Lush fall leaves turning to the most beautiful burnt orange and burgundy colors, crisp air, and art… (yes, art), are all things you can expect to find in the Town of Upper Marlboro, MD. Last week I visited the Town of Upper Marlboro in Prince George’s County to attend the 2022 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) and I experienced all of these things making for a perfect fall afternoon.
Last week, WIHS took place just outside of the Town of Upper Marlboro at The Show Place Arena, which puts Prince George’s County on the map to not only encourage tourism, but generates jobs and drives business to the local economy. In celebration of WIHS coupled with National Arts and Humanities Month in Prince George’s County and National Horse Month, PGC is recognizing the importance of arts in the local community and has commissioned a series of colorful horse sculptures and murals in the Town of Upper Marlboro.
The public art installations can be found throughout the Town of Upper Marlboro in collaboration with the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council and features local residents as the artists. As an avid art lover, and one who especially loves to support local artists and businesses, I visited all three of the horse sculptures and the mural, which is still being worked on throughout the coming days. The horse sculptures will be on display through the week, and the mural will remain for at least the next four months.
Two of my favorite things are art and animals and I have always found horses to be gorgeous and majestic. I thoroughly commend this campaign as it brings together two beautiful subjects, along with community and expanding art advocacy and education. I especially loved the details of each horse sculpture based on the artists inspiration and style. The artists of the horses – Luther Wright, Cary Michael Robinson, and Keiona Clark are all muralists and residents of Prince George’s County. The public art muralists -- Luther Wright, Demont Pinder, Moses Riveria, Kay Lee, Levi Robinson, Jay Coleman and David Dez Zambrano – are artists from throughout the DMV area. I met artist Luther Wright when I visited the mural, and we talked art and fashion through our shared admiration of the color pink!
The drive to the Town of Upper Marlboro is just 30 minutes from DC, and as said before, it’s a beautiful drive! It would be the perfect addition to your weekend for a mini day trip, especially if you also love the arts! If you do visit, be sure to take photos and share on social media if you feel compelled, and chat with the artists if you see them out!
Locations of the art installations in the Town of Upper Marlboro:
1. The 5500 block of Water Street;
2. Corner of Main Street and Governor Oden Bowie Drive;
3. Site of the new Downtown Upper Marlboro Pocket Park, 14767 Main Street (Near the Olde Towne Inn Restaurant).
4. The mural is on the corner of Main Street and Water Street in the downtown business district.
*This post is a sponsored collaboration between Experience Prince George’s County and Blonde in the District.
*Images by Arielle Lewis Studios.
XOXO
Blonde in the District