Potomac River Shen Series At Union Station: A Panorama Of Ecological Landscapes
review of art Installation
At Washington, DC’s Union Station Amtrak railway waiting area, you’ll come across a series of murals spanning the upper walls from Gate A through L. The murals entitled The Potomac Shen River Series, were created by local artist Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann. They’re the second installation of Art at Amtrak at Union Station, part of Amtrak’s initiative to revitalize the station and enhance the travel experience for its visitors.
For Mann, Union Station is more than a transit hub — it’s a beautiful place full of vibrant energy. She relished the opportunity to create meaningful art in public spaces. Mann’s installation, rendered on vinyl, consists of three murals that vividly depict the Potomac River’s landscape teeming with botanical and animal life. Created initially with a poured ink technique on paper in the artist’s studio, the painting was photographed and then digitally manipulated to cover the station’s upper walls.
The Potomac Shen River Series follows the inaugural installation, A Great Public Walk, by multidisciplinary artist Tim Doud. Doud’s work reflected and celebrated the myriad of clothing styles, patterns, and logos Union Station visitors wear. In contrast to Doud’s emphasis on the human aspect, Mann’s installation shifts focus to the natural world, specifically highlighting the Potomac River. It’s a local landmark that oftentimes goes unnoticed despite its familiarity.
In our interview, I asked Mann what motivated her to select the Potomac River as the mural’s subject. Mann wanted to shift perceptions about the river, noting, “The river, for people, has a reputation as something dirty and full of trash. And it’s so much more”. She views the river as the lifeblood of the district.
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This article was written with support from the DC Arts Writing Fellowship, a project of the non-profit Day Eight.
