The Crystal City BID wants to install light installations on the grassy mounds in the water park. (Photo: TBD Staff)

In its never ending quest to add more culture — and "soul," as they put it — to Crystal City, the Crystal City Business Improvement district is looking for artists to design light sculptures for an exhibit at its water park on Crystal Drive.

Billed as a project to "put the crystal back in Crystal City," the call for artists outlines an exhibit that aims to add interesting design elements for the park during the day that also add light and color to the park at night. Artist submissions are due by Jan. 14, 2011.

Six designs will be selected, and artists will be awarded a grant of $5,000 apiece for the sculptures. There are several guidelines included in the artists' package [PDF], including that the sculptures not be "political"; that they be '"true to color," and that they use LEDs or incorporate other green elements if possible.

The designs will be installed on six mounds that will serve as "pedestals" for the public art projects, according to Crystal City BID President and CEO Angela Fox. The exhibit will be installed in late March, and will run from April until sometime in the summer.

The neighborhood has also rescheduled the installation of another art project that had to be postponed because of rain. This Sunday, Oct. 17, artist Steed Taylor will be painting a road tattoo design on South 18th Street in Crystal City between South Bell Street and Crystal Drive. The tattoo was originally supposed to be painted in September, but bad whether forced the BID to reschedule.

Anyone wanting to see the work in progress can stop by the intersection starting at 10 a.m. Sunday.