As the first in a series of periodic, curated exhibitions of temporary public art located in the city’s historic sites and museums, the City of Alexandria Public Art Program invited DC-based artist Sheldon Scott and the Baltimore-based artist team of Lauren F. Adams and Stewart Watson to create research-based, thought-provoking temporary public artworks that foster exploration and dialogue about Alexandria’s rich history located in Gadsby’s Tavern.

For “Time & Place: the Finest Amenities” Sheldon Scott created both an immersive performance artwork and a supporting exhibition of ephemera from the performance. Using the history of the harvesting of ice from the Potomac River and the storage and use of ice at Gadsby’s as a starting point, Scott’s work “examines the relationships between race, class, environment, luxury, and consumption by interrogating the process related to the use of Gadsby’s ice well.”

Walking barefoot through the streets and alleys of Alexandria’s historic Old Town, Scott lead a growing procession of spectators as he carted the ice from the Potomac River to the Tavern, guided by a series of “sirens” dressed in white with their faces veiled, singing a haunting, somber melody all the while disrupting the everyday activities along the route.

Once at the Tavern, Scott placed the block of ice on his back and crawled on his hands and knees into the tavern and up to the assembly room. In the rooms of the Tavern were tables filled with food and drink with actors in white masks consuming everything possible. There, the ice was chipped off his back and served in glasses of punch to the participants as Scott remained on his knees, bringing people into the experience and having them decide whether or not to accept the punch presented to them, knowing how it got there.