City Unveils ‘LOVE Letters’ Sculpture Celebrating 75th Anniversary, ‘Diversity & Inclusivity’

To honor the City of Falls Church’s 75th anniversary in 2023, the Falls Church City Council and the Arts & Humanities Council formulated a boldly democratic public arts installation project celebrating the City’s “past, present, and future,” its inclusive community values, and its aspirations to be “a welcoming place.” On the City's behalf, a competitive bidding process – open to all City employees interested in proposing such civic artwork – was to be launched. 

After City employees offered nine submissions, four finalists were announced, a winning bid accepted in May, and the installation collaboratively and painstakingly crafted, the City has finally brought the monumental public art project to fruition. 

Yesterday morning, Oct. 22, 2025,  in one of the most prominent community gathering spots in The Little City, the ‘LOVE Letters - ‘Reflection: Diversity and Inclusivity Sculpture‘ was ceremoniously unveiled by Mayor Letty Hardi, Council members, City officials and staff, Arts & Humanities Council leaders, Virginia Tourism Corporation representatives, and the installation’s artists, winning-designer City employee Ripal Patel and local painter Bill Abel. 

And the creative artwork and design of Patel and Abel, as well as the collaborative construction work by DS Metal Works, Composition Systems, Colours Imaging, Falls Church Art & Frame, and the Department of Public Works, deserve monumental praise. As a most reflective and Instagrammable gathering spot for residents and visitors, the LOVE Letters Sculpture should creatively and lovingly serve the City for years to come. 

In keeping with the Commonwealth’s distinctive theme, “Virginia is for Lovers,” the new installation monumentally spells out L-O-V-E in letters made of highly “reflective” steel – so viewers can “see themselves included” in the optically interactive sculpture – while the “O” in the piece is ringed with a vividly bright painted pastiche depicting many familiar landmarks of the Falls Church community in all its diversity. 

“The LOVE installation is uniquely interactive by literally reflecting the community in which it stands,” the City announced. The installation is now permanently planted between City Hall at 300 Park Ave. and the Cherry Hill Farmhouse and is open to all just steps from the sidewalk. 

“The LOVE sculpture is located in the heart of the City where annual events across the four seasons and the weekly Farmers Market bring the community together,” the City announced. “The sculpture's site is intentionally.... where residents, businesses, and visitors come together. The installation is an extension of the "Virginia is for Lovers" brand, joining the other Virginia Tourism Corporation LOVEworks structures in towns and cities across the Commonwealth.”

The Falls Church Independent attended the LOVE Letters unveiling ceremony and we spoke to Mayor Hardi, City officials, the artists, and a passionate traveling “Virginia LOVE Signs” connoisseur. 

Prior to the unveiling, we caught up with the City’s Director of Community Relations and Legislative Affairs Cindy Mester, host of the event. “I’m very excited about today," she told us. "This started out as part of our City’s 75th anniversary and it was a call for design by employees. So this is an employee competition…. And, of course, it takes a while to produce all the art and to have it. So, we’re very excited we’re going to unveil our City’s love today.” Mester said the bidding process went smoothly and there were “no controversies.”

“The title of the installation is ‘Reflections: Diversity and Inclusivity,” and this will make a lot of sense when viewers get to see the love unveiled!,” Mester said joyfully. For her, the theme of the work “was important back when we started celebrating the 75th because we wanted to ‘honor the past, the present, and to look to the future.’ And the City has always prided itself on being welcoming. The Council’s vision is ‘inclusion and diversity’ and ‘welcoming for all.’ And, I think it’s just evolved as we look at our local, state, and national level to be very relevant still, now and into the future…. It’s a great day for the City!”

Asked if the placement of the installation was strategic, Mester said, “It is strategic. We want it to be at the center of democracy, so behind me is the City Hall and then on the other side is Cherry Hill Farmhouse built in 1848. So, we’re honoring the past, the present, and the future. And, it’s right in front of the formal garden that was actually planted during the [nation's] Bicentennial. So, that way it connects everything together.”

