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Date: 3/7/2023
HOLYOKE – A new community mural installation is coming to the Puerto Rican Cultural District in Holyoke and the youth is being invited to help in preparing for the latest artwork to brighten the streets of the city.
Nueva Esperanza Inc., El Corazon/The Heart of Holyoke Project, in partnership with the History of Art and Architecture Department at the University Massachusetts and Cultura Co., have announced the return of the talented mural artists of Colectivo Morivivi to the Puerto Rican Cultural District to create a new mural for the Main Street business district from I-391 to Lyman Street with Latino Ethnic Pride, known as the Heart of Holyoke.
In leading up to the latest edition for the city’s growing collection of murals, a youth workshop where 10-15 participants aged 13-18 will be invited to take part in the creation of the future mural to be placed on Main Street. March 10 will be the second of two workshops for youth and will be from 4-5:30 p.m. at Nueva Esperanza where participants will have the chance to contribute their artistic skills and help create a “beautiful mural that celebrates the diversity and beauty of their community” according to a Nueva Esperanza release.
Nueva Esperanza is a community-based organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for residents in Holyoke and the surrounding areas. Their mission is described as being a catalyst and partner for a vibrant, sustainable and powerful Puerto Rican/Afro-Caribbean community in Holyoke.
Executive Director of Nueva Esperanza Kayla Rodriguez said the first youth workshop went great and was an opportunity for a handful of Holyoke youth to learn and get some experience in the creative process of a large-scale art project like a mural.
“They showed up and did a virtual workshop with the ladies and one of the assistants and it went great,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez noted the first workshop had the youth involved think about what their view of their life in Holyoke is through a cultural lens. They started brainstorming and engaged in conversation that has helped start to map out what the latest mural will be.
The next workshop will focus on continuing discussions as artists have started taking information from the first meeting and will come back with a few ideas for the mural. Teens in the workshop will also be able to start sketching out their own ideas.
Rodriguez noted it has always been a goal of Nueva Esperanza to find a way to incorporate the mural projects with the youth to serve in an educational purpose but also for them to be able to create something unique to their community.
El Corazon or the Heart of Holyoke project was started as a city project before Nueva Esperanza was given shared responsibility on the project. Multiple murals were painted last year as part of these same efforts. The city of Holyoke is home to the largest concentration of Puerto Ricans per capita outside of the main island, making up 50 percent of the city’s population.
Colectivo Morivivi is an all-women artistic collective and has been producing public art and activism since 2013. Their artistic production consists of muralism, community-led muralism, and protest performances/actions. Their work has garnered widespread admiration for its stunning beauty and the way it reflects the cultural diversity and vibrancy of the neighborhoods they inhabit.
“Morivivi’s work is about democratizing art and bringing the narratives of Puerto Rican communities to the public sphere to create spaces in which they are validated,” the release wrote.
In 2020, the Ander W. Mellon Foundation approved a grant of $225,000 to the UMass History of Art and Architecture Professors Ximena Gomez and Karen Kurczynski for a Mellon Sawyer Faculty Seminar on
“Race and Visual Culture in the Americas, 20th and 21st centuries.” This grant is also supporting the public art commission for the Puerto Rican diaspora community in Holyoke, in partnership with Nueva Esperanza and El Corazon/The Heart of Holyoke and Cultura Co.
Rodriguez noted the ongoing project was great to continue for the artistic development of the city’s Puerto Rican Cultural District and for community building that could incorporate the youth.
“We have a lot of outsiders talking about it, people who are not even from Holyoke are talking about the murals and these programs. I’m definitely excited that Nueva Esperanza is involved in it,” Rodriguez said. “This is very exciting for Nueva Esperanza to star this journey.”
“The installation of this mural is a joint effort between Nueva Esperanza and the History of Art and Architecture Department at UMass and Cultura Co., demonstrating our commitment to promoting public art and highlighting the importance of community engagement in public spaces,” the release said. “This beautiful mural will be in the heart of the Puerto Rican Cultural District on Main Street in Holyoke, adding to the vibrant cultural landscape of our beloved community.”
For more information on the ongoing project, visit the Nueva Esperanza website at nuevaofholyoke.org. Rodriguez also noted the first community painting is scheduled for April 1 and is open to any members of the public interested in helping create the new mural.