Haverhill Immigrant Mural Unveiling
This community art and placemaking project aims to add vibrancy to the city of Haverhill and celebrates its immigrant community - both old and new - with a large public mural on the sidewall of 86 Washington Street along with a host of related events that activate the space. The events related to the project will bring value to the community and build a sense of ownership of a public space in the city’s downtown. Both in the creation of the mural and with the surrounding events, this project will be collaborative – engaging various local non-profits, businesses, and community leaders. The mural’s long-term presence will enliven the area’s sense of community, create a representative – not static – impression of the city, and bring about real economic improvements by bringing people downtown and encouraging additional investment. Public artworks energize spaces, transforming them into areas where people come together, shop, eat, visit, and live. Their benefits include:
- a shared sense of identity and culture
- sites reserved for creative discourse
- a more lively and colorful urban landscape
- a stimulated arts economy
- a simulated local business economy
- growth of networks between arts and non-arts sector
The mural will depict Haverhill’s immigrant communities from past and present, aiming to bolster the city’s sense of pride in its diverse identity. The style will imitate and re-interpret the line work and colors of maiolica, a Renaissance-era Italian ceramics tradition, as a vibrant ode to Haverhill’s Italian community and the Garibaldi Club - the sponsoring non-profit.
In the center of the mural a number of Haverhill landmarks are featured ranging from the Winnekenni Castle and the commuter rail to Whittier Birthplace and former shoe factories. On both the left and right of this centerpiece are a series of square panels. There are three panel designs that each include slight variations connecting with Haverhill’s history: oak leaves allude to the vast Haverhill forests and the iconic Worshipping Oak, bricks that can be seen in both historic apartments and industrial buildings, and shoes, the industry that allowed Haverhill to flourish and grow into the city that it is today. The space in the center of each tile will feature maiolica paintings that are based off of the Haverhill community-submitted photographs of their immigrant and origin families - tying together and celebrating the Haverhill community both new and old.
Date and Time
Sunday Dec 16, 2018
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM EST
December 16th
10:30 AM
Location
86 Washington St
Haverhill, MA