It’s also the ideal spot in the heart of the City, “for gathering, special events, [the] Farmers Market – you know, everybody will be able to come and enjoy family photos. And the Farm House hosts lots of weddings and receptions and there’s a place for an outside tent nearby, so people can always come and take photos during their own family events.” 

Chatting with the Artists: Bill Abel and Ripal Patel

Next we were introduced to Bill Abel, the painter of the diversity-themed “O” in the sculpture. Abel is well-known in the City as a much beloved former school crossing guard. He lived in Falls Church City from 2004 to 2020, and now resides in North Carolina.

"I’m thrilled I can be here. I feel honored," Abel said. "I’m very grateful they’re doing this. I hesitated to fly and leave work in North Carolina, but I’m so glad I did.” 

“I’ve been painting probably 30 or 32 years,” Abel said. “It’s just something I’ve always done, from childhood. And I got to do it when I became a stay-at-home dad living here in Falls Church.” As a crossing guard, Abel “got to work alongside” his three kids, because, he said, “I’d see them in the mornings” everyday on their way to school. "I was the happy waver at the corner most of the time.”

Abel agreed his appreciation of the City’s diversity and inclusivity were much enhanced by his school crossing guard experiences. So, he was energized by the opportunity to visually portray these themes in the installation. “Inclusivity was the idea and it seemed perfect for the letter ‘O,'" he said. "And just as Falls Church is integral and at the same time all inclusive, it plays the same role as in the word ‘Love,’ so I thought that was really cool.” And the circularity of the letter also "connects everything together," Abel agreed.

“I tried to put in landmarks and to show people active with their togetherness in this painting, and to show the diverse community. Even the proximity, that we’re close to D.C. In the distance, I put in the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial.”

Still, the commission was highly challenging for Abel, despite his adeptness with the brush. “I’ve never done a painting without a middle, so that was tricky – I was like, ‘Whaa?,’ he recalled. “I used gouache. It’s a water color, but it’s opaque. I wanted it to be super-charged with color because I knew that the scope that I worked on was about 30” x 30” and I knew it was going to be enlarged. And I’m not as comfortable with acrylics because it dries [too fast]. So, I found gouache and it worked. And it was my first painting in gouache.”

Abel was awaiting anxiously the public unveiling of the work, because he hadn’t yet seen the fully finished rendering of his painting. DS Metal Works “made a latex kind of material that stretches over it and when they unveil it, I’ll get to see how it was put together,” Abel said. “But, [their work is] top notch. I know, because I saw the other mirror letters and they’re really sharp. So, as you look at it you’ll see yourself and the rest of the community in the mirror, so it’s a lovely effect.”

We asked Abel what he was hoping viewers would see in this installation. 

“I hope they see not only that it’s reflective, but as a reflection of their City and the love that’s here and the specialness of it. There’s no place like this in the area. I found that, when we originally moved from Tallahassee, Florida, we were scared to death of coming to such a big metropolis and then someone recommended Falls Church and we said, ‘Hey, we do like this. This is nice. Two and a-half square miles. You can’t beat that.’ Schools are relatively small. It’s just ideal. And my wife at the time, she worked in D.C. so it was close enough for her to Metro in.”

Asked if he were professionally trained, Abel said, “No, pretty much self-taught…. I’ve been painting for probably 30 or 32 years. It’s just something I’ve always done, from childhood…. But, I took workshops, a lot of really good workshops. I was really lucky in meeting an artist by the name of Tony Van Hasselt who lived in Maine and he was in the American Watercolor Society…. And he took me under his wing as well. I got to assist him in plein air workshops, in Maine and all over, a couple in Florida, one in Maine, one in New Hampshire, and one in Virginia.”

