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City pushes for more public artwork

Posted on: January 15, 2025

By OLIVER MACK

The city is working with a group of artists to paint outdoor murals on buildings around College Park.
PHOTO CREDIT Giuseppe LoPiccolo

A push by the city’s economic development director to bring more artwork to College Park’s public spaces is designed to do more than add a splash of color. The pieces aim to revive history, celebrate community and foster a sense of permanence in a city that seems to change with every new class of University of Maryland (UMD) students.

Michael Williams said murals, storm drain art and printed canvases created by three UMD alumni could make the city more intriguing to residents and visitors.

“It’s kind of intriguing,” Williams said. “It’s not boring anymore. … It gives you a chance to kind of think about improvement, like even if something looks stale, we now have a cadre of artists that would love to kind of put a twist to it and make it interesting, make you think a little bit and enhance the environment.”

The group of artists, called MJM for their initials, has already completed a number of projects throughout the city, including a mural in The Hall, several storm drain designs and wall art in multiple locations on UMD’s campus.

The artists at the heart of the movement, Maria Soboleva, who graduated from UMD in 2023, and Maddie Olek and Jak Lunsford, of the Class of 2024, will paint walls, utility poles and pavement along the Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail to highlight its historical significance. 

“We’re doing a lot of location-specific murals to show where old trolley stops used to be,” Olek said.

Another project involves a digital design with the theme of the development of the Purple Line. The artists will print it onto a canvas that will cover part of a 1,400-square-foot fence on Baltimore Avenue between Navahoe Street and Melbourne Place near McDonald’s.

Soboleva noted the city’s ongoing growth has been a key inspiration for the project.

“There’s so much construction in College Park,” Soboleva said. “We want to beautify some of the construction sites.”

The art group’s portfolio describes the artists as “versatile, flexible and passionate about creating work on non-traditional canvases with the intention to transform spaces.” 

“I really love making art,” Olek said. “It’s nice to participate in the community and almost be in dialogue with the people who are there.”

Public art has surged in popularity across the U.S. in recent years, particularly since the pandemic, as cities seek ways to draw people back into shared spaces. 

In College Park, the effort is about creating an identity that locals and visitors can connect with, Williams said. “The plan is for the city to engage and use public art as much as it can.”

Much of the focus has been on transforming underused or unremarkable spaces—sidewalks, empty walls and even storm drains—into visually captivating artworks, Williams said. 

Three University of Maryland alumni are creating murals, storm drain art and canvases to add a splash of color to city buildings and streets. Shown, two murals next to the downtown building that used to house Nando’s PERi PERi.

The murals and other public artworks are not meant to be confined to the downtown area; according to Williams, the plan is to incorporate more artwork into neighborhoods throughout the city.

The city’s development boom, partly spurred by the construction of the Purple Line, has created opportunities to incorporate creativity into new and existing spaces, Williams said.

According to Soboleva, projects like these help foster a sense of continuity.

“College Park has a really high turnover of people who are visiting or living here,” Soboleva said. “I think some public art will last over time, over generations.”

Brian Cooperman, a College Park resident and UMD senior majoring in anthropology and American studies, said public art serves as both a mirror and a bridge for communities. 

“Public art serves as a good way for communities to reflect on shared values,” he said. “Outsiders can see what makes a community, what it is, or what the heartstrings of a community are.”

Williams said he hopes local artists, including students and residents, will create future artwork to display around College Park.

Because some of the proposed installations are on privately owned buildings, the city relies on partnerships with commercial building owners to bring them to life, Williams said.

“We can’t just start doing artwork on private property,” Williams said, adding, “Many [property] owners have been receptive.”

Williams said the projects, which have minimal material expenses, are cost-effective, thanks, in part, to grants that pay the artists.

“But there’s no substantial cost to the city,” Williams said.

The artists said the artwork will benefit College Park.

“I have faith that art matters and people will be able to recognize the value of it,” Lunsford said. “It is important now more than ever in a world of AI.”

“Public art lasts,” Soboleva agreed. “It gives College Park more of a sense of history and identity, something that stays constant as the people come and go.”

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