IT’S MURAL PAINTING TIME!!!

Help us finish transforming the Blakemore Bridge this summer from the rusted, littered, and neglected eyesore it was over a year ago into a welcoming, pedestrian-friendly, enchanting entrance to our Prospect Hill neighborhood by adding two 70’ long murals painted by local artists.

WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN A $5,000 CHALLENGE GRANT TO USE ON OUR MURAL EXPENSES BY JOE DANZ, PROSPECT HILL RESIDENT AND OWNER of BOSTON EXTERIOR REMODELING.

Greg Stevens, owner of Top Liquors located at the foot of our bridge, has also made a major pledge of $500.

WE NOW NEED YOUR HELP TO RAISE THE REMAINING $4500! 

Help us meet Joe’s Challenge with your tax deductible gift of $15, $25, $50 or more.

To make a donation online, scroll down to the bottom of the page.

BACKGROUND

In early 2022 Meri Bond, Rosy Hosking and Dennis Kirkpatrick formed the Friends of Blakemore Bridge with the intent to transform our bridge. Neighbors joined a mailing list to stay informed and to volunteer where needed. We created a $13,000 budget for the murals, signage, and other bridge expenses. As a group we applied for and won a $3000 grant from the City of Boston’s Love Your Block initiative. ​​The City loved our proposal for colorful murals, more lighting, better trash control, and overall improved safety. Neighborhood volunteers helped to keep costs down by cleaning the bridge and keeping it clean, the City helped by adding two streetlights, and the City’s Graffiti Busters helped by keeping random graffiti in check. We have the approvals we need from the MBTA to paint our murals. All we need now are the funds to cover all the expenses.

OUR ARTISTS

Artists Andres Duarte (pictured right) & Anna Jacobs are designing a nature-oriented stencil-based mural for the north side of the bridge and Super Sobek (also on Instagram) & Jonathan Lopez-Wilen, are designing a graffiti-based mural for the south side. The funds from the City will cover materials but not pay for these incredible artists.

These four local artists bring us multi-cultural representation ranging from Lithuania, Colombia and Israel to the neighborhoods of Boston. Their experience includes painting electrical boxes to a mural at the Philbrook School to urban street art, graffiti art, working with Boston’s Artists for Humanity and painting murals around the City with the Mayor’s Mural Crew. These four people are as diverse in their life experiences as Rozzie itself and are bringing their world and personal experiences to our bridge.  We couldn’t be more excited!

With our current sponsors (BOSTON EXTERIOR REMODELING and TOP LIQUORS) and your help, we will be able to pay our artists what they deserve and pay for other needed/desired bridge improvements, e.g. signage, decorative lights, fencing, fees.

To make a donation online, scroll down to the bottom of the page. You can also send a check, made out to our fiscal sponsor, The Arts & Business Council. Please include “Friends of Blakemore Bridge” in the memo. The check should be mailed to The Arts & Business Council, Attn Alexis Dearborn, 15 Channel Center Street, Suite 103, Boston MA 02210. Thank you for your support!