Join AAC and artist Patrick McDonough for an artist talk in conjunction with Portrait of a County by a Youngish Man, a solo exhibition of work by Patrick on view in AAC’s Jenkins Community Gallery. The talk will take place at Arlington Arts Center, in the Jenkins Community Gallery, with limited capacity. Masks will be required for attendees. The event is free but registration is required.

Patrick McDonough: Portrait of a County by a Youngish Man

On view: June 19 – August 28, 2021

Through the project Portrait of a County by a Youngish Man, artist Patrick McDonough pays homage to the unsung workers of Arlington County, the individuals who repair our streets and sidewalks, maintain our parks, and beautify our public spaces.

The exhibition includes eight drawings, completed as the second phase of the project, which originally began in 2019 as a public art project outside Arlington Arts Center. During the first phase of the project, McDonough asked Arlington County Parks and Recreation to refrain from mowing a large area on the front lawn of AAC. After two months, he mowed down the lawn and used the harvested grass to make paper.

The drawings on view in this exhibition are portraits of Arlington County employees, drawn by McDonough on the paper made from this grass. The eight employees who participated in the project have all worked directly with Arlington Arts Center in recent years. They have repaired the roads and sidewalks outside AAC’s building, maintained the building itself, and partnered with AAC on public art and community-oriented events. Through Portrait of a County by a Youngish Man, McDonough honors their work and points to the often-overlooked labor that goes into building and sustaining a vibrant community like Arlington.