Artist Megan Lewis is the latest to “paint the town” in Bethesda.
The Bethesda Urban Partnership (BUP) chose Lewis to paint a large-scale mural on the Rugby Garage at 8216 Woodmont Ave. The piece is the newest installation in Bethesda’s “Paint the Town” mural project, an initiative aiming to bring spots of color to the streets.
The mural will depict a scene of transportation: the brightly outfitted legs of people walking, skateboarding and on a bicycle riding by.
The piece will cover two sides of the parking garage, measuring 28 feet high and 86 feet wide on one side and 13 by 92 feet on the other.
The mural was commissioned through a partnership with the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. BUP provided a $32,500 stipend to fund the piece.
Though the mural depicts an image of transportation, its underlying theme is community. Lewis, who is based in Baltimore, said she wanted the mural to be mysterious, to leave the subjects and their destinations ambiguous, and to focus on the commute, the journey of the figures in the piece.
“We’re just really excited that an artist as talented as Megan submitted a design to this project,” Stephanie Coppula, the director of marketing and communications for the Bethesda Urban Partnership, said. “We’re just really excited to see the final product.”
Ultimately, the space will be covered with outdoor acrylic and latex paint. Lewis and a partner began work last week, and plan to finish within the next two to four weeks.
“It just enlivens the area. It brings great color and original art to blocks that might not have that in Bethesda,” Coppula said. “This particular block of Bethesda gets a lot of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, so we know lots of folks are going to see it and we’re really happy about that.”
Lewis was selected over more than 50 other applicants.
Coppula said Lewis’s proposal stood out for its bright colors and effective use of the space, which is broken up by an entrance for cars and a “Public Parking” sign. Additionally, the design is a particularly fun and whimsical interpretation of the transportation theme BUP was seeking, Coppula said.
The mural differs from much of Lewis’s previous work, which focused on Black women figures and faces. But the opportunity to create a unique piece and evolve as an artist prompted her to submit a design proposal.
“It was something outside of what I normally do,” Lewis said. “I’m always growing and I always want to evolve and challenge myself. … It was just something different.”
Lewis’s work joins more than 10 other public art murals that span downtown Bethesda, from the Metro station to Veterans Park. Last year, the BUP partnered with the Bethesdan Hotel to fund a mural at the site.
The Partnership is planning for new murals, but is not yet prepared to announce any other specific projects.
