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Date: 7/25/2023
NORTHAMPTON — A mural depicting Florence Village’s history is currently in the process of being completed on the wall of the Florence Paint and Decorating Center on 4 Depot Ave.
The mural, which is situated right next to the Florence rail trail, is about 6 feet by 20 feet and is spearheaded by a design team led by acclaimed painter Rochelle Shicoff. The mural was funded by the Northampton Arts Council and Florence Bank.
In an interview with Reminder Publishing, Shicoff said the mural is a loose timeline of the history that features significant Indigenous figures, a depiction of the 1874 Mill River Flood, as well as the village’s extensive abolitionist history through depictions of abolitionists like Samuel Whitmarsh, David Ruggles, Sojourner Truth, George Benson and Lydia Child.
Beyond that, there are also depictions of typically unknown figures related to Florence like Luther Askin, who was one of the first Black baseball players to play in the U.S. He played for Florence’s original Eagle baseball club, which is considered one of the first baseball teams in the country to be integrated.
Other aspects of the mural include significant LGBTQ+ figures as well as depictions of people with disabilities with walkers and bicycles.
The mural also illustrates more recent Florence landmarks like the Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity, which is located in Florence’s historic Congregational Church.
“We felt that this mural was very positive for the community of Florence, and we felt that it was important that people know the history,” said Shicoff. “Even though a lot of people are living here, they don’t know much of the history.”
The process of conceiving this mural took over a year, according to Shicoff. She said she gathered a team last summer for design and research purposes, which included visiting libraries, speaking to people at the David Ruggles Center and interviewing people from the Indigenous community for accuracy. Shicoff said the design team picked out the specific areas they wanted to research.
Once the team finished the initial design, Shicoff said they brought it to the people they talked to as a way to make sure everything depicted was accurate and fully represented the history of Florence. From there, the team made the necessary revisions to the mural.
According to Shicoff, the actual creation of the mural at the Florence Paint and Decorating Center began this past spring with help from various community members on different scheduled days.
“Florence paint store is very well known and very well-liked by people,” Shicoff said, when asked why that was the perfect spot for the mural. “It’s an iconic building in Florence. It has the rail trail…a lot of people bicycle by.”
Shicoff said she hopes the mural is finished by the end of August, but it all depends on the weather, which has not been helpful recently. She said she sent out sign-up dates to people interested in volunteering to paint, but some cancellations have occurred due to thunderstorms. The next round of volunteer dates is July 28-30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Shicoff said inexperienced painters are welcome.