The vision was to create a world class urban arts district in Salem’s Point Neighborhood, one that embraces its rich immigrant and architectural history and present a dynamic opportunity for the neighborhood’s future. A block party celebrating the unveiling of the murals will be held on September 30, 2017, from 3:00 – 8:00 p.m. along Peabody Street.
The Punto Urban Art Museum has two primary goals: to create a beautiful, uplifting environment for Point residents, particularly for children to grow up in, and to break down the invisible divide between the Point and the rest of Salem by inviting visitors into the Point to experience world-class art first-hand.
Twenty years ago, North Shore CDC produced two murals which have long been points of pride in the Point neighborhood. Two years ago, North Shore CDC worked with the Point Neighborhood Association, the City of Salem and Salem-raised and South Florida-based artist Ruben Ubiera on a crosswalk mural project. In 2017, North Shore CDC has worked with 12 artists to create 15 large-scale outdoor murals, as well as 12 large-scale wall murals within North Shore CDC’s office loft, also in the Point Neighborhood.By creating a walkable, curated arts district within three blocks with dozens of murals in the Point Neighborhood, the district will be readily accessible to all that downtown Salem already has to offer to over a million tourists per year. Bringing a fraction of those visitors to the Point neighborhood stands to be a transformative economic development boom to immigrant-owned businesses. It will also begin to break down the invisible barriers between the Point Neighborhood and the rest of Salem by creating a beautiful, walkable destination within the Point Neighborhood for people to visit.
I was so happy to be chosen to create an 8′ x 8′ mural along a wall of over 20 murals the same size along Peabody Street in The Point, off of Lafayette Street. My mural represents the warmth, heart and music brought to our country by the many immigrants who have come to our shores.