May 2017 is Mural Month in Keene
From Rosemarie Bernardi, Art:
One of the favorite methods used by street artists around the world is returning to Keene. Monday, April 24, May is Mural Month launched its second year with paste paper murals creating galleries al fresco. The walls of several buildings in downtown Keene will again become a temporary outdoor art galleries. Expanding on last year’s efforts when four murals were installed for six months, this year approximately twelve pieces will be shown for a period of twelve months. Building owners Mitch Greenwald, Paul Cooper, Nancy McLean, Roberta Mastrogiovanni, Millers Bros. Clothing, and Terry Mednick have all been supportive of the project donating the use of their walls.
On Monday, April 24, Philadelphia street artist Joe Boruchow worked with Keene State College advanced printmaking students to paste his own images and others onto the side wall of Miller Bros. clothing store on Main St. Later that same day, he spoke at Keene State and presented a workshop to students of his cutout process. Boruchow is interested in narrative, bold iconical images, often with satire, nostalgia, or whimsy. One of the two Boruchow images were included last year, “The Secret” is still available to be seen on Vernon Street. Boruchow’s work can be seen on several large building sized permanent murals in Philadelphia, as well as galleries and other locations.
Local artists Bob Askey of Keene and Beth Krommes of Peterborough will be included in May is Mural Month via an enlargement of smaller pieces of each of their works. Altered from intimate pen and ink and wood engraving to large wall sized murals these established artists will now be known for their street art. Already working on big prints, Florence, Mass artist Lyell Castenguay will be represented by two large linocut prints.
On Sunday April 30, a second group of murals will be installed. Keene State College advanced printmaking students will paste up their very large, 8’ x 22,’ temporary paper mural, Heroes of Keene. The mural celebrates two of Keene’s remarkable and inspiring figures, Jonathan Daniels and Jenny Powers, who was one of the founders of the Humane Society. Struck by both their dedication to social and humane justice, the students represent Daniels and Powers as super heroes emphasizing the the strength of their beliefs and actions as role models. The mural will be pasted onto the side of the Urban Exchange, across from Citizens Bank, just off Main Street. Art students Jessica Boushie, Hannah Soucy, Patrick Chabot, Abbey Calzini, Haley Kean, Erin Ruvalcaba, Gerald Alfieri, Corrie Holtz, Addison Jones, Athena Nathan, Keanna Winter, Brooke Carlson, and Paige Bourne were involved in the process.
Other paper murals created by John Roberts, Professor of Printmaking at Keene State, a large organic frieze created by 28 KSC students in two beginning printmaking courses and a senior BFA project by Amanda Coakley which questions consumerism will also be on display.
The temporary murals will be in place for twelve months before being washed off the brick walls with warm water and elbow grease. The project was created by Keene State College Professor of Art Rosemarie Bernardi and Georgia Cassimatis of Friends of Public Art to bring public art into Keene. Funding for the project this year was supported in part by the KSC Art Collective, a KSC Pepsico Grant, and a KSC Faculty Teaching Enrichment Grant.
