Artists in residence Jesse Tobin McCauley, left, Huck Elling, art intern Sophie Possick, city Cultural Director Jennifer Glockner and Pittsfield Downtown's Rebecca Brien celebrate a triptych of murals created by Pittsfield High students.
'Flying and Flourishing' adorns former window arches in Burbank Place.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Burbank Place now has two murals bringing it to life through a public art partnership.
On Friday, the Pittsfield Let It Shine! Public Art Partnership debuted "Flying and Flourishing" in the corridor. Just steps from a tile mural debuted last year, this colorful work showcases the synergy of flowers and insects.
Pittsfield High School students worked with artist in residence Huck Elling and public art intern Sophie Possick twice a week over the winter to create the three-part mural hanging in former window arches.
"This is a really awesome opportunity for students at PHS not only to get to make art and experience the whole process beginning to end, but they also get to contribute to their community," Elling said.
"… I also hope that our business owners are feeling the effects of this work, that a little bit of paint, flowers, and bugs can really brighten up this part of our neighborhood."
The student artists, who could not attend the ribbon cutting because of other engagements, continuously chose Burbank Place as a location because they had heard it described as "dreary" and graffiti-filled.
"As a group, we talked about what themes we might like to see in this mural, and the students really connected with the themes of flowers and bugs, so we took that as our starting point," Elling explained.
Possick, a first-year art student at Williams College, hopes to major in her three big loves: studio art, psychology, and English. She found the students' drive to better their community very inspiring.
"I really love working with students and kids and combining my loves of art and psychology. I know the impact that art has had on me firsthand, for just being an outlet and a way to connect with the people around me," Possick said.
"I love nothing more than to share that joy and that experience with other students, and this was a wonderful place to do that, and the students were just really great."
The mural was created with a Sharpie and paint before being mounted on the brick wall. The
Let It Shine! mentoring program will continue its efforts with the Pittsfield Public Schools to adorn downtown Pittsfield with art this year.
Let It Shine! aims to make art accessible to everyone, foster confidence in Pittsfield, and strengthen connections between residents and their downtown. The Let It Shine! Public Art Partnership is a collective of Pittsfield-based community members, including Downtown Pittsfield Inc./Downtown Pittsfield Cultural Association (fiscal agent), the city of Pittsfield's Office of Cultural Development, Elling and fellow artist in residence Jesse Tobin McCauley, and Mill Town Foundation.
They are dedicated to organizing public art initiatives and revitalizing North Street, supported by MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative (TDI). TDI is a program designed to stimulate economic growth in Gateway Cities by focusing on key districts.
The program's four major sponsors are Mill Town Foundation, Lee Bank, Feigenbaum Foundation, TDI Local funding from MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative, and the Pittsfield Cultural Council.
NBT Bank, Rich Altman, and Adam Hersch of Cavalier Central Block LLC were thanked for their support in this project.
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