Last week, I left Artisphere with a bitter taste in my mouth. Searching in over-air-conditioned gallery rooms for artistic inspiration was a trying endeavor, and my frustration manifested itself in the depressing tone of my column. But I don't hate Artisphere -- far from it. In fact, my visit to Artisphere inspired me to return to the streets; to recapture the lost days of artistic wandering, criss-crossing about the sprawling Arlington concrete in search of newsworthy pieces of public art. Specifically, it was Artisphere's Art Every Day initiative that pushed me back onto the sidewalks. The …

After months of wandering the streets in search of art exposed to the elements and available to the pedestrian eye, I decided to venture indoors for some cultural inspiration. And what better place for roofed artistic exploration than Artisphere, Rosslyn's own urban arts center? Artisphere oozes cool from every inch of its vast interior. It's a smorgasbord of hip artistic curation. As soon as you enter, you know this ain't your mama's art gallery; the colorful ultramodern decor makes a point of boldly communicating such to you. I had to been to Artisphere several times before, so I knew …

Normally year-end lists arrive just before New Year's Eve. But by that time, anyone venturing out into the cold is concerned solely with traveling from Point A to Point B in the fastest possible manner, not public art viewing. So I thought I'd go ahead and offer a reroute through the streets of Arlington, with stop-offs at some of my favorite pieces of public art. That way, you'll have several weeks of lovely fall weather to rediscover some of Arlington's best statues, sculptures and murals. Flame - 950 Glebe Road, Ballston Start your day at sunrise and see the rays of the early morning sun …

There's something exceptionally appealing about a nearly anonymous piece of wall art on a city side street: Art that is not bright or reflective, that is not 3-D, nor outfitted with any moving parts, art that is but a simple amalgamation of color, form and texture. It's simple art -- not plain or boring necessarily, but uncomplicated, unfussy, satisfied in its own simple skin. It is art you can find in some corners of Arlington. And in some cases (like this one), it's a humble series of abstract frescoes, adorning the side of an average Arlington apartment building at 1800 N. Oak St. The …

To what extent can art exist wholly within the sphere of capitalism without sacrificing its merit? Does art transcend market forces? Can an artists ever escape pressures of turning profit? Or is art and its creation wrapped up inevitably in the narratives of greed and fortune like the rest of humanity? These are philosophical and ethical questions that haunt the artistic world, and certainly the field of public art. And these are the questions that race through my head as I observe the hustle and bustle of commerce swarm up, under, over and around a fairly recent addition of public art to …

I'm a big fan of neon signs – well, neon in general – pastels, bright pinks and yellows and blues, florescent clothing, pop art, the 1980s, and really anything that is loud and proud. As a self-proclaimed environmentalist and an avid outdoorsman, I'm also a lover of Mother Nature, though I'm far less enthusiastic about man-made earth tones. My preference for the bold and bright is not simply a reflection of my fashion choices – it applies to my general aesthetic outlook, and even my search for public art. It's the reason I find Miriam Shapiro's sculpture Anna and David so appealing. Located …

The job of an arts columnist is to pontificate on the peculiarities and wonders of the artistic world. To find art, to study it, to make observations and to share them. But what happens when an art critic is headed out of town, fleeing the 105-degree dankness of the District, bound for the delightful Downeast coast of Maine, but with an article deadline fast approaching and no art to write about? Just recently, as in a few days ago, I was faced with this exact predicament. There’s plenty of art in Maine to write about, I thought, a place that throughout history has been home some of America’s…

Sure, they're both bustling urban centers nestled on a body of water. Sure, both of their local baseball teams have been a cause for hanging heads. And sure, they both might just be the king and queen of sketchy back-room political dealings. But the Washington, D.C., Metro area is not Chicago, and vice versa. So why does a statue paying tribute to Chicago's working-class heritage qualify as a worthy piece of public art in Rosslyn? There isn't a good answer, but here's the one: The Chicago Titan sculpture is derivative of a larger piece by the same artist, Ray Kaskey, designed for the fountain…

My random stumbling upon an imaginative bike rack amidst Rosslyn's Gateway Park last week 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 …

Bike racks as art isn't exactly a new phenomenon. A confluence of increased environmentalism, urbanism and the growing popularity of cycling among the creative class made them an inevitability. There are many creatively designed bike racks in Arlington, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. David Byrne, best known as the Talking Heads' front man, recently designed several artistic bike racks for the streets of New York City. But the most interesting example of bike-rack-turned-public-art can be found in Rosslyn's Gateway Park at 1300 Lee Highway. A seemingly lonely and modest bike rack has been …

Way back when Arlington was still a strange and seedy mix of banks, brothels and bars, and low-rent characters littered the banks of the Potomac, Arlington County embarked on an urban renewal project and hired land artist Nancy Holt for the county's first ever publicly commissioned art project. OK, so it was 1979, and Rosslyn was a bustling commercial district by that point, almost a century removed from the days of drunken Civil War veterans, gambling rings and prostitutes. But as the excesses of the 1980s approached, the area was still in desperate need of a cleanup. By the time …