Old Georgetown Road Parking Garage Mural

"New Day" by The Jah One

Washington, D.C.-based artist The Jah One was selected out of nearly 50 artists who applied for consideration. This project was made possible through the partnership and generosity of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission along with the Bethesda A&E District.

Jah One started painting murals five years ago and his murals are located in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, Atlanta, Miami and more. This new mural in Bethesda is entitled, New Day and is a portrait of his mother as a way of celebrating her and everything she has done and sacrificed for their family.

According to Jah One, “Too often we honor people when they aren’t around to hear it. In a more relatable way, New Day, is about us coming out of a long historical pandemic. We lost a lot, and much has changed forever. Hopefully we spent our time in isolation thinking about what’s truly important to us and now we are focused on those things with a new, more grateful perspective on the future.”

“Paint the Town” is possible because of public and private partnerships as well as community support.

“I am proud of the work MCDOT is doing to enrich the County landscape through the arts,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Creative partnerships like this are a wonderful way to integrate art into our daily lives. One of the fundamental purposes of art is to uplift and inspire. Coming out of a pandemic, we need that more than ever. It makes a difference. A mural can change the feel of a neighborhood.”