lens of 16 site specific contemporary sculptures.

Each of the selected works responds to the spaces, personae and stories of historic Foggy Bottom. The diverse nature of the materials themselves acts as a narrative of the distinctive neighborhood. Artist Rachel Schmidt's mixed media sculptural installation, Building Aground, tells the story of Foggy Bottom's maritime past. The work focuses on the quickly developing city, as old buildings get torn down and replaced for modernity. Laurel Lukaszewski, creator of Ghost 2014, is fascinated by repetitive forms found in nature. She captures the nostalgia that occurs when one suddenly experiences something long forgotten. Stone by Mariah Anne Johnson takes inspiration from her mother's efforts to maintain aesthetic order in the home by creating undulating sculptural installations. Stone reflects and responds directly to the homeowner’s meticulously cared and beloved for garden.

The works exhibited in Sculpted: Histories Revealed reflect both the history of each site and the current home owner personally. As a result, Histories Revealed communicates both a piece of the past and the vibrant present. History is not stagnant; much like art, it is created every day.

About the Curator

Since 2005, Deirdre Ehlen MacWilliams has collaborated with design professionals, community members, government colleagues and artists to develop large- and small-scale public art projects for Washington, DC and Arlington, Virginia. She serves as public art project manager for Arlington’s nationally-renowned Public Art program where she develops and manages County-initiated projects and advises on various public art and design enhancement requests. Prior to joining Arlington County, MacWilliams worked as public art coordinator for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) and for Weitzman Studios in Brentwood, MD.

MacWilliams also works independently on creative projects and initiatives. Currently, she is the producer for DCCAH’s temporary public art initiative 5x5-2014. She also directs Mid-City Artists, a group of professional artists who have come together for the purpose of promoting their art and the mid-city section of DC. In 2012, MacWilliams served as curator for the Downtown BID’s Art All Night Festival and organizer for DCCAH’s inaugural 5×5 program.

MacWilliams holds a BA in Art History from The George Washington University and an MA from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, where she concentrated on contemporary art market trends. She is a member of Art Table’s Washington, DC chapter and serves on the board of directors for Capitol Hill Arts Workshop.

History of Arts in Foggy Bottom

The Arts in Foggy Bottom Outdoor Sculpture Biennial was founded in 2007 by co-directors Jackie Lemire, Jill Nevius and Mary Kay Shaw. Since, the exhibition has engaged and enlivened the community through exhibitions in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014.

Arts in Foggy Bottom won the Mayor’s Arts Awards for “Innovation in the Arts” in 2009 and is a project of the Foggy Bottom Association.