Reston Memorial Garden Moves Forward

In just the past few weeks, we've seen firsthand the terrible consequences of not having an appropriate place to mourn our departed loved ones in Reston. Now, the Initiative for Public Art - Reston (IPAR) is moving forward with plans to "request expressions of interest and statements of qualifications and experience from consultants who are qualified to guide a citizen-based committee in the process and development of a program for a memorial garden as more fully described below."

As cited in the book entitled "Open Spaces, Sacred Places" by Tom Stoner and Carolyn Rapp which documents several existing memorial gardens, "The space might be considered to be 'sacred,' but in an inclusive way, not in the sense of religion or belief, but as a connection, a feeling that makes (one) sure that there is something more powerful going on than what can be seen, something stronger than the five senses."

Reston contains miles of pathways conducive to contemplation. Within these areas there are many benches and trees memorializing loved ones. However, as conceived, the proposed garden will become the missing centerpiece of this diffusely evolving pattern. It can be a concentrated memorial compressed into a vest-pocket urban oasis in an area recognized as a "center" by all residents of Reston.

While a specific location for the memorial garden has not been selected, an IPAR committee has apparently made a number of suggestions.

And it's (seriously) a good idea! If we were any good at filling out RFPs, we'd be busy strapping bombs to dolphins enjoying the spoils of a lucrative government contract. But we can still point people to our earlier design suggestions for a Reston memorial garden, and throw in a few extras for good measure:

Field of Bollards.

Remembrance of Brutalism, aka The Sun Boat, Shipwrecked.

Memorial Swatchbook of Color Palettes Lost and Forgotten.

You're welcome.