Category Murals
Murals that Convey History: Local Examples
Walking to my nearby Porter Square and a bit beyond in Cambridge, I visited murals that show elements of history in ways that suit this artform. You can learn and sense a lot about earlier centuries in Porter Square by walking the block that contains three related murals. You can take in the impact and origins of a significant statesman’s life by standing in the presence of the Tip O’Neill mural in North Cambridge.
A Radiant Painting Generates Sixth Mural for Greenway Wall
“Carving Out Fresh Options,” Diptych Painting by Shara Hughes Leads Up to a Monumental Mural on the Rose Kennedy Greenway
The mural was scaled up about twelve times from the original painting, but also cropped and shaped to fit the curving, choppy features of the Greenway Wall (one side of the air intake structure building).
The diptych (two-part) oil painting will be on view at deCordova in the museum through May 2019, while the mural is up on the Greenway Wall in Dewey Square Park, Boston.
Short Walk with Long View of Art on Walls in Central Square
My plan to focus on murals for the summer led me to revisit three familiar ones in nearby Central Square, Cambridge: David Fichter’s “Potluck” and Daniel Galvez’s “Crossroads” and “Crosswinds.” Just in the short walk among those three, I became aware of five more wall-based art sites I’d want to share on Art Outdoors.
Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #1128 First Drawn by Denise Kupferschmidt and Five Other Artists
I had wavered about including Denise Kupferschmidt on my list of women artists represented on Public Art Walk Boston after I read that “a group of assistants executed this piece, guided by precise written instructions and diagrams from LeWitt.” Yet I came to understand that each artist on the team to carry out a wall drawing could contribute uniquely within LeWitt’s guidelines. More important, as I began to learn about Denise Kupferschmidt’s art, I truly wanted to share what she has shown!
Lilli Ann Rosenberg Engaged People in Making and Enjoying Public Art
Lilli Ann Killen Rosenberg (1924–2011) initiated memorably collaborative community art projects wherever she went throughout her working life. From the Henry Street Settlement in New York City to numerous sites in the Boston area and then others in southern Oregon, she engaged children and adults in creating responsive public art. This post offers images from Boston sites I have visited and quotes or links that motivate me to visit many more.
Make Eye Contact Many Times with “We the People II,” New Greenway Mural by Mia Cross in Boston near Chinatown
In October I had read about the Greenway mural in progress on the Lincoln Street Triangle. Fortunately, I got there while the artist Mia Carollo Cross and her father were about to finish up the month-long project in the last hour of good daylight! I spoke with Mia briefly about my interest in the process of creating murals and then began to photograph her, the materials, tools, and art.
Two Murals and Their Makers: “See Her” by Ann Lewis and “Patterned Behavior” by Silvia López Chavez
As new murals emerged in Boston this summer, I tried to track two through different stages of development. Both reminded me that mural artists must envision on a grand scale while also dealing with daily details and constant complexities. Many minds, hands, and hearts helped both murals come into being. One source common to both was the force of the non-profit organization Now and There headed by Kate Gilbert featuring the Year of the Woman in public art. I have referenced and quoted from their wonderful website at several points in this post.
A Welcome Wall: Mural by Mehdi Ghadyanloo on Greenway Now
After creating more than one hundred distinctive murals in Tehran, Iranian artist Mehdi Ghadyanloo brought his wonderfully developed way with walls to Boston. Watching and listening to people in this city guided him to design Spaces of Hope for the Greenway Wall, which is the side of the air intake building facing Dewey Square Park. […]
Matthew Hoffman on the Greenway and Rachel Perry Welty at the Gardner
Artists Choose Words for Us to Ponder:
On a mild sunny February Sunday, I set out to see Rachel Perry Welty’s statement at the Gardner Museum and Matthew Hoffman’s phrases along the Greenway Fence. These two temporary installations have been up since early January 2016 and will be down again in several months.
Lawrence Weiner’s Art in Words Painted Huge and High or Cut into Ground-level Granite
Autumn in Boston gave me the chance to look at words chosen by artist Lawrence Weiner for two different settings and hear his own spoken words about art. Here are a few images and thoughts related to these experiences.
