6068 Muralist Artist Camila Leao, paints one of the structural columns in preparation for Artscape 2025, which will be relocated to the viaduct at Holliday and Saratoga Streets. Photos Credit: The Baltimore Times

BRAND NEW NATURE-INSPIRED MURALS & LIGHTING INSTALLATIONS WILL MAKE DOWNTOWN VIADUCT BRIGHTER AND SAFER

Baltimore, MD, April 25, 2025 — The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA), in partnership with the City of Baltimore and Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s Downtown RISE Initiative, announces the muralists who are transforming the viaduct at Holliday and Saratoga Streets into an urban oasis. The Urban Oasis Mural Project will revitalize the area beneath the underpasses through a blend of large-scale nature-inspired murals and vibrant lighting installations, creating a visually stunning and immersive experience. The murals weave together botanical elements, organic textures, and the city environment, offering people a space of beauty, reflection, and inspiration. 

“The Urban Oasis Mural Project is more than just public art—it’s a driver of long-term transformation. By harnessing the festival model, we’re proving that cultural investment can drive sustainability, economic opportunity, and community pride. These murals and light installations are just the beginning — we’re laying the groundwork for deeper, more intentional investment in this district,” said Tonya Miller Hall, Senior Advisor of Arts & Culture for the City of Baltimore.

Ian Pearson, muralist, next to his “work of art” which took him six days to complete. He explains that it is the first time that he has worked on this type of surface.

Over 30 artists and artist teams were selected through a competitive application process to design and paint murals on 43 of the pillars holding up the Jones Falls Expressway (JFX). The murals are scheduled to be completed ahead of Artscape, May 24–25, 2025 but will remain well after the festival is over, adding a much-needed dose of color and vitality to the urban environment. In total, 44 of the concrete columns will have murals when the artists are finished with their work. Many of the columns are being repainted, while some are being painted for the first time. One column will retain its original mural, painted by the late Baltimore muralist Pontella Mason. That mural, “Bebop: Charlie Parker and Bettie Carter,” is being preserved as is.

This initiative, titled the Urban Oasis Mural Project, introduced by the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Culture and Entertainment, leverages the festival model not only to beautify the space but to activate it as a platform for sustainable, community-centered impact. The goal is to spark long-term investment and renewed interest in the district by demonstrating the transformative power of arts-driven placemaking. In addition to the murals, artistic vinyl light installations will illuminate the underpass pathway, enhancing safety and further elevating the corridor as a vibrant cultural destination.

One of 43 columns, holding up the Jones Falls Expressway (JFX) was painted as part of THE preparation for Artscape. The murals are scheduled to be completed ahead of Artscape, May 24–25, 2025 but will remain well after the festival is over.

The original murals were all painted between 2006 and 2008 as part of the Baltimore Mural Project, which is managed by BOPA. When applications opened for the Urban Oasis Mural Project, organizers reached out to the original artists and invited them to apply. Danamarie Hosler, Gary Mullen, Michael Kirby, and Ernest Shaw are all returning to paint new murals. They are joined by the following artists and artist teams: 

  • Adam Stab
  • Afr0delic
  • Barbara Thompson
  • Bilal Ahmad Farid X
  • Bridget Cimino
  • Camila Leão Lopes
  • Dirk Joseph Artworks
  • Gaia
  • George Hiromitsu Hubbard
  • Ground Zero Studio (Jordan Lawson)
  • Ham and Cheese Studio (Chelsea & Sami)
  • HOPE McCorkle
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