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This was another project produced in collaboration with my good friends at Color-Ad, Inc. in Manassas, VA. Thank you, Heather, as always, for providing me the beautiful pics of the installed exhibit for me to display here!
The Washington Monument had been closed for repairs from damages incurred during a rare DC earthquake a couple of years ago. Besides repairing the cracks, the Monument's Visitor Center got a facelift as well, and I got the rare opportunity to contribute my services to the cause. It is an honor to have been a part of this project and it is literally the highest profile gig in which I've ever had the privilege of participating. I hope I did you, and all my fellow American citizens proud in honoring our most important Founding Father and Commander-in-Chief, George Washington.
The project was split into two phases. The first piece I had to fabricate is a model representing a diagonal cross-section of the pyramidion, the pyramid shape at the very top of the monument. The actual pyramidion is truly an incredible feat of engineering and it was quite a challenge for me to represent it in a tactile model. The model was built with interlocking aluminum plate parts that were coated and textured with fiberglass and epoxy clay and painted with vinyl-acrylics. It was completed in time to be a part of the Grand Reopening Ceremony which took place on May 12, 2014.
The second phase, producing six tactile models representing various commemorative stones located within the stairway, was to be completed in time for the Fourth of July, one of the biggest events that takes place on our National Mall.
The making of the "stones" required me to adapt some new (to me) technology in order to produce them in the short time I had. I gave myself a crash course on a CAD program, and with the help of the awesome staff at ARTcorp, I was able to employ 3D printed components in combination with my sculpting. The results exceeded my expectations and it all wouldn't have been possible without the folks there at ARTcorp (Applied Rapid Technologies) in Fredericksburg, Virginia, walking with me through the ropes. Many Thanks to Ted and Bruce and all the crew! Thank You!