Friends of Kingman Park
Kingman Park deserves a dynamic and beautiful public art project that celebrates our neighborhood’s storied past. By signing this petition, we express our support for the creation of an art installation that recognizes and celebrates the cultural significance of Kingman Park at its treasured triangle park.
Friends of Kingman Park civic association members voted at our April meeting to pursue a grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities to fund the creation of a sculptural art installation at the triangle park within Oklahoma, 21st, and D Streets NE. To execute this project, FOKP is working with Wayside Studios, whose principal is DC-based artist and Howard University professor Curry Hackett. Both Hackett and collaborating artist, Patrick McDonough, have extensive experience crafting site-responsive public art in collaboration with neighborhood stakeholders - experience they will bring to bear on this project.
FOKP’s grant application is an important complement to the historic designation of the Kingman Park community in 2018. As the historic designation report explains, Kingman Park is historic not necessarily because of its buildings. Instead, the designation celebrates the people who lived in the Kingman Park community, the obstacles they overcame during segregation, and the strong community they formed over generations. Regardless of how you feel about the technical historic designation, we can all agree that Kingman Park’s history is something worthy of commemoration and respect.
There will be a detailed design process if our grant application is successful. We have worked with the artists on conceptual ideas, and will continue to engage with the community to incorporate feedback as the project advances.
FOKP has delivered flyers to Kingman Park neighbors and has provided updates on our grant application in our community emails. If you would like to be added to our email list or have questions about the project, please email us at [email protected].
53 Comments
I am signing because I support this project.
I live in Kingman Park and I support this plan.
I support this project. Thanks for organizing!
I supported the petition for historic designation as I recognized the significance of an African American communities achievements in the nation’s capital despite many adversities. Chancellor Williams, author of The Destruction of Black Civilization and former Kingman Park resident is one of my heroes! The history of this area and the original neighborhood association deserves much more recognition than an art project! I’d love to see Spingarn turned into a cultural center and museum!!
I bought my house back in 1978 and, over the years, have seen many changes both to the city in general, and to the Kingman Park community in particular. I love this neighborhood, its residents, and the history of Kingman Park, and am so happy to see the look and feel of the houses preserved through our historic preservation status. The proposed triangle park art installation project would be a wonderful addition to honor African American history here in historic Kingman Park.
I would love to see this public art come into being! 🙂
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Kingman Park deserves a symbol enjoyed by its residence and visitors
I am signing because Kingman Park deserves to have a beautiful art structure celebrating the history of our neighborhood
I want to support the art structure in panda park
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