Call for Artists

Crystal City (Arlington, VA) - The Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with Arena Stage is introducing a temporary, outdoor art exhibit that pays homage to the great scientific mind of R. Buckminster Fuller and his creation of the geodesic dome. “Bucky-Art” celebrates Arena Stage’s spring production of R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE which runs May 28 – July 4, 2010. The exhibition will open April 1, 2010, and will last throughout the summer.

“We foresee ’Bucky-Art’ generating a buzz, not only about Arena’s show, but also about the environmental aspects associated with Bucky’s Design Science Principles, especially since Crystal City has such a strong connection to sustainability and green efforts,” said Angela Fox, President/CEO of the Crystal City BID. “This exhibition is a bold example of arts and culture in Crystal City that visitors, workers and residents of the area have come to expect and love.”

To kick off the project, the Crystal City BID has announced a call for artists – whether Bucky fans or proponents of his green principles – and expects to launch the statues on April 1, 2010. Interested artists should visit www.crystalcity.org to learn more and download the formal application.

Arena Stage, a nationally recognized non-for-profit theater, has made a temporary home in Crystal City. Its production on renaissance man R. Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome, will explore humanity and its chance to survive on “Spaceship Earth.” The show is an unforgettable journey inside one of the most remarkable minds of the 20th century in a dazzling, virtuoso multimedia performance. A hero of the green movement, Fuller framed many of the great environmental ideas of his time and ours. The play may not only change your life but the life of our planet as well.

“Bucky-Art” is part of the Crystal City BID’s ARTFUL program. This new exhibition builds on the success of previous Crystal Art projects which have demonstrated the power that art can add to public spaces. The Crystal City BID is responsible for changing how people see and perceive Crystal City, and art remains a critical means of achieving this goal by adding color, interest and conversation to the streets, sidewalks and public spaces of Crystal City.