Garden and pride blossom in Morrell Park
Another patch of weedy, vacant land in Baltimore city has been reclaimed by and for its residents, and a graffiti-scrawled building turned into a huge, colorful mural proclaiming neighborhood pride.
Residents of Morrell Park in southwest Baltimore toiled alongside other volunteers through summer into early fall to clear an overgrown, trash-strewn lot in the 2600 block of Washington Boulevard and turn it into a 
memorial garden and park.
Now there's a stepping stone path with inlaid mosaics memorializing community members and their relatives who have died. Benches also have been placed along the path to sit and enjoy the flower and vegetable beds in the garden.
A few blocks away, at 2300 Washington Boulevard, Access Art, a community art program, transformed a frequently graffiti-defaced wall into a dramatic welcome sign for the neighborhood. Artist Chris Peters worked with youth and community members to identify bits of neighborhood history and other visual imagery to incorporate into the mural, which was painted in August and September.
The projects were funded with grants from PNC Bank (via the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts), the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Parks and People Foundation. Besides Access Art, other partners were the Morrell Park & St. Pauls Improvement Association and the Morrell Park Recreation Council.
For more views of the garden, memorial walk and mural, go here.
(Photos by Marshall Clarke, executive director Access Art)
Comments
That's a really gorgeous mural.
Posted by: Liz Kay | October 11, 2011 2:36 PM
Love to see communities taking pride in their neighborhoods and transforming them into art!
Posted by: Dani | October 11, 2011 7:42 PM
I grew up in Morrell Park, what buidling is this? Is it the side of the firehouse??
TW: The mural is at 2300 Washington Boulevard, which in a Google check appears to be a transmission business. The artwork is on the side of the building paralleling the railroad tracks, where drivers coming into the neighborhood can see it. The garden is at 2606 Washington Boulevard, identified in the releasea as a lot next to the firehouse.
Posted by: Adam | October 14, 2011 11:20 AM
Yeah I grew up and still live here the memorial stone they show above is my friend Kevin Thomas October 31st makes a year that him and two other friends Michael Ledford jr and Briana crosswhite were tragically killed in a car crash two boys stole a car ran a red light and killed of friends that quick. Michael and Briana have a baby girl who was 5months at the time. They caught the 2boys but due to postponement's we have yet to have our justice for 3best friends anyone new. We will be having a candle light visual at Tolly St park holloween night. Holloween night makes it one year they we're gone so after everyone takes there children trick or treating we will all meet to remember our friends. The stone you see above says Scoot they called Kevin scoot sence he was a baby cause instead of him crawling he would scoot.
Posted by: stephanie arnold | October 28, 2011 8:06 PM