D.C.’s first permanent outdoor digital art gallery opens
The NoMa Parks Foundation unveiled the K Street Virtual Gallery Wednesday, a new, permanent outdoor art installation located in the 400-foot rail underpass on K Street between First and Second Streets NE. FOX 5’s Sierra Fox spoke with the artist selected for the inaugural exhibit of the K Street Virtual Gallery, My Ly.
WASHINGTON – The NoMa Parks Foundation unveiled the K Street Virtual Gallery Wednesday, a new, permanent outdoor art installation located in the 400-foot rail underpass on K Street between First and Second Streets NE.
Featuring 12 high-lumen laser projectors — each carefully calibrated and synchronized to cast a series of images onto the reticulated stone walls that flank the roadway — the K Street Virtual Gallery will enliven and brighten this section of K Street NE.
“I’m excited to welcome the latest art exhibit, the K Street Virtual Gallery, to the NoMa neighborhood. Brightening our shared spaces, even underpasses where thousands of people pass through on foot, bike, scooter, and car, helps foster a stronger sense of community,” said Charles Allen, the council member representing Ward 6 where the K Street Virtual Gallery is located. “And I love having a space and opportunity to showcase local D.C. artists all at the same time.”
FOX 5 spoke with the artist selected for the inaugural exhibit of the K Street Virtual Gallery, My Ly.
Ly is the founder and creative director for My Ly Design, a local, woman-owned, minority-owned CBE practice in D.C. focused on architecture, interiors, urban design, and public arts. She said her inspiration for the colorful exhibit was the vibe of the NoMa neighborhood.
“There’s so many different modes of transportation. There’s a buzz here, there’s trains overhead, cars passing by, scooters, there’s pedestrians, cyclists, you name it – it’s all here. And I wanted to capture that and abstract it in a dynamic way with color and shapes and just overlay it with motion and movement,” Ly said.
Ly’s extensive urban planning and place-making experience is an integral part of her design inspiration on how people move through city streets. Ly’s exhibit will be on display through the summer of 2023 when a new artist will be announced.
“We’re excited to bring this new canvas featuring dynamic, rotating works by local artists to NoMa,” said Maura Brophy, president & CEO of the NoMa BID and president of the NoMa Parks Foundation. “The opening of the K Street Virtual Gallery further demonstrates the NoMa BID’s commitment to the arts and local artists, and expands upon the work the BID has already done to curate one of the largest collections of public art in DC.”
The K Street Virtual Gallery will feature a variety of rotating exhibits throughout the calendar year and will include works by local artists representing diverse backgrounds. The NoMa BID will serve as lead curator for the gallery.
Artists interested in participating in future “calls for artists” to exhibit digital works in the K Street Virtual Gallery may contact: [email protected]
