November 9, 2022 For Immediate Release
Students, teachers, civic leaders and parents celebrated a change at Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School on October 7, 2022 – a renovation of the iconic Nut & Bolt structure.
The footbridge was originally created in 1982 by artist Arthur Benson, who was a resident and a Mount Royal Elementary/Middle School parent. Mr. Benson, who is nearing age 90, attended the ribbon cutting ceremony much to the surprise and delight of everyone in attendance.
Nestled in historic Bolton Hill in the heart of the MICA campus, Mount Royal partners with MICA interns who help incorporate art across all content areas. Mount Royal reflects its surroundings with a walkway that is a work of art and now thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Nut & Bolt structure has been restored to its original color and condition.
“We worked together to make sure our kids knew we appreciated them and made our unique structure new again and bright again and be in the area that promotes art in all of its forms and we saw that today from our kids," said Principal Skeen.
Thanks to community partner the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, students receive renovated and new instruments as well as 1 on 1 training. The music, theater and fine arts programs have all grown within the last 4 years with fine arts becoming an elective program for the first time this year at the middle school level.