Public Art
You can find public art across Takoma Park, including sculptures, murals, and more. This public art map shows the locations of City-funded public art projects so take a trip around town and check them out! Here is a sampling of some of some of our projects.
Bird Calls Phone
Artists David Shulman and Howard Connelly collaborated on an interactive installation called the Bird Calls Phone, which is a reengineered vintage pay phone that now plays bird calls from local bird species along with information about the birds. Push button 5 and you hear a rooster in homage to Takoma Park’s legendary Roscoe. Dial a 7 and you’ll hear a pileated woodpecker. The project has been very popular with local residents and garnered extensive media coverage, including a a Washington Post article, a National Public Radio story, and a WJLA Channel 7 feature and about the phone which was refurbished with a new canary-yellow handset and a large feather banner.
Sidewalk Poetry Online Map
A new online map provides a looping 4.2-mile walking or biking route to see seven poems by local residents which have been stamped into concrete sidewalks. The map includes photos and locations of the poems on a route by many popular destinations, including Sligo Creek Trail, Adventist University, the Takoma Park Community Center and library, and downtown. You can find more info here about this fun interactive project.
B.Y. Morrison Park Kid-Friendly Makeover
B.Y. Morrison Park at the Takoma Junction received a kid-friendly makeover in 2021 with a new chalkboard mural, colorful painted tables, and children’s games stenciled on the concrete.
Banner Celebrating Women’s Diversity
A banner celebrating the power and diversity of women has been installed in Memorial Park near the Takoma Park library at 101 Philadelphia Avenue. It features a painting by Rockville artist Liliane Blom from her Four Seasons series highlighting women of different ages and ethnicities. The banner includes a portrait of Baltimore R&B and gospel singer Alton Scarborough with a floral background.
Paper or Plastic? Art Installation
Crafted from plastic newspaper delivery bags and reused straws, a large art installation with an environmental message has been suspended from the ceiling in the Takoma Park Community Center at 7500 Maple Avenue. The artwork by D.C. artist Jessica Beels critiques our careless consumption of disposable products which can cause serious environmental harms.
Fruit Crate Label Signs
Colorful fruit crate label signs representing Takoma Park’s history are featured on kiosks and gateway structures across the city. Local artists Alison Baker and James Colwell installed new durable aluminum panels featuring their designs over their aging hand-painted signs that were originally installed a decade ago. Our beloved Roscoe the rooster makes an appearance!
Public Piano
Local artist Zahava Frank was hired to paint a donated piano that was placed in the downtown gazebo in 2019. Watch this WDVM segment to hear some highlights from the opening concert where more than a dozen local pianists shared their talents. The piano was a popular attraction that could be played by anyone. It was removed after about six months due to the changing winter weather.
Oct O’Clock Installation and Parade
Fiber artist Stacy Cantrell created a giant 17-foot-tall crocheted octopus that landed on the downtown Takoma Park clock tower in 2018. It lived there for about six months before it was given to the Takoma Children’s School in a City-sponsored contest. You can see Cantrell leading a parade of kids who moved the octopus to their school in this WJLA Channel 7 piece.
Oct O’Clock installation on the Takoma Park clock tower
