A total of 30 artist‐designed stormwater covers were installed in Old Town North with a focus on North Fairfax Street and nearby intersections. The six final designs were completed by 3 artists (Matt Long, Yoshiko Ratliff, and Dana Ann Scheurer) with each artist creating two designs.

The artists were selected through an open call to artists living and working in Virginia, Maryland, and DC. The stormwater covers were installed in Fall 2023.

North Fairfax Street is planned as an Art Corridor in the Old Town North Small Area Plan, and the public art project is intended to further the arts vision for the area.

For more information about the project with printable maps showing the installed cover locations, please see our project pamphlet, linked here 

Three local artists have been selected to design two stormwater covers for Old Town North:

• Matt Long lives in Frederick Maryland and has done numerous murals and public art projects around the region. Matt's design for the stormwater covers is inspired by the neighborhood's history as a rail corridor and it's current identity as Alexandria's arts and culture district. 
• Yoshiko Ratliff is painter and award-winner ceramicist at Torpedo Factory Art Center. Yoshiko's design for the stormwater covers is inspired by the nature and wildlife along the Potomac River in Old Town North including the herons and turtles. 
• Dana Ann Scheurer is a Reston-based watercolor artist. Dana's designs incorporates her well-know juxtapositions and complex designs inspired by Old Town North's urban landscape and growing arts and culture scene. 

Alexandria is a City of vibrant neighborhoods.  The Old Town North neighborhood has its own unique character and rich history.  Located in the northeastern park of the City, Old Town North is bordered by the Potomac River to the east, Oronoco Street to the south, the southern end of Daingerfield Island to the north, and Washington Street generally to the west.  Old Town North is home to two important cultural institutions – The Art League and MetroStage – as well as businesses in the creative sectors and to residents who enjoy the cultural activities that take place in the area.  In April 2018, City Council approved the establishment of an Arts and Cultural District in Old Town North, one of the Small Area Plan’s implementation recommendations. 

The Old Town North Small Area Plan establishes North Fairfax Street as an Arts Corridor, where public art installations and arts and cultural uses are concentrated to create a critical mass of creative uses.  This corridor is intended to attract all types of creative uses, such as visual and performing arts venues, galleries, and studios, as well as businesses or stores in creative fields such as media, marketing, handcrafting, art supply, and design.  These uses serve to strengthen the corridor’s sense of place and the vitality of the creative economy.

To review the approved project plan, click here.