[Archived] Community Invited to Meet Wilkes Street Park Artist Eto Otitigbe at Virtual Reception

For Immediate Release: February 17, 2021

The community is invited to a virtual reception to meet artist Eto Otitigbe on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 7 p.m. Otitigbe has been commissioned by the City of Alexandria to create a unique, site specific work of art for Wilkes Street Park as part of the park’s redesign. At the virtual reception, Otitigbe will share information about himself and his work and answer questions with staff about the project and the process. 

Otitigbe will also be at Wilkes Street Park on Thursday, February 25^th at noon to tour the site and gather ideas for his project and will be available to meet and talk with residents and passers-by about their experiences in the park in accordance with all Covid-19 safety guidelines and restrictions. 

Information about the virtual event, including the Zoom link and phone number, can be found here. More information about the project can be found on the City’s website here.

For questions about this project or to request reasonable disability accommodations, contact diane.ruggiero@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.5590, Virginia Relay 711. 

About Eto Otitigbe

Eto Otitigbe is a polymedia artist who sets alternative narratives into motion, creating spaces for unique experiences. His interdisciplinary practice includes sculpture, performance, installation, and public art.

Otitigbe's work has been in national and international exhibitions such Bronx Calling: The Second AIM Biennial, organized by the Bronx Museum and Wave Hill. He has participated in residencies at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, The John L. Warfield Center for African and African American Studies, Austin, TX; 701 CCA, Columbia, SC; Center for Book Arts, New York, NY; and Luminary Center for the Arts, St. Louis, MO. Otitigbe’s fellowships and awards include the CEC Artslink Project Award, Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship at the National Museum of African Art.

His curatorial projects include the es ORO Gallery (2007-09) and the Topophilia Exhibition (2017) as part of the Meeting Festival in Denmark. Otitigbe’s public art practice includes temporary and permanent installations. He contributed to the creative expression on the exterior surface of the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers.

He is an Assistant Professor of Sculpture in the Art Department at Brooklyn College and the Director of the Turnbull Gallery in New York. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, his M.S. in Product Design from Stanford University (M.S.) and his MFA in Creative Practice from the University of Plymouth.

About Wilkes Street Park

Wilkes Street Park is a linear 0.7-acre neighborhood park located in Old Town and the historic location of Alexandria's first free black community referred to as "The Bottoms".  The park is bisected into two sections, aligning with the 800 (east) and 900 (west) blocks of Wilkes Street between S. Patrick (U.S. Route 1) and S. Columbus Streets. The South Patrick Housing Affordability Strategy, adopted in 2019, envisions Wilkes Street Park to be accessible and accommodating to all ages and abilities. The plan recommends improvements such as play areas, seating, and open passive areas. The design of the park improvements will be done in collaboration with the Heritage Redevelopment. Developers will construct the park improvements in phases, as a condition of their redevelopment approvals.