During the 2021 pandemic, when people were advised to spend time outdoors, the board of Gaithersburg (Maryland) Parks, Arts and Recreation Corporation (G-PARC) looked for ways to give people something meaningful to do outside.
The idea that emerged was to hold an art contest in which residents would paint storm drains in the parks. Gaithersburg, in Maryland’s Montgomery County, is rich in green spaces: More than nine of 10 residents live within one-half mile of a park. The city is also diverse, with people of Korean, Chinese, African American and Hispanic ethnicity.The county was already painting storm drains, and so Gaithersburg’s