Currently, Abel lives and teaches watercolor painting and yoga, and serves as a teacher’s aide for first graders in Flat Rock, North Carolina. He said he “always wanted” to specialize in plein air painting, but he hasn’t “had a lot of time in my later life; I’ve been working a lot.” And, “there are challenges in painting outdoors in watercolors, for sure.” So, mostly he’s “doing more commissioned portraits and pet portraits,” as “people seem to like that.” To see Abel’s works, go to: Wherearthappens.com.

Soon we met the City’s winning designer for the installation, Housing and Human Services (HHS) Manager Ripal Patel. 

For Patel, his daily HHS experiences inspired his design for the LOVE Letters sculpture. “Working with Housing and Human Services, one thing we see on a daily basis is a lot of diversity from people coming to our offices asking for human services,” Patel said. “So that definitely clicked right away. And the second part of our department is housing. So, a lot of people come to us and they request housing in the City and we know the City is small and it’s a struggle to get in for everyone. So we see them every day, and we see their disappointment at not getting in. So, I just wanted to put that into my design as well. And to see how I could make them feel a part of this City. So that’s what the reflective part [of the sculpture] is. That they can come in front of the design and see themselves in this design and feel a part of this love that we are spreading and on the part of the City as well.”

“That’s the ‘inclusion’ part and the ‘diversity,’ Patel continued. “So if you see the ‘O’ part of the sign you’ll see we tried to put in everything. There are kids in there with their dogs. There are schools in there. There’s a theater in there. The whole community. There’s a person on a wheelchair. We tried to make sure we included everyone in the sign and I hope we did that well.”

Patel is most pleased with the backdrop of the installation now that it’s in place. “I mean, City Hall in the backdrop – we could not ask for anything more than that. And, the building [Cherry Hill Farm House], we know, is a very beautiful building right behind it.”

Remarkably, Patel is not trained in the arts or engineering, though he did do some “web designing” as he pursued his master’s degree. “But this is completely different from that,” Patel said. “This is just an idea that turned into this big design that everybody is really loving.”

Patel expressed gratitude toward the City for the opportunity to bid on the installation and to his co-workers for their ideas on the project. “They personally came to us, and we were like, ‘Why not?,’ because we were the people in the City government and we see a lot of things…. And I would say I am grateful to all my co-workers who actually put in a design, because I’ve seen their designs as well. Every single person put in a lot of effort as well to show what they think the City is and every single design was really very good.”

Rapel’s rapport with painter Bill Abel was excellent as well. “We worked together…. It’s hard [because of the distances] to work together in person, but we collaborated over phone calls and Teams calls to do the design, what we wanted to include, how we wanted to do it, what colors could we include, and he did a fantastic job with the letter ‘O,’ there’s no doubt about that.” 

“I was super nervous to start with this morning, but I am very grateful and I am very happy with the design on the ground now,” Patel said. 

As the formal ceremony got underway, Cindy Mester took to the mic to say, “I am so excited we’re here for this unveiling event. We’re going to join all the other localities that are having LOVE Sculptures for 'Virginia is for Lovers,' because, indeed we are ‘lovers’ of people, caring, and commitment, and we’re going to honor that and celebrate that today.” She promised attendees there would be plenty of opportunities after the speeches for photos and selfies in front of the installation.

Wearing cool shades in the glaring sunshine, Mayor Hardi then gave the keynote. “What a perfect morning to wrap up celebrating the City’s 75th birthday with something that reflects who we are at its core – a City built on community and connection,” she said. 

After profuse thank-you's and introductions all around, Hardi said, “This new LOVE Sculpture, not only joins the iconic ‘Virginia is for Lovers’ tradition – I think there are over 350 [official LOVE Signs] across the Commonwealth, I learned – it adds our own special Falls Church touch. It allows residents and visitors to pause, take a picture, and share a little love about The Little City. Public art like this does more than just beautify. It sparks pride, brings people together, and strengthens our local economy. Every selfie, every visit, and every moment shared here tells the story of a small city with a big heart, one with a blossoming collection of public art across the city that makes our city more vibrant, welcomes visitors, and celebrates its people.”

