D.C. Poet Laureate Honors Metro's Art Program

Map It:  Dupont Circle   Georgia Ave-Petworth 

FOR THOSE WHO who aren't in a rush to get up or down the long Q Street NW escalators at the Dupont Circle station, the inscription of Walt Whitman's poem "The Wound-Dresser," which was carved into the exit portal's circular walls last year, can offer a momentary poetic escape from the daily commuting grind. On the surface, a poem by Howard University professor E. Ethelbert Miller surrounds a circular bench.

The use of poetry at Dupont Circle and other Metrorail stations — including another Miller poem adjacent to a new sculpture at the Georgia Avenue-Petworth station, pictured here — has attracted a new honor for Metro's Art in Transit program. Last month, D.C. Poet Laureate Dolores Kendrick recognized the program for its creative vision and commitment to poetry.

Over the years and through partnerships with organizations like the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, art installations have been slowly expanding across the rail system.

» "Art in Transit" [WMATA]

Photo courtesy WMATA