Towson Gets $50K Streetscape Grant For Public Art

TOWSON, MD — For those enjoying the murals that have popped up around Towson, more visuals are on the way. The Towson Chamber of Commerce received a $50,000 grant from the state to add to the aesthetics downtown.

The Towson streetscape program was one of 181 projects in Maryland selected for funding by the Community Legacy Program, which awards grants that help build on a community's strengths.

The $50,000 grant will go toward enhancing the streets of Towson and improving its walkability, according to a statement from the governor's office, which announced this week more than $30 million neighborhood revitalization awards were issued statewide in the fiscal year 2020 budget.

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"These awards are about creating economic growth, new jobs and improving communities for all Marylanders," Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement. “Our administration is proud to support such a diverse slate of important projects that will truly change Maryland for the better."

Other Baltimore County grants included $25,000 for Essex streetscaping and $250,000 for ball fields at Mount Carmel School as well as $100,000 for restoring Reisterstown's historic Main Street.

In Towson, the plan is to add more art.

"With this grant, we will be able to bring more public art to Towson, continuing to improve streetscape in the core," the Towson Chamber of Commerce reported. "Keep an eye out for some big projects in 2020!"

The chamber thanked state and local officials for their help securing the grant as well as the Towson Creative Partnership. The partnership is a group within the Towson Chamber of Commerce formed to identify opportunities for public art that could connect the communities within Towson and strengthen the local economy. It coordinated work on the "Welcome To Towson" mural on Pennsylvania Avenue at York Road, which was completed over the summer.

"This is tremendous news for the Towson Creative Partnership and all of Towson," chair of the Towson Creative Partnership David Riley said in response to the grant award. "I’d like to thank Nancy Hafford and Baltimore County Councilman David Marks for their vision in seeing the need for a public art campaign that will be an economic driver and connect communities through creative urban landscapes. I’d also like to thank Deirdre Aikin of Triple Crown Towson for providing the venue that has become ground zero for Towson’s evolving art scene. I hope that at the end of the day, we can simply make the world a better place."