Time and Place is periodic, curated exhibitions of temporary public art projects that examine aspects of the city’s history. The focus of each exhibition is determined by a curator through conversation with the Office of the Arts, Office of Historic Alexandria, and relevant tasks forces and commissions. Artists could be given the opportunity to draw on the historic and archaeological resources that the City has available, or be challenged to look for meaningful locations elsewhere throughout the city. Projects could be developed in many media.

The inaugural Time and Place exhibition featured works by artists Lauren Adams and Stewart Watson (collaborating) and Sheldon Scott. Their works were presented in early 2017, and were recognized by the Public Art Network’s Year in Review as one of the most exemplary projects completed that year.

USA 250th 

Time and Place 2026 will be part of Alexandria’s efforts to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The United States, Virginia, and Alexandria are celebrating this through programs that reflect on the founding of the country, the democratic experiment, and the future of the nation.

The City's Public Art Program will invite an artist to create a visually compelling temporary public art that reflects on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and what the ideas of this document mean for today and the future. The artist will look at how the nation has been created over time and how people are continuing to work toward a nation that lives up to the ideals stated in our founding document.  

The goals of Time and Place 2026 are to:

• Be legible and accessible to a broad audience.
• Contribute to Alexandria’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a public artwork that ignites our imaginations, elevates diverse stories, and demonstrates the lasting durability of the American project.
• Reflect on our nation’s past and look ahead to the future we want to create for our community, the next generation, and beyond.
• Explore Alexandria’s stories and ideas that shape our past and inspire our ongoing work to form a more perfect union and live out American ideals.
• Result in a visually compelling and impactful work of art that attracts, engages, and generates conversation about the contributions of all Americans to the democratic experiment.
• Continue to distinguish the Alexandria Public Art Program from its peers in the region and establish national leadership in the field. 

For more information about the project, parameters, and timeline, review the approved project plan.

Sandy Williams IV is an interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker and professor. Their art practice studies the vernacular of time as it exists across cultural landscapes, personal experiences, and as a unit of measurement. Williams’ approach to public art is sensitive to the contextual histories that inform a specific region and creates space in the archive for disenfranchised memories and participatory experiences to visualize new frameworks for communal emancipation.

Williams’ art practice is ultimately concerned with cultivating love and empathy, and they hope it can conjure moments of reflection for people. They state, “I want to inspire a sense of catharsis that is communal and opens viewers up to perspectives they may not have otherwise considered. I see my artworks as conversation pieces, like portals or bridges, to thoughts, feelings, or histories that are absent, intangible or might only exist invisibly within space. I learned how to care through my parents and grandparents, but especially through my mother, and I want my art to hold people and their stories with that same love and care.”

Williams holds a BA from the University of Virginia and an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in Sculpture and Extended Media. They are Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Richmond and a recipient of the 2024 Joan Mitchell Fellowship, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship, and the New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowship. Their work has been featured in The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Washington Post, Hyperallergic, and BBC, as well as in numerous solo and group exhibitions.