The phrase “now or never” resonates on multiple levels. Collectively, it speaks to global challenges, where hesitation means opportunity lost. Individually, it reminds us that every moment is a turning point—an opportunity to choose one’s future and to live deliberately from this moment forward. The City of Alexandria’s newest public art installation – Now or Never by Alicia Eggert –offers viewers an opportunity to immerse themselves in the possibilities inherent in these words.
The City will unveil this monumental work in Alexandria’s Waterfront Park (1 Prince Street) on Saturday, March 21. The new temporary installation by Eggert is the eighth in the Site See: New Views in Old Town annual public art series and will be on display through November 2026. It follows Nekisha Durrett’s Break Water.
Now or Never by Alicia Eggert features two monumental sculptures that echo the visual language of signs and billboards. The sculptures stand face to face across a narrow passageway, one declaring NOW and the other replying NEVER. Each sculpture will be supported by steel armatures reminiscent of roadside billboards. Overwhelming in scale, the work rises above the human body. To read the words, viewers must lift their gaze—an action that evokes openness and possibility.
The monumental sculptures in close proximity will create visceral tension through both language and form. Yet by inviting people to move physically between the structures, the installation underscores the possibility of finding common ground, even in polarized circumstances.
The Site See temporary public art series highlights Waterfront Park as a civic space, informed by the historic waterfront and neighboring community, and is a key location for original commissioned art in Alexandria. Eggert was selected to create this site-specific artwork by a community task force with approval from the Alexandria Commission for the Arts.
“Now or Never continues the Site See series’ tradition of bringing thought-provoking site-specific work to Waterfront Park,” said Diane Ruggiero, Deputy Director for the Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities. “We are excited for visitors to engage with the artwork and see how it resonates with their own lives and experiences.”
Visitors can see Now or Never at Waterfront Park from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily starting Saturday, March 21. The artwork will remain on view until November 2026.
Visit alexandriava.gov/PublicArt for more information about Now or Never and the Site See public art series.
About Alicia Eggert
Alicia Eggert is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice gives material form to language and time across a variety of mediums. Eggert has exhibited at notable institutions including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, CAFA Art Museum in Beijing, Triennale Design Museum in Milan, Everson Museum of Art, and Telfair Museums. Recent solo exhibitions include UrbanGlass (Brooklyn, NY), Galeria Fernando Santos (Porto, Portugal), and Art Museum of Southeast Texas (Beaumont, TX). Her work is held in collections including the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery; Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at University of California, Davis; New Holland Island (St. Petersburg, Russia); Light Art Collection; and significant private collections. The artist has received a TED Fellowship, Long Now Foundation Fellowship, Hopper Prize, S&R Foundation Washington Award, Harpo Foundation Direct Artist Grant, Nasher Sculpture Center Artist Microgrant, and Maine Arts Commission Artist Fellowship. Eggert is an Associate Professor of Studio Art at the University of North Texas.
Keep up with the artist via Instagram @aplaceintheuniverse and her website aliciaeggert.com.
Public Art in Alexandria
The Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities seeks to amplify Alexandria’s reputation as an arts destination with world-class artwork that captures the public’s imagination. The Site See public art series is an annual rotation of temporary installations that showcase Alexandria’s public art program through innovative, exciting, high-quality contemporary art at the key riverfront location. The aim is to bring work that is unlike anything that can be experienced in the region.
To learn more about public art in Alexandria, review the 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.
If you prefer communication in another language, free interpretation and translation services are available to you. Please email LanguageAccess@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.3960.
For reasonable disability accommodation, contact Meika.Daus@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.5419, Virginia Relay 711.