Artist request for information (DC)

Image: work by Jo Ray.

Jo Ray has been selected to participate in the city's 5x5 Public Art Project that will run during the Cherry Blossom Festival--the project is designed to help bring festival visitors to the neighborhoods (I don't think it'll work, because you need more than one thing to bring people to neighborhoods, but it's still an interesting project) to promote local spinoff commerce as a result of the national event.

From Jo Ray:

I am a visitor from the UK searching for interesting signage in all parts of the city. Do you know of any existing or historical store fronts with interesting lettering or words, or any market vendors who write their own signs?

Handmade or idiosynchratic signage can be a powerful expression of the human story of a place...if you have any recommendations please let me know.

See the DCCAH press release "Five International Curators to Complete 25 Proposed Public Art Installations presented with the National Cherry Blossom Festival: Installations will be unveiled and showcased during the festival's Centennial Celebration, March 20-April 27, 2012" for a little more information about the program. From the press release:

5x5 is the new temporary art project that will result in 25 public art exhibitions and be installed concurrently throughout the District of Columbia to activate and enliven publicly accessible spaces and add an ephemeral layer of creativity and artistic expression to neighborhoods across the District. The Festival's Centennial Celebration commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the gift of trees from Tokyo to Washington, DC and will showcase unprecedented arts and culture. The groundbreaking 5x5 Public Art Project offers a unique cultural experience for over one million people expected to take part in the nation's greatest springtime celebration.

A five-member selection committee carefully chose five curators from more than 90 submissions. All media and art forms were considered, including, but not limited to visual art, performance, light, digital, projection, and event-based work. ...

The five selected curators named below must select five artists each to create five bodies of public work. These five curators will lead the 5x5 implementation process and will manage and oversee each artist's concept, budget and schedules. The installations can be of any duration, but they cannot exceed four months.