Graduating WJ Senior's Artwork Displayed In Public Exhibition

Though he’s heading off to pursue an art career in New York, a graduating senior is leaving his mark at home through his work.

Spencer Razick, 17, of Kensington, was selected to have his artwork hung in a public art display in the pedestrian tunnel beneath Wisconsin Avenue near the Bethesda Metro Station. “Tunnel Vision,” as the exhibition is known, was unveiled during a reception this month.

It features the work of 12 artists, whose work was chosen from a pool of more than 200 submissions. Razick was chosen as a young artist.

Intended to beautify and brighten up a once dark and dreary tunnel, the exhibition was funded by more than $50,000 in private sponsorships from Montgomery County and businesses in and around Bethesda.

“When you come up the [Metro] escalator, it’s the handshake to Bethesda,” said Dave Dabney, executive director of the which coordinated the project along with the county and the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District.

The concept for Razick’s work, entitled “Bright Ideas,” began as a logo he drew in an art class at WJ, he said. For Razick, who works digitally and with printmaking, it’s not the first time his work has been shown in a public space – he painted the entrance sign to the art department at Walter Johnson, according to BUP.

“I want to see it more in public than in a gallery,” Razick told Patch. “It evokes more peoples’ reaction.”

Like the other artists in the show, Razick received $500 for the license to use his image. In the fall, he plans to study at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.

This Thursday, he’ll be graduating with Walter Johnson’s senior class. The ceremony is set for 7 p.m. at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.

Do you know a graduating high school senior who is leaving their mark on the community? Tell us in the comments.