The Marines might famously be looking for a few good men and women, but the leadership of Pikesville is searching for a single outstanding and creative artist to help rejuvenate the Northwest Baltimore community’s busy “Main Street” corridor.
Civic groups such as the Greater Baltimore Chamber of Commerce, Comprehensive Housing Assistance Inc., 1,000 Friends of Pikesville Inc., the Streetscape and Design Subcommittee of the Pikesville Revitalization Action Plan and Northwest Baltimore Partnership are joining forces with Baltimore County government in seeking an experienced artist to help create the community’s first publicly funded mural.
The Pikesville Community Mural project is a paid residency ($17,000) for an artist to create an original outdoor mural on a prominent sidewall of Zips Cleaners, at 1220 Reisterstown Road in the heart of “downtown” Pikesville.
The wall — which measures 45-by-13-feet — faces northward, across the street from the Pikesville branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, the Pikesville Senior Center and the headquarters of the Maryland State Police (formerly the site of the Old United States Arsenal and the Maryland Line Confederate Soldiers’ Home).
In 2016, a colorful Pikesville streetscape mural by local artist Edward Williams at 1000 Reisterstown Road, on the sidewall of Mr. Chan’s Szechuan Restaurant, was gifted to the community by the Rotary Club of Pikesville-Owings Mills.
Interested artists must submit an application to the Pikesville Community Mural Project by Jan. 7, 2024. Designs must focus on the arts, a contemporary theme or the rich history of Pikesville.
Home to one of the state’s largest Jewish communities, Pikesville was founded and settled around 1770 and is named after Gen. Zebulon Pike, an American military leader and explorer. Before European settlers arrived, the region that became Pikesville was home to Native American tribes, and the area provided strategic locations for U.S. and British Forces during the American Revolution.
Organizers hope the mural will be completed by May 30, 2024. It will be located a few blocks from the historic Pikesville Armory, which will be undergoing a major redevelopment plan to transform the 14-acre campus into a community hub and possibly an economic and cultural engine for the Pikesville/Reisterstown Road corridor.
The mural will also be located near Meadow Creek Park, at 300 Church Lane in an area known as “Pikesville Township.” Expected to be completed next summer, the four-acre “pocket park” will include a network of nature trails and accessible surface paths, a nature-inspired playground and a communal plaza area with seating.
“The mural is part of an initiative to give residents and visitors alike opportunities to engage with the arts, and to inaugurate a creative placemaking plan for the Pikesville ‘Mainstreet’ commercial corridor,” reads the project application. “Creative placemaking is the integration of arts and culture into an area to build a sense of community identity and to boost the local economy through increased interest and tourism.”
The winning artist will be called on to work with volunteers on at least one phase of the mural, as well as participate in up to two public community gatherings during the course of the project. Among the eligibility rules are artists over the age of 18 and preferably residents of the Baltimore metropolitan area.
Funding for the project comes from the county’s Department of Planning and Northwest Baltimore Partnership. In February, an advisory jury will select three semi-finalists who will be required to submit site-specific, full-color designs.
Besides the $17,000 residency prize, the winner will receive an additional $2,500 for permits and materials. Runners-up will receive $500.
“Spectacular things are happening in Pikesville!” posted Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka (D-2nd) on social media about the mural project. “Art in public space is an expression of solidarity, community and our values. It encapsulates our county’s unique and diverse neighborhoods. I look forward to development and completion of the Pikesville Community Mural on the side of the ZIPS Cleaners at 1220 Reisterstown Road.”
For information, visit form.jotform.com/233387426348161.
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