Local and International Artists Collaborate with East Boston Students to Create Large-Scale Murals Around Urban Farming and Food Security
*** Note: Any members of the media who are interested in interviewing students or artists as part of this program can email Matthew Pollock at matt.harborarts@gmail.com. ***
EAST BOSTON — HarborArts, a premiere public art initiative dedicated to bringing local, national and international artists to the East Boston region, has launched a new public art project, Harvest, with Eastie Farm and renowned international and local artists who are painting a series of large-scale murals around urban farming and food justice.
After the first series of murals accomplished by HarborArts with Boston Public Schools in 2021, HarborArts was engaged by BPS to continue to bring more large-scale murals to campuses in East Boston. Throughout the spring of 2022, HarborArts and Eastie Farm have worked diligently to engage the East Boston community in this year’s mural effort.
The program began in East Boston earlier this spring, with students at the Mario Umana Academy and Manassah E Bradley School participating in hands-on urban farming programming and art workshops. Artists have now begun painting three monumental public artworks inspired by student input during the workshops.
Students at the schools have been engaged weekly in outdoor activities with educators, activists and artists covering a wide range of farming and creative exercises. The first class took place in early May, where students planted seedlings of the “Three Sisters” — Corn, Squash, and Beans — a method of planting a triplet of biodiverse crops with a symbiotic relationship, originally used by First Nations people of what is now North America. In the following weeks, students have explored differences between processed and organic food using drawing, discovered the importance of pollinators and open space through storytelling and performance, and ideated on mural concepts with painting and watercolor.
The final workshops were then joined by visiting artists, which aided in the development of the artists’ final sketches for the murals.
“This has been one of the most organic and empowering applications of academic concepts applied to real world issues,” said Tommy Simmons, Grade-Level Leader and ELA/Math Dual Language Teacher at the Mario Umana Academy. “Our students are starting to take ownership and pride for our school and our community garden, bringing a greater sense of joy to the classroom.”
To follow along with updates to the project, visit the HarborArts Instagram page.
The goal of the project is to empower students to become active environmental stewards, as well as communicate critical issues and express ideas creatively and emotionally, using the universal language of public art.
“In a world where our future is uncertain due to the increased threat of climate change, food insecurity, and environmental injustice, it’s easy to feel powerless,” said Matt Pollock, Director of HarborArts, “Together, we are painting a new series of educational murals that inspire people to take action with local climate initiatives. In coastal communities like East Boston, the preservation of open space is paramount to building a resilient community. Eastie Farm is doing so by transforming unused and abused spaces into urban farms that grow food, build community, and foster environmental stewardship.”
The list of participating artists includes noted Colombian artists, Gleo and GRIS ONE, alongside emerging Boston muralist YennyCreate. Gleo has added the first layers of paint for a large-scale mural on the Border Street facade of Mario Umana Academy, while GRIS ONE and YennyCreate are busy activating the walls of the Bradley School, including a 100-foot retaining wall of the school facing Faywood Avenue.
About HarborArts
HarborArts is an East Boston-based initiative that creates public art as a platform for dialogue. Through the installation of monumental public artworks throughout East Boston, around the waterfront and beyond, they seek to cultivate community at the intersection of environmentalism, social justice, and artistic expression.
Learn more at HarborArtsBoston.com.
About Eastie Farm
Eastie Farm is dedicated to pursuing climate justice, improving food access, and fostering community resilience through the development of interactive urban agricultural spaces and environmental education programs in which residents of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to learn and take part in the production of healthy, locally-grown, and culturally relevant foods.
Learn more at EastieFarm.com.
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