Jah One, the mural artist who recently completed the remarkable mural on the Montgomery County Parking Garage located at 7160 Old Georgetown Road, will be honored on Wednesday, July 13 at 10:00am. A special dedication will be held at the site of the mural. The fifth installment of Bethesda’s “Paint the Town,” an initiative to promote public art murals in downtown Bethesda, resulted in the new mural along the garage façade.

“We are thrilled that our efforts in bringing more public art murals to downtown Bethesda have continued,” said Judy Gilbert, President of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, “Because of the partnership and generosity of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission along with the Bethesda A&E District, the parking garage on Old Georgetown Road is now adorned with an original and meaningful work of art by Washington, D.C. artist, Jah One.” Jah One’s artwork was selected out of our nearly 50 mural artists who applied for consideration.

Jah One started painting murals five years ago and his murals are located in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, Atlanta, Miami and more.   This new mural in Bethesda is entitled, New Day and is a portrait of his mother as a way of celebrating her and everything she has done and sacrificed for their family.  According to Jah One, “Too often we honor people when they aren’t around to hear it.  In a more relatable way, New Day, is about us coming out of a long historical pandemic. We lost a lot, and much has changed forever. Hopefully we spent our time in isolation thinking about what’s truly important to us and now we are focused on those things with a new, more grateful perspective on the future.”

“Paint the Town” is possible because of public and private partnerships as well as community support. “I am proud of the work MCDOT is doing to enrich the County landscape through the arts,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Creative partnerships like this are a wonderful way to integrate art into our daily lives. One of the fundamental purposes of art is to uplift and inspire. Coming out of a pandemic, we need that more than ever. It makes a difference. A mural can change the feel of a neighborhood.”

The mission of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, Inc., 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is to create and implement arts and entertainment projects that contribute to the artistic, cultural and economic growth of downtown Bethesda. From award-winning theatre to independent films, downtown Bethesda’s Arts & Entertainment District is filled with inspiring artists and art venues. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is the producer of The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards, Bethesda Painting Awards, Bethesda Fine Arts Festival, Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Awards, Bethesda Film Fest and Play in a Day.

Established by Montgomery County in 1994, Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc. (BUP) is a downtown management organization that markets and maintains downtown Bethesda. The BUP team works in marketing, maintenance, transportation and administration to produce cultural events and community festivals and attend to landscaping and maintenance needs. BUP also manages Bethesda Transportation Solutions (BTS), the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, and the Bethesda Circulator as well as the non-profit art spaces, Gallery B, Studio B and Triangle Art Studios.

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is committed to moving people and connecting places with seamless and equitable transportation options that are safe, environmentally responsible, and support economic growth and vibrancy in Montgomery County. MCDOT operates about 400 Ride On buses which integrate with regional and state partners, such as Metro and MARC trains, to comprise the County’s public transit system. MCDOT is responsible for building and maintaining the County’s infrastructure such as roads, paths, lighting, crosswalks, sidewalks, bus shelters, parking facilities, and drainage systems. MCDOT also provides oversight of the County’s major engineering projects.

Founded in 1927, The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi-county agency serving Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. The Montgomery County Department of Parks is dedicated to making sure that residents receive the best park experience possible. The Montgomery County Planning Department focuses its skills and talents to bring high-quality design in both form and function to all areas, from central business districts to rural villages.

For more information, please visit www.bethesda.org.