'Paint The Town' Applications Open For Bethesda Mural Artists

BETHESDA, MD — Local artists with an affinity for outdoor artwork are encouraged to apply to paint a new mural in Downtown Bethesda.

The mural, which will be on the Old Georgetown Road side of the Montgomery County Department of Transportations’s Woodmont Corner Public Parking Garage, is sponsored by MCDOT and the Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District.

“This is a great way to revive some of our public spaces,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin in a news release. “These projects bring color and interest to spaces that would not otherwise be very exciting.”

The chosen artists will be paid $27,500, which will be expected to cover all fees, insurance, fabrication, installation, travel and other expenses (not including scaffolding, which will be provided).

“I am proud of the work MCDOT is doing to enrich the County landscape through the arts,” said County Executive Marc Elrich in a news release. “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.”

The Arts and Entertainment District has already sponsored several murals in Downtown Bethesda. This is the second mural project that MCDOT has been involved with — the first is at MCDOT’s Woodmont-Rugby Public Parking garage on Woodmont Avenue.

Applications are due on Aug. 6 — all applicants must be residents of Maryland, Washington, D.C., or Virginia and must be at least 18-years-old.

Apply to "Paint The Town" here.

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