Friday and Saturday night only, six local artists will display projections on buildings across two blocks in downtown Rockville, Md., each piece confronting the history of lynching in Montgomery County and the role Rockville residents had in that violence.

The Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC) commissioned the temporary art installations, spearheaded by Robin Bell — the artist best known for his protest art along the side of the Trump Hotel and other D.C. buildings.

The project is called Certain Party or Parties Unknown, a reference to the late 19th Century newspapers that refused to name the killers. The projections will include newspaper headlines, archival photos, videos, sketches, paintings, and performance art that’s meant to challenge the viewer. (On its website, the organizers warn that the exhibit contains “sensitive material that may awe, illuminate, challenge, unsettle, confound, provoke, and, at times, upset visitors.”)

“AHCMC seized this opportunity to acknowledge and educate residents on the county’s full history by engaging them in public art,” said Suzan Jenkins, the arts council’s CEO. “It is our hope these installations will result in a better understanding of our past, deeper community conversations about racial justice and greater actions taken towards building a more equitable future together.”

The installation is part of the county’s effort to remember the three Black men who were lynched there in the 1880s: John Diggs-Dorsey, George Peck, and Sidney Randolph. The county declared November Remembrance and Reconciliation Month and the arts council said it will continue this kind of social justice-focused work as part of the Thrive Montgomery 2050 plan. Montgomery County’s research site states:

Maryland’s statewide number of lynchings has not been definitively established, as research is ongoing. The number varies between 28 and 40 depending on the time period under consideration, and the majority took place on the Eastern Shore. Lynching activity nationwide peaked between 1880 and 1900, and at least 20 of Maryland’s cases took place within that period, including the three documented lynchings in Montgomery County.

Two of those lynchings took place outside the jail — which is now the site of the County Council office building. Artist Liz Miller says that her projection includes footage of a recent performance she did on the site of those lynchings.

“I did a performance where I dared to bless that space, to change the energy of that space, so that new things can happen in that space — seeing as our cities are built upon other cities, and there’s a lot of repeating of history,” Miller said in a video.

The artists who contributed to the project — Curtis Woody, Nikki Brooks, Tim Davis, Alix Lambert, Liz Miller, and LaShell Rivers — all worked alongside Bell to bring their ideas to life. Online, visitors can see a map of the walking tour, which starts at the Red Brick Courthouse, and listen to each artist describe the inspiration for their pieces.

“It has been an honor to work with this talented group of artists” Bell said in a press release. “Together we have created site-specific projections that bring to light the history of lynchings in Montgomery County.”

Certain Party or Parties Unknown runs for two nights only: Nov. 5 and 6, from 7 – 9 p.m. Walking tour starts at the Historic Red Brick Courthouse, 29 Courthouse Square.