The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is partnering with the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District in a call for artists to participate in the “Paint the Town” initiative to promote and bring more public art murals to Downtown Bethesda. The deadline for applications is Friday, Aug. 6.
This year’s project will be a mural that will cover the Old Georgetown Road side of MCDOT’s Woodmont Corner Public Parking Garage. Garage 11 is located at 7730 Woodmont Ave.
This is the second mural project MCDOT has undertaken to enhance the vibrancy of highly visible County spaces. The other is outside of MCDOT’s Woodmont-Rugby Public Parking garage located at 8216 Woodmont Avenue.
“I am proud of the work MCDOT is doing to enrich the County landscape through the arts,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Creative partnerships like this are a wonderful way to integrate art into our daily lives. One of the fundamental purposes of art is to uplift and inspire. Coming out of a pandemic, we need that more than ever. It makes a difference. A mural can change the feel of a neighborhood.”
A stipend of $27,500 will be provided to the chosen artist to pay for time, supplies, fabrication, installation, travel and other project-related expenses. The artist will be chosen by Aug. 30 and the project will be completed by Nov. 15.
Artists must be at least 18 years old and be a resident of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. Additional requirements and the application form can be found here.
“This is a great way to revive some of our public spaces,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “These projects bring color and interest to spaces that would not otherwise be very exciting.”
Maryland designated Downtown Bethesda as an “Arts & Entertainment District” in 2002. The District is managed by the Bethesda Urban Partnership, with the mission of creating and implementing arts and entertainment projects that contribute to the artistic, cultural and economic growth of Downtown Bethesda.
A collection of colorful murals located within the Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District can be viewed at https://www.bethesda.org/bethesda/bethesda-murals.
