ArtistAlexandra Silverthorne
Fletcher's Boathouse #7
Date2006
MediumSilver gelatin print
Dimensions14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)
Framed Size: 21 3/4 × 19 1/4 in. (55.2 × 48.9 cm)
Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Wilson Building Collection
Object numberDCCAH2006.232
ClassificationsPhotographs
Locations
- Wilson Building Art Collection (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW)
DescriptionIn January 2005, Silverthorne received a grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities to photograph in 8 parks throughout the city. Her plan was to choose one park in each ward and, through conversations with park visitors, capture the presence of the park. By focusing on one public space in each ward, she aimed to document the places throughout the city where community members come together. During the spring and summer, Silverthorne spent countless hours in parks throughout DC and eventually focused on the following parks: Malcolm X/Meridian Hill Park (Ward 1), Dupont Circle (Ward 2), Fletcher’s Boat House (Ward 3), Emery Recreation Center (Ward 4), Ivy City Neighborhood (Ward 5), New York Avenue Center (Ward 6), Watts Branch (Ward 7), and Barry Farms (Ward 8). Some of these locations, she had visited throughout her childhood. Others became favorite places in her early adulthood. Yet others, she had never been to before. Throughout Silverthorne’s many trips, she began to realize the similarities in each park- activities and symbols she didn’t expect to see at different locations. She also noticed the differences- some subtle and others blatant. Yet this series is about far more than politics, similarities, and differences throughout the neighborhood. The project is a social portrait of the city and through that, it is about giving voice to people of Washington.
