New Public Art Display Debuts at McLean Station

Dec. 15, 2015

Customers at Metro’s McLean station may notice a new eye-catching work of art: a colorful series of glass panels that is the creation of artist Martin Donlin.

The work is inspired by the movement of people as they travel the Silver Line and features the work of Poet Laureates of Virginia. The floor-to-ceiling design includes images of people, trains and poetry that can be observed on the ground and mezzanine levels of the station.

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) fully funded the artwork and partnered with the Metro Art in Transit Program to have the project installed at McLean. The winning project was selected in a competition of more than 150 artists and is part of a series of public art commissions that are being installed at the new Metrorail stations along the Silver Line, between the McLean and Ashburn stations.

Donlin’s selection of poems were designed as a collage, utilizing bold images for impact while containing small intricate details and text that are best seen close up. All of the poems relate to the different moods and conditions that can affect riders’ daily lives and were written by individual Poet Laureates from Virginia since 1996.

“The artwork at McLean station shows how Metro is dedicated to offering a more attractive environment to its riders as it expands further into Northern Virginia. Through its colorful visuals the composition can be enjoyed by riders hurrying by while the poetry incites a more meditative approach to public transit and the fast-pace world in which we live,” said Laurent Odde, Metro’s Art in Transit Program Manager.