PHOTOS: Kentlands' Main Street Park, Gaithersburg Art In Public Places

Main Street — Kentlands' business, shopping and dining hub — is home to two of the city of Gaithersburg's Art in Public Places exhibits.

Created by artist Ken Bloomer and installed in 2001, the "Market Square Colonnade" and "A Circle of Acanthus Leaf Chairs" are composed of cast stone, steel and aluminum, according to the city.

According to Bloomer:

Market Square is the commercial center for the Kentlands/Lakelands communities, and the main public gathering place. To delineate this public space, the Bloomer Studio designed a colonnade and curved peristyle, topped by an exuberant hand-hammered aluminum frieze. The frieze, whose rhythmic composition is descended from the foliated scroll of antiquity, combines painted elements with garlands of glistening unpainted aluminum leaves. At the center of the peristyle is a cast stone fountain with a form derived from the acanthus leaf. (The same cast stone element is used to form a meditative circular seating area in a nearby park.) Inspired by late nineteenth century public arcades, the Market Square Pavilion enlivens and defines civic space. The basin of the fountain, enclosed by the peristyle, provides an inviting place for community residents to sit and linger.

The city of Gaithersburg currently has 14 pieces of art as part of its Art in Public Places program. Over the course of August, September and October, Gaithersburg Patch will photograph and provide info from the city for each piece. Visit the city of Gaithersburg website for more information about the Art in Public Places program.

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