Georgetown GLOW Announces Artists

PHOTO: Jason Peters, The Glow at Jefferson Court (2014). Photo Sam Kittner/courtesy of the Georgetown BID

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Five local, regional, and international artists will show commissioned light-art works inspired by the historic C&O Canal during the second annual Georgetown GLOW exhibition in Georgetown. In its second year, GLOW will expand from a weekend-long celebration to a 10-day exhibition from Friday, Dec. 11 – Sunday, Dec. 20 with works lit nightly from 6-10 p.m. In addition to the light works, GLOW 2015 includes an Artists’ Talk on Dec. 12, live entertainment, store promotions and more.

Georgetown GLOW is a signature winter event celebrating the holiday season organized by the Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID). Visit www.GeorgetownGLOWDC.com for announcements and updates.

Artists represented in Georgetown GLOW 2015 include: Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger (New York, NY), Arthur Gallice and Hervé Orgeas (Shanghai/Washington, D.C.), the collective SHO + ULR (Pittsburgh/Gainesville, FL/Boston), Kelly Towles (Washington, D.C.), and Hiroshi Jacobs of the trans-disciplinary research and design collaborative HiJAC (Washington, D.C.). The group of five artists represent a diverse mix of backgrounds in artistic lighting design, sculpture, architecture, street art, video mapping, and film.

This year’s exhibition encourages contemplation of, and interaction with, the natural and built environment. The intimate, historic C&O Canal—a beautiful, meditative waterway reminiscent of Georgetown’s founding as a port town and located just steps from bustling M Street—is the anchor and inspiration for the site-specific works. The C&O Canal, the “spine” of Georgetown, was erected in 1828 to carry goods westward. Today, it is a National Park Service property and a destination for recreation and respite. Visitors are encouraged to reflect as they are transported.

Deirdre Ehlen MacWilliams, a public art expert and the exhibition’s curator, said: “The energy central to GLOW is how artists play with, and become part of, the juxtaposition of the contemporary and historic inherent to Georgetown. That mix makes Georgetown a very unique and interesting place to experience any time of year. That these artists have this environment as their ‘canvas’ to create works, and that these fleeting works are so interactive, makes the experience of being in Georgetown quite revelatory.”

Over both weekends during Georgetown GLOW, visitors will enjoy nightly live outdoor musical performances from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on the lawn of Grace Church (1041 Wisconsin Avenue). Additionally, visitors shouldn’t miss a visit to Washington Harbour for a spin on the region’s largest outdoor ice skating rink.

Georgetown’s holiday décor and lights make it one of the city’s most festive neighborhoods during the holiday season. As attendees tour the public art works, they are also encouraged to take a self-guided tour of the uniquely decorated merchant windows in the fourth annual Holiday Window Competition, in which fourteen Georgetown merchants--mainly small and regional businesses--square off in a friendly competition to win top holiday decor honors. Visitors vote for their favorite store window by “liking” its photo in an album on Georgetown’s official Facebook page. The winner is crowned on December 21, the day after #GeorgetownGLOW comes to a close.

Visitors can pick up programs/maps at Georgetown GLOW information booths located at the following locations, December 11-13 & December 18-20 from 6-10 p.m.: Grace Church (1041 Wisconsin Avenue), Jefferson Court (1025 Thomas Jefferson Street at K Street), and Pinstripes (1064 Wisconsin Avenue).

For event information anytime, visit www.GeorgetownGLOWDC