Arlington Arts Field Guide: "UNTITLED"

Every Saturday, Arlingtonians fill their wicker shopping baskets with an assortment of heirloom fruits and vegetables from the Courthouse Farmers' Market, unaware of the public art just down the hill. And the few who've found the wonderful public sculpture tucked away in the concrete courtyard, caddy-cornered from the Courthouse, have trouble relaying the information to their friends--as the sculpture has no name to call it by.

What I enjoy about much of Arlington's public art, unlike the monuments and tourists traps of the District, is that most of them enjoy a happy anonymity, unwilling to call attention to themselves. "UNTITLED," a wire sculpture forged by local artist Kendall Buster certainly fits this description. Titled "UNTITLED," and seemingly hidden in an infrequently-traversed courtyard (the Verizon Plaza) at 1320 N. Courthouse Rd., the statue embodies humble anonymity.

UNTITLED is formed by twisted, shaped and welded bronze wiring, a technique that quickly became Buster's modus operandi during her time at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in the District while earning her Bachelors of Fine Arts degree. The metal wire forms contribute to its anonymity, rendering the structure only partially there, as if it was quickly sketched onto the landscape. Buster considers her structures to be public drawings in 3-D form, not imposing or bulky, but beautiful in their transparency--as if the creative process is happening before your eyes.

Much of her work is geometrically inspired: playful forms and shapes, half architectural in their purposeful construction and symmetry, and half organic in their flowing lines and natural curves. Buster's geometric sculptures, UNTITLED being no different, seem to reflect both our urban surroundings as well as the our biological origins, simultaneously recalling city structures and DNA strands or molecular compounds.

This biological inspiration is logical, as Buster studied medical technology before coming to D.C. to pursue her more creative passions. After attending the Corcoran School, Buster went on to earn her MFA degree from Yale, and is now commissioned for work all across the country. But Buster hasn't forgotten her roots in the Metro region, as much of her work still populates the streets and buildings of both Arlington and D.C.

UNTITLED was Buster's first publicly commissioned sculpture, which gives credence to an understanding of Arlington's art community (particularly Arlington Arts) as a forward thinking entity and a good judge of talent.

Buster has gone on to stage exhibitions all over the world, and is constantly hard at work, either producing a newly commissioned public art project, or teaching young art students at VCU in Richmond, which she calls home.

Arlingtonians should be glad to have secured a piece of her art early on in her career, as there is likely now a waiting list to enlist her talents. Until next time, happy public art hunting.