September 27 was my first visit since the completion of “your spirit whispering in my ear.” These photos, notes, quotes, and links form a sequel to the early-September post about the mural in progress. 

“….. Gibson’s introduction to the Boston streetscape is an exuberant embrace of possibility. Commissioned in partnership with the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, which will host Gibson’s extra-large exhibition “Power Full Because We’re Different,” in November, the mural radiates solidarity and inclusiveness.” (quote from Murray Whyte, Boston Globe, Sept. 24, 2024)

Buttons, Beaded Images and Burning Sage:  

The sign in front of the mural includes this numbered guide to ten images in “your spirit whispering in my ear, ” with a few informative lines about each one. All ten are also listed on the Greenway website Jeffrey Gibson: Mural Elements & Context. Three are quoted throught this post.

Photos included here correct my earlier guess that the beads were actual three-dimensional elements somehow adhered to the wall. In fact, they are painted renderings of beads.

“2. Beaded Snake: The snake represents rebirth and transformation, and has been used as a symbol of strength, creativity and continuity for thousands of years across many societies.” (quote from Mural Elements & Context, Jeffrey Gibson, Greenway)

“10. Burning Sage: Smudging, or the practice of burning sage, is a ceremony performed in many Indigenous and Native cultures to purify and cleanse the mind, body, spirit, and places of negative energy. The practice contains four elements: the sacred plants of cedar, sage, sweetgrass, and tobacco, which represent gifts from Mother Earth, …….“( quote from Mural Elements & Context, Jeffrey Gibson, Greenway)

Closer photos also reveal how carefully the mural team has painted with awareness of many three dimensional elements of the wall surface: doorways, signs, light fixtures, vents and other specific shapes.

“5. Question RealityButton: This button is featured in Gibson’s 2020 work, Chief Pretty Eagle. Chief Pretty Eagle was a Crow Nation war chief, diplomat, and Indigenous land rights activist (c. 1846-1903, Montana).”( quote from Mural Elements & Context, Jeffrey Gibson, Greenway)

“ Gibson studs the wall with protest pins from bygone movements: ……….It intimates connection, across different eras and peoples. “Your spirit whispering in my ear,” to me, suggests a lineage of dissent, links in a chain across epochs of resistance.” (quote from Murray Whyte, Boston Globe, Sept. 24, 2024)

Future visits, in person or online, promise further discoveries!

KEY RESOURCES: The Greenway, Public Art ,Jeffrey Gibson: your spirit whispering in my ear ( listed in previous post) Now add: “Cities are always changing; it makes sense for public art to change, too” by Murray Whyte Globe Staff, September 24, 2024, .Recommended for context, perspective and information about this and earlier Dewey Square murals!

updated page: Track How Temporary Murals Change the Air-intake Building Wall in Dewey Square Park , Ten Murals in Twelve Years, 2012-2024!!