on the walls (again)

Yesterday morning I ignored the forecast for rain and headed back to Salem. I had a sneaking suspicion that I had missed a couple of murals on my last visit; I needed to fix that.

My first stop was the office of the North Shore Community Development Coalition. They own the buildings in The Point that are the canvas for the murals. I was delighted have the chance to chat with a manager there and to find out more about the project. It was an opportunity to see some of the murals in the office and to confirm that I did miss a few on my first visit.

I loved this one - there is a purple background mural on the wall in the office, with a set of windows allowing a view into the space behind, a space showing the eyes of a face peering through the windows.

Outside, I walked the same streets I had seen before, continuing past my previous stopping point to find two more pieces of art.

The first was a very large and multi-colored cat person covering the entire side of a building.

The second set of art that I missed lives in the open courtyard in front of a building. It is made up of columns of brick, painted on all four sides and showing faces of different ages and nationalities.

More photos from yesterday can be seen in the gallery walls and water :: Salem, MA starting with this photo and ending here.

on the walls

The article "Artwork highlights Salem neighborhood’s true colors" in the Boston Globe two weeks ago led me to add Salem to my list of must visit places. It's less than 20 miles from home, but it's a place I hadn't visited before. Yesterday I headed to to Salem to walk and absorb beauty.

The mural project is impressive.

Punto Urban Art Museum Our vision is to create a world class urban arts district in Salem’s Point Neighborhood, one that embraces its rich immigrant and architectural history and present a dynamic opportunity for the neighborhood’s future. The Punto Urban Art Museum has two primary goals: to create a beautiful, uplifting environment for Point residents, particularly for children to grow up in, and to break down the invisible divide between the Point and the rest of Salem by inviting visitors into the Point to experience world-class art first-hand. credit: North Shore Community Development Coalition

Some of the murals are in very narrow alleys; even with a wide lens it was a challenge to capture them with my camera.

I'm sure I didn't find all of the murals, and I know I plan to return and wander again.

More photos can be seen in the gallery walls and water :: Salem, MA.

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Click here to see a video on the Punto Urban Art Museum published by the North Shore Community Development coalition. It's a wonderful presentation of the project.

gazing

Here's another offering from Lynn's Beyond Walls. When I saw this mural by Cedric "Vise" Douglas I felt the need to stand and look for a while. What a stunning portrait!

beyond walls

Listening to NPR brings me more than news. On July 13th, a story aired that talked about the Beyond Walls Mural Festival in Lynn, MA. The focus of the 10-day festival: "19 international and local artists will converge on the city's downtown to turn 15 blank, brick walls into towering, outdoor works of public art".

I immediately knew I needed to make at least one trip to Lynn to see the new murals. I chose to visit yesterday while the artists were still at work on their almost completed creations. Some of the art is on walls extending to ground level; some is high above the roofs of surrounding buildings.

The murals were simply amazing!

More photos of the murals can be seen in the gallery beyond walls :: Lynn, MA.

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Interestingly enough there was an article in yesterday's Boston Globe titled Artwork highlights Salem neighborhood’s true colors that focused on murals in Salem, MA. I will visit there soon.

POW! WOW! Worcester

I found out about POW! WOW! Worcester after it was over; luckily the murals that were created for the festival remain in place.

Yesterday I wandered through the downtown area of Worcester seeking murals. I think I missed a few, but the murals I found were glorious!

I love that the artist used a vent (easily seen in the second photo) as the setting for a diamond ring.

More murals are captured in the gallery urban art :: Worcester.