Named Stones

Named Stones by JW Mahoney    Named Stones by JW Mahoney

Location  

Bluemont Park
601 N. Manchester St., Arlington, VA 22203

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Artwork Details

Artist: J.W. Mahoney
Material: Carved rocks
Installed: 1989

Arlington artist J.W. Mahoney was one of four sculptors to participate in Onsite: ’89: Bluemont Park Sculpture Project, a temporary outdoor sculpture exhibition. Although intended to be temporary, Mahoney’s work, Named Stones, which consists of eight rocks into which words are engraved, endures.

Engraved stones include Sleeping Moon (1), Isis (2), Artemis (3), Old Signal (4), Amor (5), Psyche (6), and Awake (7). One stone from the original project, Vespers (8) is now missing. These names were based on each rock’s shape, location, or imagined relationship to the other stones. Mahoney draws upon the Japanese Shintu tradition of naming natural objects in order to distinguish the special qualities of each and to encourage quiet contemplation.

Funded by Arlington County and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

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