Those bold, fanciful ladies are bidding farewell to Downtown. Beginning the week of October 31, the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Avenue) will begin dismantling Niki de Saint Phalle’s colorful and whimsical sculptures, which have been perched along New York Avenue from 12th to 13th Streets since May 2010. Internationally renowned artist Chakaia Booker’s work will be installed there in the spring and dedicated on March 8, International Women’s Day.
Prepare to be pensive and inspired. Booker works almost exclusively with recycled tires, creating striking black and steel works that fuse ecological concerns and explore racial and economic differences, globalization, and gender. The New York Avenue Sculpture Project, a private-public partnership between the NMWA, the DowntownDC BID and the DC Office of Planning, features changing installations of contemporary works by women artists. The DowntownDC BID favors the high-quality public space, which creates a more pedestrian friendly experience and supports the kind of placemaking projects that it plans to expand and accelerate in the future.