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February 26, 2010

From the Team that brought you big shoes comes a giant mural

By Cara Spilsbury

Last summer, Haverhill was slightly reminiscent of Goliath's shoe closet — if the giant had any sense of fashion, that is — as big, elegantly decorated boots dotted the city landscape for the Soles of Haverhill public art event.

Before that, Haverhill-themed murals began popping up all over downtown Haverhill.

This summer, Team Haverhill, a volunteer organization dedicated to improving life in Haverhill, will continue its commitment to public art and offer another opportunity for the community to get involved in a large-scale art project.

Students, senior citizens, members of church groups and civic organizations, and any other members of the community are invited to to be a part of a mural project called "Connecting the Community through the Arts."

Thirty-two individuals or organizations will each paint a 4-foot-by-4-foot canvas panel. The individual pieces then will be assembled to form a 32-foot by 16-foot mural that will hang on Wingate Street.

"One of our goals is to get the community involved in the arts, and what better way to do it than have them be a part of something like this?" asked Leota Sarrette of Team Haverhill.

The 32 artists selected to receive the panels will also be given approved paint and be sent off to create an original piece of art that illustrates their idea of community, including neighborhood history, social issues, historical events, musical and artistic history and more. Abstract renderings are welcome, even encouraged.

Team Haverhill just asks that the designs be appropriate for family viewing and be free of content disparaging third parties or political, religious, or sexual messages. Designs also may not include any direct reference to a specific product, company or organization name, Sarrette said.

Then, each 4-foot square of canvas will be assembled with the other panels to create a mural that will be photographed and placed digitally on a banner to be displayed at 52 Wingate St., in the heart of Haverhill's arts district. From that location, organizers hope the colorful display will catch the eye of travelers on the train that passes through the city just a few hundred yards away, and will entice them to check out the city's arts scene.

So far, Sarrette said about 20 panels of the mural have been spoken for, the result of a huge response from organizations, school groups and families throughout the city. Team Haverhill hopes to have painting sessions for members of the community to come in and add to one of the blank canvases, creating an honest and improvised peice of art to add to the mural.

"It's a great activity and it gives people a little civic pride," Sarrette said. "Kids can say 'I was a part of that. I did that square.'"

Sarrette said Team Haverhill plans for all the canvases to be completed by the end of April so the mural can be unveiled at KidsFest, the annual downtown children's celebration scheduled for Sunday, May 2.

Throughout the process, professional artist Emily Boulger will be available to consult with artists. Boulger, a Haverhill resident, has volunteered her time to the project.

Any other materials or embellishments to the canvas squares must be approved by Team Haverhill's Public Art Committee before use.

In Decemeber, Team Haverhill received a grant from the Haverhill Cultural Council to help pay for the project.

Those who wish to participate will receive their canvases and paint beginning March 1.

Sarrette can provide more information about the project. E-mail her at lsarrette@aol.com or call 978-697-1648, or contact Team Haverhill member or Jim Fonseca at jimfons@comcast.net.

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