“I especially love that there was an employee call for art that made this possible today,” Hardi continued. “We had nine employees who submitted proposals in 2024 and after much thorough review through the public art process we approved the final location and design that you’re going to see shortly today.”

“The design by Ripal and Bill are lovely collaborative efforts and a tribute to each special part of The Little City that you’ll find that invites the community to reflect on who they are now and who’s to come in the future. So, as we mark this City’s 75 years, may this sculpture stand as a symbol of the love we have for our community and the bright, creative future we have ahead.”

After many thanks in his speech, designer Patel said, “....I want for all the guests [to this site] to be part of this design and this LOVE Sign and this City. So, when you stand in front of this design, I would like this design to talk to you.”

Touchingly, painter Bill Abel, having declined to speak earlier, now asked Cindy Mester for the mic to say, “Can I just say one thing? I didn’t want to speak earlier because I always like to let my art speak for me. But I do want to say that throughout the process, there was a time, and you’ll remember, when I said, ‘No, I’m not the person for this. I don’t know how I could paint this.’ It felt beyond my scope of what I could do. But then Cindy and Ripal encouraged me to continue and what came together is, I hope, just all the love and community I felt when I lived here. It really held me up during some hard times. But I really found that when I left [Falls Church] I missed it so much. I left in 2020 and I just feel very grateful to be here and to do this project for the City of Falls Church.”

Mester soon assembled the interested parties to release the blue tarps from the “LOVE Letters,” following the audience’s dramatic three-two-one count. Upon the unveiling to much applause, the clear reflections of the day’s blue skies and autumn foliage were instantly reflected in the letters “L,” “V,” and “E,” while the steel structures themselves seemed to disappear. 

Mayor Hardi's Thoughts

We caught up with Mayor Hardi following the unveiling to ask her feelings about the day. “It’s wonderful,” she said. “I love that we have such a blossoming collection of public art. And this is a good way to actually both celebrate our community values and attract more visitors to come into Falls Church. So, I think it’s a great collaborative effort between arts and economic development.”

“In general, I think we should lead with our values. And I think being inclusive and being loving with each other is how we always try to approach things in this City and this is a really good, symbolic moment coming to life,” the mayor continued.

Hardi is much pleased by the art piece itself. “I think it’s great,” she said. “I love that there was a collaborative effort between our employees as well as a local artist, Bill Abel, who used to be a crossing guard and well loved in the community, so I’m glad he’s able to leave his mark on the City this way. And I love the theme of what Ripal was trying to convey about being able to see yourselves in the reflective letters. And I think that not only reflects how we want to be as a community, but looking forward, how do we want to be as a community?"

Given the current controversies surrounding DEI, Hardy said that “LOVE Letters” is a “nice way to reaffirm our values of being inclusive and truly welcoming to everybody.”

And she hopes the values of diversity and inclusivity envisioned for the piece are reflected in the City’s public policies as well. “Hopefully, [these values] are pervasive beyond public art as well, in how we set public policies, our budgeting decisions. I always like to say it’s great to have values in policy discussion, but how do we turn them into actions? And how do they translate in terms of our budget, ordinances, projects we take on, where we spend our money? And I think this is a great way to celebrate the City’s 75th birthday with a real-life manifestation of our values.”

City Council member Laura Downs also expressed great appreciation for the work. “We’re really excited,” she said. “We worked with our Arts & Humanities Council on this. And this is a celebration of the City’s 75th Anniversary which was a year or two ago, so it’s been a work in progress. But I’m really excited to have something fun to celebrate. And I think it also speaks to the inclusivity of Falls Church City and you know that we do try to – as our mayor often says to “demonstrate our values and lead with love.” So, I think it does say a lot about how welcoming we are as a city.”

