Collected Memories: Walter Reed Army Medical Center Public Art Installation
Presented by: Aliana Grace Bailey & Deirdre Darden, April 29, 2017—May 13th, 2017
Screenprint on hand-dyed fabric
Collected Memories is a memorial to Ward 4, WRAMC, and Washington, DC, a creative collaborative installation piece between artist, curator and community. Presented through over 400 handmade ribbons, are historical and personal accounts from the 102 year legacy of Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital (WRAMC).
Each ribbon tells a different story. Each one speaks on the historic Walter Reed, the memories it holds, and the uptown neighborhood it was a part of and active in. These ribbons speak to the hopes, dreams, and values of the community.
During its impressive run, WRAMC provided care, recreation and entertainment to wounded soldiers as well as their nurses, therapists, and neighbors outside the grounds. The words, memories, facts and reflections transformed here as ribbons, were gathered through interviews and research conducted between September 2016 and April 2017. All together they document a time and place, 20th Century Ward 4 Washington, DC, that is no more. But when installed on this hallowed ground they preserve the past and carry that into the future.
Viewers were invited to intimately explore the ribbons.
Key
Purple—Reflections & historical information
Red—Key words & phrases
Green—Community values & hopes
Gold—Memories
A special thank you to the Ward 4 community and our contributors:
Alpha McPherson
Dwayne, D. Diego Ricardo-Kyle
Frank Jones III
Karyn Le Blanc
Marlena Edwards
Nancy Wischnowski
Paul Confer
Rafi Crockett
Rosa Clayton
Stephen Whatley
Janet Huggins
Angela Rice
Sarai Reed
Nnamdi Nwaezeapu
Coregy Evans
Lory Ivey Alexander
Text from Run, Don't Walk: The Curious and Chaotic Life of a Physical Therapist Inside Walter Reed Army Medical Center by Adele Levine, P. T. 2014
Text from; Walter Reed Army Medical Center: Centennial, A Pictorial History 1909-2009