Bethesda Welcomes New Sculpture Series

From the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District:

(Bethesda, MD) – The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is further fulfilling its commitment to public art and unveiling a new series of sculptures throughout downtown Bethesda. The thirteen aluminum sculptures, designed in the shape of a B, will be placed near Bethesda’s arts and entertainment venues as well as throughout downtown Bethesda to highlight venues as well as brand Bethesda as an Arts & Entertainment District.

“We are pleased to now have a piece of art that signifies Bethesda as a destination for the arts,” said Cathy Bernard, President of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, “Bethesda is proud of our state-designated Arts & Entertainment District, our arts venues and our programs that honor and support regional artists. These sculptures celebrate and promote the many local organizations that encourage and foster arts and cultural programming downtown.”

A dedication of the Sculpture B’s will be on Thursday, November 17, at 10:00 am in Veterans Park which is located at the corner of Woodmont and Norfolk Avenues.

The B’s were made possible by a grant from Montgomery County, MD. Thanks to the generous contributions of twenty-one local organizations, the Bethesda A&E board raised $50,000 for the project, which the county generously matched.

The following individuals and organizations contributed to this project:

• Bernard Family Foundation; The Bernstein Companies; Bethesda Urban Partnership;
• Central Farm Markets; Chevy Chase Land Company; The Donohoe Companies; EagleBank; Fred & Starr Ezra; Greenhill Realty; Jane Fairweather Team/Coldwell Banker;
• LA and LK Greenberg Charitable Foundation; Lerch, Early & Brewer; Linowes and Blocher; Mark Kramer Architects; Zachary & Janna Oxman; Polinger Company;
• Stage 2 A/V Productions; TD Bank; The Tower Companies; United Bank and Vamoose.

The sculptures are installed at the following locations:

• 7200 Wisconsin Avenue
• Bethesda Library, 7400 Arlington Road
• Bethesda Metro, corner of Wisconsin Avenue & Old Georgetown Road
• Bethesda Urban Partnership, 7700 Old Georgetown Road
• Corner of Bethesda & Woodmont Avenues
• Corner of Fairmont & Norfolk Avenues
• Corner of Norfolk & Del Ray Avenues
• Corner of Wisconsin Avenue & Bradley Boulevard
• Corner of Woodmont Avenue & St. Elmo Avenue
• Gallery B, 7701 Woodmont Avenue
• Imagination Stage, 4908 Auburn Avenue
• Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway
• Veterans Park, corner of Norfolk & Woodmont Avenues

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, Play In A Day and “Paint the Town.”

Established by Montgomery County in 1994, the Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc. (BUP) has grown from two full-time staff members to more than 35 employees working in maintenance, marketing, transportation management and administration. In its 22-year operation, BUP created Bethesda Transportation Solutions (BTS) in 2000, established the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District in 2002, took over management of the Bethesda Circulator in 2006, and opened Gallery B in 2011 and Studio B in 2014.

For more information, please visit here.

Images via the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District