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2025 Waterfront Public Art: Break Water

A large decorative black fan with white patterns stands behind a pile of black sandbags with white stripes, under a clear blue sky with a small tree visible to the left.
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Waterfront Public Art Installation by Nekisha Durrett
March to November 2025

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Break Water is the seventh annual temporary public art installation at Waterfront Park, on display from late March to November 2025 as part of the City of Alexandria’s Site See: New Views in Old Town series.

The sculpture draws inspiration from Alexandria’s waterfront being a place where natural forces and human activity intersect, often with profound consequences.

Break Water’s centerpiece, crafted from blackened wood, evokes the sidewheel of the steamboat River Queen, a vessel that symbolized Black ownership and opportunity until its mysterious destruction by fire in 1911, shortly after its purchase by Lewis Jefferson, a Black entrepreneur. Encircled by black sandbags, the piece honors the resilience and strength of Black communities, referencing both protection and endurance during crises.

Beneath the sculpture, a ground mural of tangled taut ropes–called “Life Lines”–appears to tether the artwork to the park’s architectural elements, anchoring it against a symbolic undercurrent. Viewers are invited to walk the life lines that represent events, people, places, rituals, and traditions that have contributed to Alexandria’s unique identity. The painted lines symbolize the collective struggle to preserve these legacies, ensuring they are not swept away. Together the sculpture and the mural create a powerful tribute to the creativity and enduring spirit of Alexandria’s Black community.

Meet the Artist

D.C.-based mixed media artist Nekisha Durrett brings history forward through modern visual language in artwork shown across the country.

“In Break Water, these black sandbags serve not only as mere barriers; they symbolize the ocean’s breakwaters and connect to the American scholar Fred Moten’s concept of the jazz ‘break’ as a site of Black resistance and innovation – a moment of disruption and possibility within the relentless flow of time and history.

A person with short, curly blonde hair smiles while standing outdoors in front of a brick building, with sunlight illuminating their face.

Learn More

To learn more about public artwork in Alexandria, VA, explore an interactive map and stay tuned for an artist interview with STUDIOKCA.

Alexandria Public Art Map

Modern building entrance with large, curved blue metal arches installed as public art, surrounded by glass windows and landscaped planters on a sunny day.

Past Installations

Learn more about past installations in the Site See: New Views in Old Town annual temporary public art series below.

 

Interstellar Influencer (Make an Impact)

A large, illuminated geometric sculpture glows red and orange under streetlights at sunset, with a clear sky transitioning from deep blue to orange near the horizon.

Two Boxes of Oranges and Admonia Jackson

Sculptural bike rack with tall, curved blue and orange metal bars on a blue surface in an outdoor urban park, surrounded by trees and brick buildings under a clear sky.

I Love You

A man and woman hold hands and face each other on a pink platform with a large I Love You sign in pink script behind them, under a cloudy sky in an outdoor setting.

Groundswell

A playground features numerous short, cylindrical wooden posts spaced evenly across a flat, painted surface with wavy patterns. Trees, grass, a river, and a bridge appear in the background.

Wrought, Knit, Labors, Legacies

Four teal metal sculptures shaped like human silhouettes with intricate cut-out patterns stand outdoors on yellow bases, with buildings, trees, and a clear sky in the background.

Mirror Mirror

People stand and interact inside a colorful, circular outdoor art installation made of tall, translucent panels in shades of red, orange, yellow, green, and blue, with trees and a building in the background.

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