The City of Takoma Park commissioned new public art by artist Trap Bob, who painted picnic tables last year at the gazebo for a project of Main Street Takoma.
Trap Bob has painted three tables along the Takoma Streetery on Laurel Avenue with designs celebrating the power and resilience of Black women, according to the Arts and Humanities Division that commissioned the work to demonstrate the city’s commitment to public art and racial equity.
“The characters I use in my work, I refer to them as my ‘girls’ because they are representative of myself and every Black woman. They are proud, powerful, and resilient,” Trap Bob said. “The goggles represent their superpowers because they are everyday superheroes.”
One of the gazebo tables was vandalized last year by a white woman who scraped off the portrait of a Black woman’s face and the word “Justice.”
“The Arts and Humanities Division paid Trap Bob to repaint the vandalized table, and then we commissioned her to paint three more tables at the Takoma Streetery to feature more of her inspiring artwork,” said Brendan Smith said, arts and humanities coordinator. “We also wanted to send a clear message that racism won’t be tolerated here.”
Photos by Brendan Smith courtesy Takoma Park Arts and Humanities Division