The Brookside Gardens art walk features all thirteen of the Wheaton Arts Parade (WAP) pyramids that were created in 2020 by 16 Montgomery County artists. The pyramids are regular tetrahedrons, three with 8-ft edges and ten with 4-ft edges. Each of the pyramids’ faces is its own work of art and together they tell a colorful story. One of the large pyramids is crawling with dragons. One of the 4-ft pyramids is a mosaic of scenes from El Salvador drawn from the memories of three Wheaton families. Another is covered in flowers made of non-recyclable plastics by two WAP artists and members of One Montgomery Green. The diversity of Montgomery County is on full display in these works by artists from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Puerto Rico. Each pyramid has a sign with a QR code that you can scan with your phone and listen to a 3-5 minute audio recording by the artist explaining their design and their creative process.

 

When the COVID pandemic prevented the 4th annual Wheaton Arts Parade & Festival last September, WAP brought art to the streets and sidewalks of Wheaton where it could be appreciated safely. Why pyramids? Wheaton is formed by the intersection of three state highways, creating what is known as the Wheaton Triangle. The annual parade is called “Parade the Triangle” and a triangle has been featured on many of the parade posters.

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The WAP Yarn Bomb traditionally decorates the trees and lampposts along the parade route. At Brookside Gardens, the Yarn Bombs hang from 14 trees near the Visitors Center where Yarn Bomb workshops will be held on Saturdays June 20, July 18, and August 15 from 10am-12pm. WAP also will have art pop-ups on Sundays, June 13, July 11, and August 8 from 1-3pm.