ONSITE: '89 Bluemont Park Sculpture Project

Project Details

Location: Bluemont Park, 601 N. Manchester St.
Date: June 24-September 30, 1989 

Four sculptors participated in ONSITE ’89: Bluemont Park Sculpture Project, a temporary outdoor sculpture exhibition.
Funded by Arlington County and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

Tree Spirit by the Stream and Tree Spirit Embedded 

Tree Spirit Embedded by Cheryl Casteen Artist: Cheryl Casteen (with Charles Flickinger)
Materials: Wire, potting soil, natural found materials, glass 

Cheryl Casteen's installation consisted of a figure draped with branches and three iridescent fish dangling off a waterside tree. Another installation displayed the figure of a woman, which appeared to be trapped inside a hollow tree.

Double Spiral for a Hillside

Double Spiral for a Hillside by Charles Flickinger Artist: Charles Flickinger (with Cheryl Casteen)
Materials: Marigolds, ageratum, chicken wire, cheesecloth, potting soil, powdered pigment 

Double Spiral for a Hillside consisted of a male and a female life-size figures. The figures reclined on their sides propping their heads on one hand with legs pulled up toward their torso. The spiral form created with their bodies was continued with marigolds and ageratum. The figures were formed out of wire, covered with cheese cloth, potting soil, and powdered pigment. The male figure was covered with blue pigment while the female figure is covered with yellow.  

Named Stones

Named Stones by JW Mahoney Artist: J.W. Mahoney
Materials: 8 engraved rocks

While intended to be temporary, J.W. Mahoney's installation can still be seen at Bluemont Park. 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. 

Washington Color School Memorial Bridge

Color School Memorial Bridge by Duncan Tebow Artist: Duncan Tebow
Materials: Vinyl strips, wood

This structure of multi-colored translucent vinyl strips was placed over a pedestrian bridge. The strips interacted with sun and wind to make the interior tunnel glow with color. The work commemorated the contributions of the Washington Color School, a group of painters active in the area during the late 1950s and early 1960s. 

 

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