+ Powder coated steel tube, powder coated laser cut steel plate / 2024
+ Installed at Garfield Elementary School, Washington D.C.
+ Commissioned by the Washington DC Government, Department of General Services, Percent for Art
Engineering: Shahab Torabian and Eric R. Ober, SGH
Fabrication and Installation: Majer Metal Works
Thanks to Sandy Bellamy, Principal Jon Rolle, DGS and MCN Build and the staff of Garfield Elementary School
TRIBUTE is a site-specific public art installation designed for Garfield Elementary School's outdoor traffic garden. Composed of eight vibrantly colored, welded steel pillars, TRIBUTE pays homage to William Sidney Pittman, the architect of the school's historic building and the only African-American architect to design a public school building in the Washington DC district before 1930. The sculpture memorializes the names of several of Pittman’s built structures. TRIBUTE aims to provide inspiration in daily moments, invite a deeper exploration of architecture and celebrate Pittman’s accomplishments in the face of stifling institutional racism.
Each of the pillars, fabricated in successively different sizes, rises into the air and branches off at an angle, evoking a sense of dynamism, momentum and motion. Bright colors weave across the sculpture. As a playful installation, TRIBUTE invites students, teachers and neighbors to reflect upon the artwork and to spark new conversations. The artwork is meant to be experienced actively; moving around it, it appears differently from different vantage points, whether walking through the garden, meandering on the surrounding pathway or crossing the street to enter the school.
2020 statistics from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) reported that only 22% of licensed architects are non-white, with only 2% of licensed architects working in the U.S. are Black. These figures reveal the racial challenges and barriers that still prevent more people of color from becoming licensed architects; the unfortunate reality is that these numbers, though paltry, are a significant increase from the early 1900s, when Pittman was a practicing architect. His accomplishments to both become a licensed practicing architect and to successfully design and erect multiple structures across the United States in the face of such racial discrimination in the early twentieth century is no small feat. (Pittman was also the first Black licensed architect in the entire state of Texas!!) TRIBUTE aspires to create a new sort of community monument-- one that builds community by remembering and honoring William Sidney Pittman's legacy.
Pittman designed over 50 buildings across the U.S. Many of Pittman’s structures have been demolished, while there are still several of his known structures still standing. TRIBUTE features a selection of Pittman’s most notable existing buildings, selected in collaboration with school staff, including structures across Washington D.C., Alabama and Texas, where he spent the latter half of his career. TRIBUTE aims to provide a meaningful and dynamic artistic contribution to Garfield Elementary School, as both an educational facility and an important historical architectural site for the community.
Nore information on these featured buildings:
Garfield Elementary School / Washington DC (1910)
Twelfth Street YMCA Building / Washington DC (1912)
Morton Street Church, Washington DC (1905)
Millbank Hall, Tuskegee University / Tuskegee, Alabama (1909)
Allen Chapel AME Church / Fort Worth, Texas (1914)
Joshua Chapel AME Church / Waxahachie, Texas (1917)
Knights of Pythias Temple / Dallas, Texas (1916)
+ Installed at Garfield Elementary School, Washington D.C.
+ Commissioned by the Washington DC Government, Department of General Services, Percent for Art
Engineering: Shahab Torabian and Eric R. Ober, SGH
Fabrication and Installation: Majer Metal Works
Thanks to Sandy Bellamy, Principal Jon Rolle, DGS and MCN Build and the staff of Garfield Elementary School
TRIBUTE is a site-specific public art installation designed for Garfield Elementary School's outdoor traffic garden. Composed of eight vibrantly colored, welded steel pillars, TRIBUTE pays homage to William Sidney Pittman, the architect of the school's historic building and the only African-American architect to design a public school building in the Washington DC district before 1930. The sculpture memorializes the names of several of Pittman’s built structures. TRIBUTE aims to provide inspiration in daily moments, invite a deeper exploration of architecture and celebrate Pittman’s accomplishments in the face of stifling institutional racism.
Each of the pillars, fabricated in successively different sizes, rises into the air and branches off at an angle, evoking a sense of dynamism, momentum and motion. Bright colors weave across the sculpture. As a playful installation, TRIBUTE invites students, teachers and neighbors to reflect upon the artwork and to spark new conversations. The artwork is meant to be experienced actively; moving around it, it appears differently from different vantage points, whether walking through the garden, meandering on the surrounding pathway or crossing the street to enter the school.
2020 statistics from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) reported that only 22% of licensed architects are non-white, with only 2% of licensed architects working in the U.S. are Black. These figures reveal the racial challenges and barriers that still prevent more people of color from becoming licensed architects; the unfortunate reality is that these numbers, though paltry, are a significant increase from the early 1900s, when Pittman was a practicing architect. His accomplishments to both become a licensed practicing architect and to successfully design and erect multiple structures across the United States in the face of such racial discrimination in the early twentieth century is no small feat. (Pittman was also the first Black licensed architect in the entire state of Texas!!) TRIBUTE aspires to create a new sort of community monument-- one that builds community by remembering and honoring William Sidney Pittman's legacy.
Pittman designed over 50 buildings across the U.S. Many of Pittman’s structures have been demolished, while there are still several of his known structures still standing. TRIBUTE features a selection of Pittman’s most notable existing buildings, selected in collaboration with school staff, including structures across Washington D.C., Alabama and Texas, where he spent the latter half of his career. TRIBUTE aims to provide a meaningful and dynamic artistic contribution to Garfield Elementary School, as both an educational facility and an important historical architectural site for the community.
Nore information on these featured buildings:
Garfield Elementary School / Washington DC (1910)
Twelfth Street YMCA Building / Washington DC (1912)
Morton Street Church, Washington DC (1905)
Millbank Hall, Tuskegee University / Tuskegee, Alabama (1909)
Allen Chapel AME Church / Fort Worth, Texas (1914)
Joshua Chapel AME Church / Waxahachie, Texas (1917)
Knights of Pythias Temple / Dallas, Texas (1916)
