Baltimore County today unveiled the COVID-19 Memorial Public Art Project at Lake Roland, remembering the more than 3,100 county residents who died during the pandemic.
This was the first public art project commissioned by the county. Among those who attended a ceremony for the memorial at Lake Roland in Northwest Baltimore were Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, Health Commissioner Dr. Lucy Wilson, Sen. Shelly L. Hettleman (D-11th), Sen. Katherine A. Klausmeier (D-8th), and other state and local elected officials and community stakeholders.
“More than 3,000 Baltimore County residents lost their lives to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are committed to honoring their cherished memories and the profound impact they had on our lives and communities,” said Olszewski. “This memorial — created in partnership with community stakeholders and artists — offers a space to find hope for healing and peace while remembering the beloved neighbors and loved ones taken from us far too soon.”
The freestanding artwork was designed by artist James Dinh, whose design was selected three years ago from a pool of 74 submissions by a panel of eight judges. The panel included members of the regional arts community and representatives from the Baltimore County Commission on Arts and Sciences and Lake Roland Nature Council.
The memorial overlooks the waters of Lake Roland and features a pathway, gathering circle, prayer millstone, inscribed mending wall, seating and memorial mound with plantings. Etched into the wall are poems and stories submitted by community members describing the pandemic’s toll.
A 500-acre defunct reservoir formerly known as Robert E. Lee Memorial Park, Lake Roland is open to the public daily from sunrise until sunset.
Input on the memorial project included a series of public meetings facilitated in partnership with the Baltimore County Arts Guild. The County Council approved the selection in January of 2022.
“We welcome visitors to Lake Roland and this memorial to recognize and commemorate the lives tragically lost and those who were touched by COVID-19,” said Bob Smith, director of the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks. “During the pandemic, parks in Baltimore County and nationwide became even more essential as an outlet for residents in uncertain and trying times. Our parks often serve as a space the public uses to find peace and comfort and we are hopeful that this dedicated space will in some small way perhaps provide that to our visitors.”
County departments that supported the project included the Department of Economic and Workforce Development, the Department of Recreation and Parks, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Property Management Division and the Office of Law.
In his new memoir, piano man Marc Shaiman tells a showbiz story shaped by Jewish humor.
The Jillian and Lindsay Wiener Short-Term Rental Safety Act requires rental companies to conduct annual fire inspections in Baltimore City and every Maryland county.
"Seeing the Essential" will showcase more than 100 art works collected for six decades by the local Jewish community philanthropists.
Reproductions of the murals, previously believed to have been lost, are now part of the Jewish Museum of Maryland's new permanent exhibition.