The Community Mural Institute comes to Fresh Paint Springfield 2022!

The Community Mural Institute (CMI), run by GoodSpace Murals and Common Wealth Murals, trains artists in Community-Engaged Mural Making and the Poly-tab Technique. This year, the CMI came to Fresh Paint Springfield to recreate two historic Nelson Steven’s Murals. (Read more below!)

Fresh Paint Springfield CMI 2022 Artists:

Manuela Hincapie Vidal @parceroskiss

Natural @Naturalsnatural

Mr. Twogoobs @mr.twogoobs

Ryan Murray @rywandojones

SELF @self.nvst413

Natasha Ortiz @papercityartkids

Sharon Leshner @sharona_color

Trish Cataldo @garbagetown.usa

Richard Johnson @akaruffn

Kimberly Hayes @crazyhazy413

Community Mural Institute at Fresh Paint Springfield 2022 recreates two historic Nelson Stevens murals

Common Wealth Murals was honored to receive a New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) Public Art for Spatial Justice grant to support the recreation of 2 AfriCOBRA murals by Nelson Stevens. The Community Mural Institute worked during the festival to recreate the two historic murals and facilitate community engagement in the process.

Upon completion of the recreations, a celebration of Nelson' Steven’s life was held. In attendance were artists who worked on the original murals in the 1970s, artists of the Community Mural Institute, collaborators, family members, and supporters of Nelson Stevens, including Nelson Stevens daughter Nadya Stevens, Mural Artist Napoleon Jones Henderson, UMass Afro-Am Professor John Bracey, Mural Artist volunteer Desiree Muhammad, Mass State Rep Bud Williams, Mural Artist Clyde Santana, and Springfield Cultural Council President Andrew Cade, UMass Afro-Am Professor John Bracey, Former UMass Amherst Nelson Stevens student and the Springfield Caring Health Center Media Director Carl Yates, Springfield City Councilor Tracye Whitfield.

About Nelson Stevens and AfriCOBRA

In addition to his pioneering mural program in Springfield in the 70s, Mr. Stevens’ works have been collected by the Smithsonian, the Chicago Institute of Art, the Brooklyn Museum and others.  Mayor Domenic Sarno proclaimed June 12th, 2021 as “Nelson Steven’s Day.” Mr. Stevens was presented with the proclamation by MA Representative Bud Williams, former MA Representative Ben Swan and 5 members of the City Council during a ribbon cutting ceremony for Springfield’s oldest mural, “Heritage” by Don and Paul Blanton, which was repainted during Fresh Paint 2021. 

During Fresh Paint Springfield 2021, Common Wealth Murals and GoodSpace Murals ran the first ever Community Mural Institute in Springfield as part of the festival. Over an intensive couple of weeks, apprentices were trained in community mural techniques such as Polytab installation and community paint parties. The apprentices each assisted a FPS2021 Muralist with their wall.

FPS2021 ARTISTS:

JOEY BURR @burrstingstudioz NADIA SALETT @artsy.nadi GABRIELA SEPULVEDA @theivorybunny RAMIRO DAVARO-COMAS @ramirostudios EMILIA DITKOFF @momi_art MARC AUSTIN @marc_austin_is _crazy CAMILLE ROYAL @trueartist12 ASHER SIMON-PLUMB @ashuurlul SUSAN MOSIJCHUK @artbysuzka MARK GUGLIELMO @markguglielmo S.L. @budahnyc