A Bridge to Uptown: The Friendship Mural Project

HI, Michael and Maren here. The Center Sound Mind Body is excited to announce that we are making strides toward a community-oriented beautification project–a full-wall mural on the north side of our East 6th St. building–to be created by the nationally recognized local artist Ronald Layman. We are thrilled that our proposal for this project has been approved by both the Frederick Arts Council and the HPC, both of which expressed enthusiasm about bringing public art to Uptown Frederick.

Inspired by Carroll Creek’s stone arch “Friendship Bridge”, this mural will depict the local treasure over rippled water, with images of the bridge and a lotus-like mandala centerpiece reflected in the stream below. The mandala will evoke ancient airs of civilizations past, representing our collective humanity and connectedness.

The inspiration for this project came from the East Street charrette forums held last August, where many residents of our area spoke of finding ways to connect “downtown to uptown”. The intent of the mural is to create a visual anchor for visitors and residents of the North Market Area (NOMA), which is becoming known for its art galleries, in addition to creating a symbol of local culture. The mural will celebrate the charm of Carroll Creek–our iconic downtown staple–while adding to the beauty of our uptown neighborhood.

We–the Center’s owners–had originally planned to fund the mural privately 100 percent on our own, but due to unanticipated costs, including the FAC asking us to almost double the size of the project along with some unexpected graffiti lurking underneath coats of paint, we are asking for the community to lend a helping hand. We hope you will consider joining us in bringing this project to life!