Arlington Arts Field Guide: Barcroft Park

My random stumbling upon manifested itself not only in an arts column, but also in a personal realization: One of the most enjoyable aspects of public art is the act of discovery.

The idea of discovery and exploration resonates throughout the different processes involved in both art creation and consumption. Art itself is a product of self discovery, a journey toward understanding for the creator, and a vehicle for greater understanding for the audience.

Although websites such as Arlington Arts can be incredibly informative and helpful in finding local art and art happenings, I tend to shun cyber-advice for finding public art, opting instead to drive around aimlessly until I find what I'm looking for. Such is the joy of random discovery.

And so, I chose to take last week's discovery to its ultimate end -- to pay homage to the process of discovery. I decided to explore. I traveled to Barcroft Park to find the rest of Alabama artist Butch Anthony's folky bike art -- the forerunner to last week's bike-rack-turned-public-art.

On a beautiful day at Barcroft Park, I found just that. I found children playing, a lively soccer game, joggers jogging. I found a bubbling brook, a bog and, yes, I found an old bike kiosk made of recycled metals, street signs, and bicycle parts. I even found a flock of mutant dragon fly sculptures.

It felt good to know that like Gateway Park's bike rack, this unique amalgamation of twisting metal rods, discarded bike wheels and license plates sat seemingly anonymous. Not a destination itself, but simply part of the scenery -- part of the landscape. Not begging for attention, but content to enjoy infrequent appreciation. To put a smile on the face of a random passerby... Such is all that is necessary to validate the existence of this rusty piece of art.

A public park is the perfect place for this sculpture. The sculpture beautifully makes the case for recycled art and the process of reclaiming man's castoffs for the purpose of aesthetic exploration and expression. The park beautifully makes the case for a reclaiming of mother nature, for the cordoning off of public land for the purpose of personal and environmental regeneration.

My trip was proof that artistic discovery almost always ends with a smile. And so will yours. So until next time, happy public art hunting.