Birds Take Shape As Re:Bloom Community Art Project Returns To Lexington Park

LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — Beneath a pavilion at Lexington Manor Passive Park, long stretches of white fabric slowly filled with birds Saturday afternoon.

Children and adults selected bird designs, added the wax outline placement and painted the colorful patterns onto banners using water colors during the latest Re:Bloom community art-making event Aug. 29.

Although the bird patterns were painted, artist Eric Jackson still has work to do. He will dye the outside of the banners to fill in the spaces between each painted bird, then place them on banners for the next showing.

Nearby, the results of the project’s previous session had already found a home among the trees. Tapestries depicting fish, blue crabs, jellyfish, sea turtles and other aquatic life were displayed throughout the park, giving visitors the first glimpse of a yearlong public art transformation led by local artist Eric Clark Jackson of Bay Fibers Studio.

The newly created bird banners will become the second seasonal collection in a project expected to bring more than 100 community-made artworks to the park.

Birds Become The Next Chapter

Participants worked through a laid-back printing and painting process that required no previous artistic experience.

Bird motifs in shades of red, orange, yellow, blue and green began appearing across the long fabric panels as families worked together beneath the pavilion.

Jackson guided participants through the process, helping them apply permanent textile dyes and transfer the designs onto the banners. Once completed, the individual bird patterns will become part of larger installations displayed throughout the park.

The Southern Maryland Audubon Society partnered with Re:Bloom for Saturday’s event. Representatives Julie Daniel and Will Daniel shared information about local birds, conservation and the habitats native species depend upon.

The organization’s participation connected the artwork with the wildlife it represents. Educational materials introduced visitors to bird identification, migration, conservation and ways residents can help protect birds in their own communities.

River Life Appears Across The Park

While participants created the bird collection, tapestries made during Re:Bloom’s first public art session were unveiled and installed across the park.

The earlier collection celebrates native river life, with individual banners depicting aquatic species associated with the Chesapeake Bay and Southern Maryland waterways.

Rather than placing the artwork in one central display, the tapestries were spread throughout the park. Some stood alone beside walking areas, while others were arranged as larger panels among the trees.

That placement is central to Jackson’s vision for Re:Bloom.

“Multiple pieces spread across the facility encourage visitors to seek out and explore, as opposed to a singular public art encounter,” Jackson previously told The BayNet.

Each phase is paired with a conservation nonprofit, allowing residents to learn about Southern Maryland’s natural environment while helping create the artwork that will represent it.

Next Event Will Celebrate Native Trees And Plants

The next Re:Bloom community art-making event will shift its focus from birds to Southern Maryland’s native trees and plants.

During that session, the bird tapestries created Saturday will be unveiled and installed throughout Lexington Manor Passive Park. Participants will then begin creating the project’s third seasonal collection, featuring plant and tree species native to the region.

A date and partner organization for the native trees and plants event had not yet been posted as of Aug. 29 but is expected to occur in late October. Updates are expected through the St. Mary’s County Arts Council’s event calendar and Bay Fibers Studio.

The seasonal structure gives residents multiple opportunities to return to the park, discover newly installed artwork and contribute to the collection that follows.

Art, Ecology And Renewal

Re:Bloom is intended to celebrate more than the plants and animals depicted on its tapestries. Jackson said the project also recognizes the continuing life and renewal of Lexington Manor Passive Park.

“‘Re:Bloom’ is meant to celebrate local ecology while also recognizing the life of the park itself,” Jackson said. “The cherry blossoms are just one sign of life in the park, but Re:Bloom is also about renewal, reactivation and rebirth of a place which has been a part of St. Mary’s County for decades.”

The project will continue for 12 months and culminate in a final exhibition during the county’s 2027 Cherry Blossom Festival.

Re:Bloom was one of 14 new public artwork projects funded through the Maryland State Arts Council and received the maximum award available through its grant program. The project is sponsored by the St. Mary’s County Arts Council through the state grant.

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