Swirls of orange, yellow and blue climb two stairways on Quebec Terrace in Silver Spring, thanks to a public arts project geared toward reducing criminal activity in the neighborhood.
The artwork was unveiled at a June 29 dedication ceremony attended by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), members of the county council, Arts on the Block officials and residents. All said they hope the art will instill a sense of community pride and attract more traffic to the two staircases in the diverse neighborhood.
“Part of the idea here was to make one of the stairways pretty irresistible so people would use it, and we’d constantly have action on that one so people don’t go to the back [stairwells], which are pretty dark,” said Jan Goldstein, executive director of Arts on the Block, a nonprofit organization that aims to empower youth through art.
The Wheaton-based nonprofit teaches teens throughout the county about the arts through working on public and commissioned artwork. Their stairway mosaics are part of a project geared toward community building, and about 100 adults and children helped piece together the puzzle. The group also has created mosaics at other key spots around the county, including one on a retaining wall at Piney Branch Road and New Hampshire Avenue.
“It was fun,” said Victor Barboza, a 17-year-old Arts on the Block apprentice from Silver Spring who worked on the Quebec Terrace project. “The people that helped out with the stair mosaic were nice and kind … and I like all the colors that it brings to the neighborhood.”
Police consider the Carroll Avenue Quebec Terrace neighborhood to be an “at-risk’’ neighborhood, but crime is on a downward trend in the area, county spokeswoman Lucille Baur said. From January to May 2010, there were eight robberies, eight burglaries and 17 thefts from vehicles. During that same period in 2011, there were two robberies, three burglaries and three thefts from vehicles.
Capt. Donald Johnson, commander of the Silver Spring police district, said at the unveiling that he thinks the program could help children avoid troublesome situations.
“We know that when kids are faced with economic and social challenges, they can easily make bad choices and get into trouble,” he said. “Being involved in Arts on the Block just maybe makes the difference between being part of the problem and helping to solve the problem.’’
Public art projects that are dreamed up, designed and installed by community members help create a sense of community that can make a neighborhood safer, Goldstein said. Community members eagerly embraced the project, and they spent two days laying the tiles and another day planting the flowers and other plants.
The stairway project took nearly a year and $60,000 in grants and donations to complete, said Mary Kendall, the project’s coordinator. It was designed by Arts on the Block apprentice Alexis Wallace, and symbolizes the merging of diverse communities, Goldstein said.
“It’s just increasing community pride and community engagement and community,” she said. “There are a lot of community members, especially children, who helped with this. It just changes the feel of the neighborhoods, that you start taking pride in it, enjoying it and defending it.’’
Kurt Denchfield is a property owner on Quebec Terrace and owner of Denchfield Landscaping Inc., in Hyattsville. He helped by installing step treads, pouring concrete sidewalks and donating plants to go in along the stairs. He was happy to help beautify the neighborhood, he said.
“It definitely was in need of a face-lift,” he said. “The residents who live in the neighborhood could really use some enhancements to their surroundings. We thought it was worth helping out to improve the neighborhood, even in a small part.’’
Next up for Arts on the Block’s work with the neighborhood is improved lighting and design of an outdoor plaza where the community can gather, Goldstein said. The group is not yet sure of the cost or timeline.
Denchfield said he hopes to stay involved with the neighborhood beautification moving forward, though the projects are still in the planning stage; Arts on the Block is seeking grant funding to continue its work in the neighborhood.
“This project, for those who stuck with it, was so compelling,” Goldstein said. “They really got the challenge to change their community for the better. ... Kids learned they can bring about amazing change through their gifts, and that’s why we want to keep going with it.”
jderbedrosian@gazette.net
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