Release Date: May 17, 2021

National Landing Business Improvement District Launches Competition To Design and Implement New Mural

BID Calls for Artists to Submit Credentials for the Opportunity to Reimagine Wall in the Crystal City Metro Plaza

Arlington, VA – [Monday, May 17, 2021] –– The National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) today announced the launch of a design challenge to re-envision a retention wall located opposite the Crystal City Metro Station entrance in National Landing with an expansive mural.

The BID is calling for interested visual artists or teams of artists to submit their relevant experience and project portfolios for consideration by June 1. Representatives from the organization will then conduct interviews with top applicants to establish a short list of the most qualified artists, which will be announced on June 11. These finalists will be invited to submit a proposed concept for the mural and a winner will be selected in mid-July. The mural will be completed by Fall 2021.

“In enlivening this important plaza with a new signature mural, we are building on our efforts to foster a more vibrant public realm and provide an impactful sense of arrival for people entering the downtown district via transit,” said Tracy Sayegh Gabriel, President and Executive Director of the National Landing BID. “As more residents, workers and visitors engage with our community in the coming months, our hope is that this mural, along with the BID’s other art initiatives and creative programming, reflect the exciting and welcoming environment that we are fostering in National Landing.”

Sponsored by the BID, the expansive mural will be created on the Metro plaza’s west wall that measures approximately 115 feet in length and 20 feet in height. When designing concepts, the BID encourages artists to stretch the limits of their creativity to produce a work of art that delivers iconic imagery with an engaging and memorable aesthetic. Proposed designs should also embrace the location at the transit station entrance and serve as a connection point for the community.

In addition to the mural, the Crystal City Metro Plaza is slated for a series of design improvements including new seating options and movable furniture, enhanced landscaping, accent lighting and a more open layout.

The mural will advance the BID’s work to position National Landing as a vibrant destination brimming with public art and compelling activations. Late last year, the organization introduced its “Turn Up the Love” campaign featuring a series of engaging outdoor pop-ups to brighten the winter months. The initiative was spurred by the BID’s #LoveNationalLanding art series, which launched with an array of uplifting artwork on storefronts in the area last spring, and in 2019, the BID commissioned a dynamic mural on the façade of Synetic Theater, National Landing’s groundbreaking cultural institution.

For more information about the competition, please visit HERE.  

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About National Landing Business Improvement District
The National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) is a public-private partnership established to promote and activate the area’s business, retail, restaurant and residential community through placemaking, public art, transportation, economic development, events, marketing and promotion. This dynamic, mixed-use urban center encompasses the vibrant Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard-Arlington neighborhoods, and includes more than 26,000 residents, nearly 12 million square feet of office space, approximately 5,500 hotel rooms and over 450 restaurants and shops. Already Virginia’s largest walkable downtown, National Landing is in the midst of an exciting transformation driven by billions of dollars in public and private investment that will deliver new and enhanced housing, offices, parks, transportation and infrastructure in the coming years. The National Landing BID is helping to steer this growth in ways that are sustainable and enhance the area’s diversity and livability. For more information, visit NationalLanding.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.