I was thrilled to find that my Main Street Mural has found a new home! It is on the landing going from the first to the second floor at the Peabody Institute Public Library Main Branch on 82 Main Street, Peabody. As the public library for the community since philanthropist and businessman George Peabody’s generous donation in 1854, the Peabody Institute Library provides innovative services, resources, programs, and spaces to meet the educational, informational, cultural and creative needs of the community while offering opportunities for lifelong learning for all. As a retired public school teacher, it means a lot to me to be a part of this wonderful place.
This mural depicts some of the iconic old buildings on Main Street, Peabody, MA. This colorful piece of artwork has had an exciting life. Here is some background information from the website of the North Shore Children’s Museum:
In March of 2019, the museum was piloted with a pop-up endeavor, CuriousCity, which was initially designed as a three-month pop-up exhibition to test the feasibility of a children’s museum in downtown Peabody. The Peabody Cultural Collaborative (PCC) received a creative placemaking grant from the Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF) in July of 2018 to activate community support for a children’s museum. This original investment in the project vision leveraged additional funding from the Lahey/J.B. Thomas Foundation, the City of Peabody Department of Community Development, North Shore Bank, Eastern Bank and the Peabody Cultural Council. The pop-up garnered such interest from the community, that its time open was extended several months longer – until the covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020.
Based on this success, the Peabody Cultural Collaborative and the City of Peabody turned its attention to designing and funding a permanent museum, in a new location at 10 Main Street, in the heart of downtown Peabody. The new museum opened on October 15, 2022 and featured 14 exhibit spaces, a party room for rent, workshops, a gift shop, and much more. Since that time, exhibit spaces have changed and grown, with the gift shop made space for some of them. The North Shore Children’s Museum continues to expand its ideas about the space.
At CuriousCity, my Main Street mural was designed to be part of a downtown construction play area, complete with building activities and lots of toy cars and trucks. When CuriousCity became the North Shore Children’s Museum, the Main Street mural was set up in a hallway leading to lots of exciting activities.Because of a plumbing issue in the hall where my Main Street mural was installed, it had to be removed and I lost track of it for a couple of years as the City decided on where it should go. Well, now it had a happy home at their main library. It brightens the stairway and brings back fond memories of Main Street, Peabody.
Main Library
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