New Autism Acceptance Mural and Special Event at Wheaton Regional Park

A mural designed by artist Justin Valenti will be unveiled at the event on April 23, 2022.

Montgomery Parks will host Shine Brighter Together on Saturday, April 23, 2022, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Wheaton Regional Park to recognize Autism Acceptance Month. As part of the free event, a new commUNITY mural created to raise awareness of the value and importance of inclusion of students with disabilities in schools and in the community will be unveiled. The mural will be located on the wall directly behind the Adventure Playground. Event attendees can participate in painting the larger-than-life mural that represents diversity, inclusion, and acceptance in Montgomery County.

The mural design was inspired by artwork submitted by Montgomery County elementary school students for The Arc Maryland’s “Together We’re Better – Rebuilding Our Inclusive Community Together” art contest. Justin Valenti, a Gaithersburg resident created the final artwork. Valenti is a digital and visual artist with autism.

“I want people to be excited and happy when they see the art on the wall. The picture was designed to show that all people can participate in the community despite their disability,” said artist Justin Valenti, whose artwork will depict the power of representation in disabilities and cultures, with “Shine Brighter Together” painted in different languages on the mural.

The commUNITY mural will be transferred to the wall by M-NCPPC Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation Youth Art Corps, a team that focuses on creating artwork for the Department of Parks and Recreation facilities.

“Working together with The Arc Maryland and Prince George’s Department of Parks and Recreation, we made this project a reality,” said Mike Riley, Director of Montgomery Parks. “The new mural highlights the importance of diversity and inclusion and sends the message that everyone should feel welcome in our parks.”

“We are thrilled about this partnership with Montgomery Parks for their Shine Brighter Together event promoting inclusion of people with disabilities,” said Ande Kolp, Executive Director at The Arc Maryland. “Using the artwork from our Together We’re Better School Inclusion program as an inspiration for the mural is exciting for us and all the Montgomery County students and schools who participated.”

Shine Brighter Together: Autism Acceptance event will be family-friendly and include an on-site food vendor, chalk hop challenge, parachute games, sensory story time, and arts and crafts. The public is invited to participate in hands-on, sensory-friendly activities while learning more about autism and the variety of resources available in Montgomery County.

About Justin Valenti:
Justin is an artist from Gaithersburg, Maryland. He has taken classes at Montgomery County Community College and Exceptional Minds in California. He works at the VisAbilitiy Art Lab at VisArts with digital media, drawing, painting, printmaking, and ceramics.

Justin assists with People on the Go as a self-advocate for people with autism and is one of the drummers in a band called Neurodiversity. Justin completed job training with Project SEARCH which gives people who have disabilities the opportunity to gain skills for the workplace. He is now employed by the National Institute of Health where he often gets to use his graphic design skills. Justin graduated from The Arc Maryland’s Partners in Policymaking program in September 2019.