Next Alexandria Waterfront Art Installation Opening In Late March

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The next public art installation at Alexandria's Waterfront Park will arrive in late March.

The art installation, "Two Boxes of Oranges and Admonia Jackson," by Nina Cooke John of Studio Cooke John will be located in Alexandria’s Waterfront Park, 1 Prince Street. A free opening celebration will be held Saturday, March 25, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The art will be on display through November 2023.

Cooke John’s installation creates an abstracted ship’s hull with steel vertical elements that rise and bend, signifying the curve of the hull's frame. On the outside, the abstracted ship hill provides one layer of history to visitors. But when visitors stand inside, the space, they can get a fuller story.

Text on the vertical elements of the installation describes information found on ship manifests that arrived at Alexandria's port in the 18th century. The art exhibit's name comes from a manifest listing "two boxes of oranges" and "Admonia Jackson," reflecting the cargo and enslaved people arriving at the port. Other examples of items from the manifest are "herring," coconuts," and "gin" as well as names like "Jane Tailor, female, 5’-2."

Standing inside the space, visitors can reflect on the time in Alexandria history when ships carried goods as well as enslaved people in the transatlantic and domestic slave trades.

Cooke John was selected to create the art installation by a community task force with approval from the Alexandria Commission for the Arts. The city will also work with regional artists to create art activations in response to the waterfront art installation later in 2023.

"Through the ‘Site See’ series, we continue to bring engaging, contemporary art to Alexandria’s unique waterfront," said Diane Ruggiero, director of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts and deputy director for the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities. "The public has truly embraced this series and each of the unique installations and we look forward to sharing Nina’s work with Alexandria’s residents and visitors."

This is the fifth Waterfront Park art installation, following R&R Studio’s "I Love You" installation displayed in 2022. Hours for the installation are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.