News Archive
Nonprofit Quarterly: Overwhelmed by Underpass Art
April 16, 2014
If all ugly urban spaces were potential canvases, what might flourish in dark underpasses? The NoMa Parks Foundation has issued an RFQ for proposals from artists, designers, and architects to transform four dark underpasses connecting the east and west sides of the NoMa neighborhood in D.C. The foundation envisions “art parks,” which “will beautify, enliven and activate” the sites, but beyond that they are not married to any particular vision. And they are open to having one artist design all four, or contracting with four different entities.
Washington Business Journal: NoMa to turn neighborhood underpasses into art installations
April 14, 2014
Residents of NoMa hope to turn their neighborhood’s burly, industrial underpasses into contemporary art installations.
The NoMa Parks Foundation is seeking artists and designers to come up with designs for “art parks” in the underpasses, which run under the train tracks along Florida Avenue and K, L and M streets NE.
DCist: NoMa Plans to Transform Underpasses Into Public Art Spaces
April 14, 2014
The four underpasses that connect the east and west sides of the NoMa neighborhood are heavily trafficked and rather unremarkable. Like most spaces under a bridge, these areas are dark and uninviting to pedestrians and motorists. The NoMa Parks Foundation wants to change that.
The group announced today that they are seeking an artist, team, designer or architect to transform these four underpasses into “art parks,” which “will beautify, enliven and activate” these spaces. (The foundation may select one artist to do all four or a different artist for each one, according to Carrie Cook from Art 4 Business.) A Request for Qualifications doesn’t specify exactly what the foundation is looking for, leaving the door open for a number of possibilities and ideas.
Business Journal: DC Commits $490,000 for NoMa Parks
September 14, 2012
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray has earmarked $490,000 to help develop a network of public parks in NoMa and pledged the support of the District’s planning department to oversee the next stage in the process.
With the funds, the planning department could soon issue a request for proposals to firms to come up with design plans for miniparks throughout the Northeast D.C. business district. The District will be working closely with the NoMa Business Improvement District, which came up with a $50 million parks plan earlier this year that will serve as a blueprint for the planning department’s efforts.
Washington Post: NoMa Receives $490,000 for Park Planning
September 14, 2012
Developers and planners of the District’s NoMa neighborhood, behind Union Station, are enjoying an incredible wave of construction but have long wrung their hands over the area’s lack of green space.
Officials from the District government and the NoMa Business Improvement District have looked for ways of accumulating enough land to build a large central park. But with so much of the neighborhood already pegged for development, the BID’s new president, Robin-Eve Jasper, decided to push for a network of smaller places for public gatherings, dog walks, relaxation, playgrounds and limited recreation.
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