MXY-7
By Steve Rands
The inspiration for this piece, MXY-7, draws on the history of the cherry trees on the National Mall as a gift from the Mayor of Tokyo and the arc of the relationship our two countries have shared since then. Where we are now should be a hopeful example that war is temporary, and time heals all wounds.
Throughout the 2021 Festival, this sculpture was located at Canal Park, 2nd & M Street SE. This sculpture is now located at a private residence in Arlington, VA.
Steve Rands
Mechanicsville, MD
Steve Rands born in Fairfax, VA, Steve does not view himself as a traditional professional artist. To the contrary, he is a retired career Naval Officer, helicopter pilot, and current metal fabrication small business owner. Though he does hold degrees in mechanical engineering, and human systems integration, his only formal training as an artist has been through a few classes at Anne Arundel Community College, and a course in marble carving in Pietrasanta, Italy. These classes re-ignited a long-dormant passion for the arts that Steve hadn’t explored since high school. He currently resides in Mechanicsville, MD, with his wife Beth, and was a 2019 recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council’s Public Art Project Grant for his kinetic wind sculpture installation piece, “Wind Cheer”, at the Port of Leonardtown Winery in Leonardtown, MD.