LEXINGTON PARK, Md. – Time is running out for artists to participate in the Community Garden Bench Project, a unique opportunity to showcase the beauty and value of community gardening. Organized by the Lexington Park Lions Club, the Lexington Manor Passive Park Community Garden, and St. Mary’s County Arts Council, this initiative seeks up to six artists to design six handcrafted benches for the garden. The project’s theme, “Work showcasing the benefit of community gardening,” calls for creative interpretations that highlight themes of sustainability, health, and community connection.
Lexington Manor Park, nestled on Three Notch Road across from the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, serves as a serene, passive park owned and managed by St. Mary’s County Recreation and Parks. This historical site was once home to the Lexington Manor housing project, which provided military accommodations for employees of the naval base during the 1940s. Although the housing structures were dismantled in the 1980s, several cherry trees planted during that era continue to grace the park. As part of an ongoing initiative to enhance the community’s green space, the park will feature newly designed benches during the Cherry Blossom Festival on March 29, 2025.
The adjacent Community Garden creates an inviting environment for residents to cultivate fresh produce, promote health and sustainability, and strengthen community bonds through gardening events and accessible plots. Any surplus harvest is donated to local food banks.
The benches, constructed by Eagle Scout Keegan Creswell and Boy Scout Troop 561, are slated for installation in March 2025 during the Cherry Blossom Festival. Each selected artist will receive a $1,000 stipend, with half paid upon selection and the other half at project completion. The Lexington Park Lions Club has generously provided the $6,000 funding.
The committee overseeing the selection will review design proposals and consider previous works from each applicant. Designs are expected to follow color schemes tied to themes such as “Connect, Share, Care,” “A Blooming Space for a Blooming Place,” and “Rooted in the Past, Growing for the Future.” According to the project’s guidelines, artists must emphasize complementary color schemes to help visually unify the benches across the garden’s landscape.
Applications are due by Friday, November 8, 2024, at 4:00 PM. Finalist artists will be notified on November 12, and benches will be ready for pickup by November 17, 2024. Designs must be completed and returned to the garden by March 1, 2025, in time for the public unveiling.
For more information and to submit your application, visit https://www.smcart.org/community-garden-benches.
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