Public Art at West End Transitway

Public art will be incorporated into the West End Transitway corridor which will connect several neighborhoods and major transit facilities along Alexandria's west end.
Page updated on January 8, 2025 at 9:14 AM
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Please Join Us

West End Transitway Artist Meet and Greet

Wednesday, January 15, 2025, from 6:00pm to 7:30pm

Del Pepper Community Resource Center (Multipurpose Room #1301)

4850 Mark Center Drive, Alexandria VA 22311

Drop by anytime between 6:00 and 7:30pm for a public reception to meet the artists who have been selected to design public art to be incorporated in the West End Transitway.

About the Project

The West End Transitway is a planned 5.3-mile bus rapid transit line (BRT) long the Van Dorn/Beauregard corridor (West End Transitway) that will provide robust high-capacity transit operations between the Van Dorn Metrorail station, the former Landmark Mall site, Shirlington Transit Center, Beauregard residential area, and the Pentagon using a combination of dedicated and shared bus lanes. This is one of three BRT corridors planned for the City of Alexandria. To learn more about the West End Transitway, click here. 

The approved 2023-2025 Public Art Annual Work Plan recommends that public art be incorporated into this high-capacity transit corridor. Public art in these stations may address elements including, but not limited to:

  • Windowpanes in shelters
  • Railings
  • Seating Benches
  • Sidewalks
  • Retaining Walls
  • Freestanding (where space is available outside of the immediate shelter)

Please note that the shelters themselves will be standardized, and artists will not be requested to design custom shelters in their entirety. Elements of the shelter may be modified with public art.

timeline

  • June 2023: West End Transitway Public Art Task Force Members appointed by the Alexandria Commission for the Arts.
  • September 2023: Public Art Project Plan approved by the Alexandria Commission for the Arts.
  • December 2023: National artist call opened for artist qualifications.
  • May 2024: Artist qualifications were reviewed by the Public Art Task Force and finalists were recommended.
  • June 2024: Artist selections were approved by the Alexandria Commission for the Arts.
  • November 2024: Artists contracted.
  • January 15, 2025: Community meet and greet with the selected artists at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center.
  • Spring 2025: Artists prepare conceptual designs.

For more information about public art at the West End Transitway, please review the Public Art Project Plan. 

About the Artists

The City of Alexandria's Public Art Program has commissioned five artists to work with the transit team to design public art that will be incorporated in the new West End Transitway. The selected artists are:

Matthew Geller

Cara Lynch

Nancy O'neil

Shahin Talishkhan

Robert Tully

 

About Us

Public Art in Alexandria

Public art is permanent or temporary works of art that have been planned in collaboration with the community and executed by artists with the specific intention of existing in the public realm, accessible to all.

Office of the Arts

The Office of The Arts promotes the value of arts and culture in Alexandria by nurturing, investing in and celebrating the creative contributions of artists and arts organizations. Through engaging the community, encouraging participation, and facilitating access to the arts, the Office of the Arts works with local artists and arts organizations to build a vibrant community for all of the City's residents, workers and visitors.

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