Wikipedia:WikiProject Public art/D.C.

'''  Welcome to the WikiProject Public Task Force!  '''

Please join us in documenting public art in Washington D.C. Project and feel free to help find ways to organize and coordinate this work. A List of public art in Washington, D.C. has been created (thanks, User:Missvain!) as a primary organizational source.

Surveys
Our ultimate goal is to accurately document, photograph, and geolocate every work of public art in Washington, D.C.! It is suggested that the best way to do this is through coordinated surveys. To this end, it is suggested that surveys begin on the National Mall, and in the Arlington National Cemetery, two highly prominent areas in the city.

From there, other areas could surveyed in similar fashion.

The National Mall Survey
Methodology
 * The primary goal of this survey is to photodocument and geolocate all of the artworks on the National Mall!
 * A secondary goal is to continue to explore web-based, photo-sharing services as places to explore images of public art.
 * A secondary goal is to continue to explore location-based mobile services for documenting public art.
 * 1) Use the List of public art in Washington, D.C. (which was built from Smithsonian's SIRIS data) to identify and inventory sculptures on the National Mall and Smithsonian locations.
 * 2) Identify artworks in the list without images
 * 3) Identify artworks not on the list
 * 4) Take photos of all public artworks and upload the images to Wikipedia or The Commons as possible. Some images will not be able to be uploaded until a Wikipedia article is created and the “Fair Use” rational can be claimed.  It is suggested that these image images be uploaded to Flickr, Picasa, and Panaramio.
 * 5) Please see the WikiProject Public Art Image Guide for guidance.
 * 6) It would be great to develop guidelines for taking photos that teach people how to become proficient photographers, and perhaps also how to use Flickr and the other web-based photo sharing services. To this end, an initial effort was made to teach users the basics, and it can be found here. This could use some more development.
 * 7) Confirm highly accurate GPS coordinates for all artworks and add the locations to the D.C. List and the images in WP or Commons images (and the other web-based applications if used).
 * 8) Accurate naming conventions for images should be used and or developed.
 * 9) Update Coords in the List.
 * 10) Create new articles about artworks based on SIRIS data, other research, and photography.
 * 11) As possible, evaluate completeness and currentness of Smithsonian SIRIS data for these artworks.
 * 12) If desired and if you have a smart phone: Create “spots” for all of the artworks using Gowalla, Foursquare, and possibly other popular location based mobile applications. Populate these spots with photographs of the artworks.

Arlington National Cemetery Survey

 * Using the same methodology as used for the National Mall Survey, survey the public artworks at Arlington.

Other Survey ideas

 * Work with the Library of Congress to develop a project similar survey to the Indiana Statehouse Project.
 * Look into federal employees participating in another project similar to the Statehouse to bring the inside of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building into the public eye.
 * Develop your own!

Get involved from anywhere!
Even if you don't live in The District you can be involved!
 * Become an editor! Please help us edit the live articles on Washington D.C. public art.
 * Look at the List of public art in Washington, D.C. and either pick a sculpture from the list that hasn't been written about (links in red), or add a new one you know about.
 * It would be great to develop guidelines for taking photos that teach people how to become proficient photographers, and perhaps also how to use Flickr and the other web-based photo sharing services. To this end, an initial effort was made to teach users the basics, [Wikipedia:WikiProject Public art/Image guide|and it can be found here]. This could use some more development.

Requested articles
...and many, many more!
 * Twisted Form (Traveler's Guardian Spirit)

Articles that have made the DYK Section

 * The Mama Ayesha's Restaurant Presidential Mural
 * Bridge Tender's House (artwork)

General project ideas

 * Invite folks interested in OpenStreetMap to become involved.
 * Define public art & outdoor sculpture categories.
 * Provide the first Wikipedian-In-Residence for one of the Smithsonian Institution museums.
 * Getting more people involved in placing artworks on CultureNOW.
 * Let's hold a Wikipedia Loves Art or Wikipedia Takes DC (public art edition) event in the late spring or early summer.

Press

 * Check out the new Signpost featuring User:Missvain twice - her involvement with WikiXDC as well as WikiProject District of Columbia.
 * User:Missvain is writing a weekly column called "The People's Art" discussing public art in DC based on her research for Wikipedia articles. Check out her article about the Benjamin C. Grenup Monument on the DCist.
 * Project leader User:Missvain discussed WP:Public Art at the recent Wikipedia 10 DC event at the National Archives and Records Administration.