New street art on Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring (Photos)

The pedestrian-only block of Ellsworth Drive between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street is abuzz with new street art for (Silver) spring. Paint was still drying when these photos were taken. A honeycomb pattern of various colors is populated with insectoid and plant life. Not for the melissophobic!

Wheaton art installation celebrates Women's History Month (Photos)

A temporary art installation in Wheaton is bringing attention to Women's History Month, through the artistic lens of African-American women. "Soulful Panes" is now on display in the ground floor windows of the Montgomery County government office building at 2425 Reedie Drive. The exhibit was coordinated by Wheaton artist Dinah Myers-Schroeder, who recruited other female artists who live in Montgomery County to participate. In-kind support was provided by the Wheaton Urban District. The exhibit will remain in place through the end of March.

Wheaton Triangle windows become canvas for local artist (Photos)

If you've been in the Wheaton Triangle recently, you may have noticed windows of several storefronts are sporting public art. It's part of a new art walk and mural project by the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County called "Wheaton Windows." Gaithersburg artist Paige Friedeman - who goes by "Peijisan" - has been creating the window displays over the summer. Some are themed to match the business behind the windows, while these on a vacant space at 11200 Grandview Avenue follow an umbrella theme. If you're planning to see them in-person today, an umbrella just might come in handy.

Artist sought for Gene Lynch Urban Park in Silver Spring

The Montgomery Parks department is seeking a local artist to create a public art installation at the new Gene Lynch Urban Park, located at 8410 Colesville Road in downtown Silver Spring. It's a prime spot near the Silver Spring Transit Center, which could provide a lot of exposure for the winning artist (just think of how famous the reptilian Purple Line mural and the Silver Spring Metro penguins became over the last decade). The deadline for submissions is March 10, 2023. Everything you need to know to apply is here.

New mural in Kensington (Photos)

A large mural is being painted on the facade of a landmark office building at the crossroads in Kensington. The giraffe image is being completed where Connecticut Avenue splits to go on to Wheaton and Aspen Hill, or as University Boulevard to College Park. A skateboarder riding down the neck of the animal is in the process of emerging from the gray brick, via the painter's brush. 

The building, 3720 Farragut Avenue, was constructed in 1963. It was renovated in 2019, and the mural is being touted as a selling point in the property's leasing materials, for making the structure easily identifiable by drivers. What do you think about this public art piece?

Coral reefs spotted in Takoma Park bus shelters

Coral reefs have appeared in two Takoma Park bus shelters. The City of Takoma Park's Arts and Humanities Division has commissioned and installed two oceanic-themed vinyl wraps in bus shelters at 1300 Holton Lane, and at the intersection of Maple Avenue and Hilltop Road. The project utilized public art funds. “We wanted to create a fun scene that would brighten people’s day while they’re walking by or waiting for the bus,” Arts and Humanities Coordinator Brendan Smith said in a statement. “They are the first bus shelters where you can sit next to tropical fish and sea turtles without holding your breath.”

Photo courtesy Takoma Park Arts and Humanities

New mural in Wheaton (Photos)

The newest piece of public art in Wheaton is at the new Montgomery County government office building at 2425 Reedie Drive in the Wheaton Triangle. Kensington artist Nicole Bourgea cites her son's love of dance, and the diversity of Wheaton, as the primary inspirations behind the mural. Bourgea's concept received the most votes from the community in online voting this past March.

Ellsworth Drive street mural completed at Downtown Silver Spring (Photos)

The artwork on the surface of Ellsworth Drive at Downtown Silver Spring has been completed. Closed to pedestrians, the block that runs through the Peterson Cos. development has tables for outdoor dining.

Wet paint at Downtown Silver Spring as Ellsworth Place reverts to pedestrian street

Police-style tape and barrels roped off a section of Ellsworth Drive yesterday at Downtown Silver Spring. New art just painted onto the street was drying. The colorful design comes as the street transitions to pedestrian-only use for the summer.

Takoma Streetery adds tables topped with art by Trap Bob

Diners at the Takoma Streetery at the intersection of Laurel and Carroll Avenues in Takoma Park are being greeted by a brightly-colored addition to the pedestrian and dining area. Picnic tables have been decorated with art by Trap Bob, a Washington, D.C. artist. The images depict the power and resilience of black women, whom the artist illustrates as "everyday superheroes" in these works sponsored by the City of Takoma Park's Arts and Humanities Division.

Photos courtesy City of Takoma Park

Blumen Lumen interactive art installation opens at Downtown Silver Spring (Video+Photos)

"Blumen Lumen," a 25-foot-tall interactive art installation at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road at Downtown Silver Spring has made its official debut. Its movements and colors are influenced by the weather, the time of day, and even by the voices of people around it on the ground. The lighted, kinetic origami sculpture was created by internationally-renowned art collective FoldHaus.

Already, the installation is turning heads of shoppers, diners, drivers and pedestrians. "It’s uplifting —something that we think everyone can use right now," Peterson Cos. President of Retail Paul Weinschenk said yesterday. Along with partner Foulger-Pratt, Peterson Cos. is spending $10 million to revitalize its already-popular Downtown Silver Spring development. 

Peterson has also created a charitable tie-in to celebrate Blumen Lumen's debut. Purchase a Bouquet of Gratitude on the Downtown Silver Spring website, and $25 will go to Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center Foundation in recognition of the efforts of frontline medical personnel over the last year.

25' luminous kinetic art installation coming to Downtown Silver Spring (Photos)

Downtown Silver Spring is about to add one of the most unique - if not the most unique - displays of art in Montgomery County. By height alone, at 25' tall, it will stand out at the corner of heavily-traveled Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road. But the FoldHaus-designed piece will also light up spectacularly, and those lights will be animated - as will be the flowers themselves.

Luminescent, animated "flowers" under
construction at artists' workshop

The movements of the flowers will be governed by the weather. Official, real-time weather data from the National Weather Service will determine whether the flower petals are open or closed. This adds a hometown element to the installation, as the NWS is headquartered in downtown Silver Spring. The installation, just one part of a multimillion dollar renovation of the Peterson Cos. property, will officially open to the public on April 15, 2021.

Photos courtesy Peterson Cos.