Queen City by Nekisha Durrett is a large-scale, permanent public artwork commission for an extensive development project in Arlington, VA. The project will invite the public to relearn an erased history of an area that thrived before it was destroyed for the construction of the Pentagon. Durrett pays homage to Queen City, the Black, self-sustaining neighborhood of 40 years before it fell victim to the Pentagon’s construction in 1941, by building a well-like tower structure that peers over trees and architecture in order to mark the site of what existed before. Also occupiable, Queen City will invite park goers and visitors alike to enter its intimate, dark, and quiet reflection space that also memorializes 903 individuals of the community who were displaced during the demolition of the neighborhood. With this opportunity, Durrett is also commissioning up to seventeen Black ceramists working in the area and beyond to make ceramic teardrop vessels.

Artist: Nekisha Durrett

Negative Space: Artist Representation and Public Art Project Management

Location: Metropolitan Park, Arlington, VA

Learn more at Queencityva.art & arlingtonva.us