Arlington’s public art director has retired after over three decades in the role, leaving behind a range of ongoing projects in the county’s public arts pipeline.
In her role at Arlington Public Art, Angela Adams oversaw the delivery of artistic projects ranging from sculptures and outdoor light fixtures to artistic flourishes found in parks, on bus shelters and bridges under the Public Arts Master Plan.
“Arlington County congratulates Angela Adams on her retirement following 31 years of service to the Arlington community,” county spokesperson Ryan Hudson said in a statement. “Under her leadership, Arlington Public Art has grown from being one of the first developer-sponsored programs in the country to an internationally renowned, award-winning public and privately funded program.”
One recent project that Adams coordinated with a private developer is Present Pastimes, a window installation outside the Harris Teeter in Ballston. Another is Christ in Blessing, a restored Tiffany stained glass window at the Central United Methodist Church redevelopment project in the same neighborhood.
The county’s permanent art collection, which includes over 70 unique pieces, is expected to debut new artwork on the Arlington Ridge Road Bridge by 2027. Red-tailed hawk-inspired borders will be coming to the bridge as part of a $9.6 million repair package approved this spring.
Also en route is inVISIBLE, an electricity-themed facade consisting of painted concrete, aluminum and ceramic tiles on the Dominion Crystal City Substation, expected next year. The project comes in tandem with the substation’s ongoing renovation and expansion plans.
“Public art and civic design shapes the design of the County’s public spaces, facilities and infrastructure through artworks integrated into capital projects,” Tomora Wright, a public arts specialist, told ARLnow.
Elsewhere, Arlington Public Art is preparing to unveil a transit-inspired art piece, “The paths we take” by Kipp Kobayashi, at the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center in 2026.
The artwork will join the center’s newest public art piece, “The Mostly Invisible Ever Present”: a set of hand-drawn window privacy screens by linn meyers, installed in March.
“Both installations present site-specific interpretations of the Arlington landscape, drawing upon not only the geographic landscape but also abstracting the ways in which we interact with the environment,” Wright wrote.
While funding data is not yet available for fiscal year 2025, the public arts program is largely dependent on contributions from private developers and partners.
In 2024, about 92% of public arts’ $3.9 million budget came from developers and partners, with the county supplying the remaining $243,894 through the Capital Improvement Plan and the general fund.
“This funding structure leverages multiple sources and has enabled Arlington to undertake a remarkable variety of permanent and temporary projects,” according to the Public Arts Master Plan.
Looking ahead, the county will soon celebrate its 41st annual Dark Star Park Day, celebrating Arlington’s first county-commissioned art project.
Taking place shortly after 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 1, the event invites residents to gather and witness shadow alignments cast by the park’s cosmos-inspired installations.
