Several Boston Mural Projects Honored Nationally

BOSTON— One of the biggest organizations for advancing the arts in the U.S., Americans for the Arts, recognized two of Boston's public art projects this week, the mayor's office announced Friday. The projects were honored among 50 public arts projects through the Public Art Network Year in Review program, the only national program that specifically recognizes public art deemed the most compelling.

“The City of Boston has transformed over the past several years thanks to incredible new pieces of public art,” said Mayor Marty Walsh in a statement. “Through projects like our Percent for Art program, our artist-in-residence program Boston AIR, and temporary public art projects, we’re integrating art into every neighborhood of the City, and it’s great to see these efforts receive national recognition.”

The roster of selected projects was chosen by public art experts and unveiled at Americans for the Arts’ Annual Convention in Minneapolis Friday. This is the 18th year that Americans for the Arts has recognized public art works.

The Grove Hall Mural Series of three murals was a project commissioned by the City of Boston in the fall of 2017 with the goal of improving the streetscape.

A mural called Afro Futurism / Breathe Life by Robert “ProblaK” Gibbs was one of three painted in Dorchester as part of the project. This one is at the UCERM Empowerment Center at 324 Blue Hill Ave.

Another mural that was painted as part of the project was Powerful Knowledge by David “Don Rimx” Sepulveda. Inspired by the legacy of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Nelson Mandela, Sepulveda’s mural located at 41 Geneva Ave was created with the hope that it would inspire all people to actively seek knowledge, truth, and civic engagement.

And then there was a mural titled Love Thyself by Victor “MARKA27” Quiñonez.

Quiñonez’s mural at 199 Quincy St. is intended to encourage humanity to respect one's mind, body and soul with a spotlight on the heart, representing love. With Liza Quiñonez, he is a co-founder of Street Theory, a creative studio and gallery.

“The best of public art can challenge, delight, educate, and illuminate. Most of all, public art creates a sense of civic vitality in the cities, towns, and communities we inhabit and visit,” said Robert Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “As these Public Art Network Year in Review selections illustrate, public art has the power to enhance our lives on a scale that little else can. I congratulate the artists and commissioning groups for these community treasures, and I look forward to honoring more great works in the years to come.”

The second Boston project that was recognized, Hard in the Paint by Maria Molteni, was developed as part of her project for Boston AIR, the City of Boston’s artist-in-residence program.

Molteni collaborated with youth from the BCYF Perkins after school program and peewee basketball community to redesign the Harambee Park basketball courts, neighboring the Perkins Center. Molteni centered the project on community input and narratives, and the final product was a colorful, dynamic basketball court, filled with words and images that define the Perkins community.

“I think the unique success of our Hard in the Paint project, and what sets it apart from other basketball court projects I’ve seen, hinges on the fact that we were allowed to have an organic and radically open community and creative process,” said Maria Molteni in a statement. “When I work on these courts, I intentionally begin with only a loose vision so that the most appropriate piece for that space and neighborhood can develop as it will. It’s less about locking down the final product from the beginning and more about being patient, present, and flexible with a genuine and attentive artistic practice.”