Published in the Recorder
Wednesday, August 02, 2017
TURNERS FALLS — For the first time since 2009, The Brick House Community Resource Center is putting together a community mural painting in Unity Park.
According to Karen Stinchfield, administrative assistant for The Brick House, the canvas for the painting is the northern end of the Unity Park fieldhouse off of First Street. Previous murals done in 2008 and 2009 used two of the building’s other walls, and Tuesday’s painting, which will be completed from noon to 3 p.m., will serve as a culmination of the project.
“People are excited that The Brick House is doing another mural because it’s been since 2009,” she said. “When people enter Unity Park, this is going to be the mural that welcomes them.”
The Brick House serves the five villages of Montague as well as Gill, offering counseling programs, education, job training, employment resources and an in-house teen center, according to the organization’s website. Stinchfield said it’s also a community space where local groups can gather for workshops or classes.
According to Stinchfield, painting murals has been a regular project of The Brick House, starting two years after moving to its current location at 24 Third St. in 2004. In 2006 and 2007, community members came together to make two murals on a neighboring building.
“That was just a game changer,” she said. “It was just a really great way to kind of make the space ours.”
Anyone, regardless of age or where they live, who would like to participate is welcome at Tuesday’s painting session, Stinchfield said, aligning with The Brick House’s goal to bring the community together.
“Part of it is to beautify the community, but a huge part of it is to get people involved in beautifying the community,” she said.
Stinchfield said Brick House staff member Nina Yagual will oversee the mural painting, and attendees will paint a design developed by Brick House teenagers. The project is funded by a $1,000 grant from Art Angels, a group of artists and art-lovers who collect donations to support local art projects.
“It’s a great thing to do with your kids or your grandkids, just come out and paint together, and create something beautiful together,” Stinchfield said of the mural painting. “I know from the other murals people who participated still say ‘Hey, I painted that’ or ‘Do you remember the day we painted that?’”
For more information, email karen@brickhousecommunity.org, or call 413-863-9576 or 413-863-9559.
Reach Shelby Ashline at: sashline@recorder.com