Nonprofit Quarterly: Overwhelmed by Underpass Art
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.
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.
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.
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