Asked if the installation's themes of diversity and inclusivity have any “particular resonance given today’s political environment,” Downs did not hesitate to agree. “I do,” she said. “I agree with that because I think we all need to be reminded that we can all work together. That’s actually a part of my City Council re-election campaign.... The importance of just working together and building consensus and working toward compromise and sort of ‘love your neighbor.’ And even though you might not agree, you can still work together. And I think that’s a great point, just that with everything going on in our country right now and everything being so hostile. It’s good to remember that this is what we need to do, to just love thy neighbor and work together.”

For people critical of DEI, Downs said, “Frankly, in my opinion, that’s terrible. I think what makes us so strong is our diversity – of all kinds, not just race, but religion, gender, sexual orientation, I think everything. That’s what makes us stronger. Also, when you work with people from different backgrounds, you grow as a person and learn more about the world and have a much bigger picture, a broader context of our world. So, I think DEI is super important and I don’t like that it’s become this sort of villain in politics nowadays, because it’s much more than that. I’ve encouraged my boys, as they’ve gone to college and are meeting people outside of Virginia and from different backgrounds, and it’s helped in their world.”

Downs expressed appreciation for the Arts & Humanities Council for listening to the City Council’s suggestions about the installation which she hadn’t yet scrutinized up close.  “We sort of joked – the original design we were discussing one night at midnight and we were like, ‘We did not imagine we’d be discussing the LOVE Sculpture at midnight.’ [Laughs]. But, we gave some feedback and the Arts & Humanities Council listened and sort of tweaked some things. So, I’m interested to see how it turned out.”

City Council member MaryBeth Connelly also told us how pleased she is with the installation. “This is a beautiful representation of the City of Falls Church,” she said. “It was a longtime coming. I couldn’t imagine what the reflective letters were going to look like, but standing and looking at them, they’re so interesting how they’re reflecting different people. It expands the sculpture in a different way. Like, look at that ‘E’ over there. [Points]. It looks like it’s see-through, but it’s actually reflecting what’s in front of it. So, I think that’s very cool. The reflections are really pulling the people in.”

“And, I think kids are really going to love standing in front of this. I’m just envisioning kids dancing around and having a great time,” Connelly said. Reflecting on the importance of the message right now for the City, Connelly said, “The more love we have the better off we all are.”

A LOVE Sign Connoisseur

Finally, our curiosity was piqued when we spotted a selfie-taking visitor in front of the newly-unveiled installation sporting a ‘Virginia is for Love Sign Lovers’ tee shirt. 

"What brought you out today?,” we asked. “I’m just a LOVE Sign lover and I saw this on Instagram, so I decided to come out,” she said, identifying herself as Pam Runholt of Leesburg. She drove in from horse country just to see the unveiling. “My husband and I frequently go out on road trips chasing LOVE Signs and it’s become a hobby of ours,” she said. 

So, “what makes you feel good about LOVE Signs?,” we asked. “I love that every sculpture is unique,” Runholt said. “You would think there are only so many – I mean love is love, right? – But, love can be displayed in so many different ways and it’s really beautiful. A lot of them connect whatever the city is about and whatever their thing is. And they’re all really great and I love them all.”

Runholt is impressed with the City’s new LOVE Letters Sculpture. “This one is beautiful because I can see myself actually reflecting back in it. And I love the artwork, it’s wonderful,” she said. “The painting is also beautiful. It captures the City of Falls Church and everything the City’s about. I see the Eden Center and City Hall is on there.”

Turns out, Leesburg has a LOVE Sign made of bicycle parts – which makes sense since it’s close to some major Virginia bike routes. Asked if she likes Leesburg’s sculpture, Runholt said, “I do. I like them all.”

“We’ve seen close to 1,400,” she said. “No way!,” I responded. “I didn’t think there were that many.” “Well, some of the LOVE signs in Virginia are official, through the Virginia Tourism Corp., but others are unofficial. People put them in their yards, wineries, breweries, stores, you name it. They’re all over…. I don’t really have a favorite. I like them all.”

Seems like Virginia, and Falls Church City, really are for lovers.

By Christopher Jones