The City of Alexandria's Public Art Program has commissioned artist Eto Otitigbe to join the landscape architecture team for Wilkes Street Park to design, fabricate, and install a site-specific original work of public art that is integrated into the overall park space. 

Funding for this project is provided by previous developer contributions in accordance with the Public Art Implementation Plan and Policy. 

Eto Otitigbe participated in a virtual meeting on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 and shared information about him and his work. View the full video here.  

To review the approved project plan, click here.

For more information about this project, contact Diane Ruggiero at diane.ruggiero@alexandriava.gov

Eto Otitigbe is a polymedia artist who sets alternative narratives into motion; creating spaces for unique experiences. His interdisciplinary practice includes sculpture, performance, installation, and public art.

Otitigbe's work has been in national and international exhibitions such Bronx Calling: The Second AIM Biennial, organized by the Bronx Museum and Wave Hill. He has participated in residencies at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, The John L. Warfield Center for African and African American Studies, Austin, TX; 701 CCA, Columbia, SC; Center for Book Arts, New York, NY; and Luminary Center for the Arts, St. Louis, MO. Otitigbe’s fellowships and awards include the CEC Artslink Project Award, Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship at the National Museum of African Art.

His curatorial projects include the es ORO Gallery (2007-09) and the Topophilia Exhibition (2017) as part of the Meeting Festival in Denmark. Otitigbe’s public art practice includes temporary and permanent installations. He contributed to the creative expression on the exterior surface of the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers.

He is an Assistant Professor of Sculpture in the Art Department at Brooklyn College and the Director of the Turnbull Gallery in New York. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, his M.S. in Product Design from Stanford University (M.S.) and his MFA in Creative Practice from the University of Plymouth.

Wilkes Street Park is a linear 0.7-acre neighborhood park located in Old Town and the historic location of Alexandria's first free black community referred to as "The Bottoms".  The park is bisected into two sections, aligning with the 800 (east) and 900 (west) blocks of Wilkes Street between S. Patrick (U.S. Route 1) and S. Columbus Streets. The South Patrick Housing Affordability Strategy, adopted in 2019, envisions Wilkes Street Park to be accessible and accommodating to all ages and abilities. The plan recommends improvements such as play areas, seating, and open passive areas. The design of the park improvements will be done in collaboration with the Heritage Redevelopment. Developers will construct the park improvements in phases, as a condition of their redevelopment approvals.

To learn more about public art in Alexandria, you can review the City Council approved Public Art Implementation Plan & Policy, or learn more about other public art projects in Alexandria.

Visit alexandriava.gov/PublicArt or follow @alexartsoffice on Instagram. Add to the conversation with #artsALX.