Two MBTA bridges will be art exhibits | So Good News

The Norfolk Avenue Bridge is one of two bridges being replaced.

The MBTA announced that local artists have begun painting murals under the East Cottage Street and Norfolk Avenue bridges as part of a public art installation.

The MBTA is replacing both bridges, built in 1906, between the Uphams Corner and Newmarket Commuter Rail stations. The East Cottage Street and Norfolk Avenue bridges carry the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line through Roxbury and Dorchester.

The mural installations are facilitated by the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI), a non-profit, community-driven organization based in Roxbury. DSNI’s mission is to empower Dudley’s residents to organise, plan for, create and control a vibrant, diverse and high quality neighborhood in partnership with community partners. Established in 1984, DSNI has managed or been involved in a number of public art projects that have uplifted and beautified the neighborhood for more than 35 years.

The local artists chosen by DSNI to install the murals are Luis Taforo, Geo Ortega, Eyevan, Ricardo Gomez and Michael Talbot, all of whom were chosen for their commitment to improving public spaces through both art and activism. The murals will be completed ahead of the bridge installations, which are expected in mid-November 2022.

Ortega and Taforo will paint a mural titled “Birds of a Feather,” which has been described as a visual representation of the Dorchester and Roxbury communities with paintings of Cape Verdean King Fisher, Papagayo de la Española, Puerto Rican Toby, Rock Pigeon , and Sunbird as examples of these respective homelands’ natural beauty as well as their people’s adaptability.

Eyevan creates a piece centered around the multidimensional beauty that sunflowers display. The flower absorbs radioactive isotopes from the soil and creates fertile environments for other life to thrive. Despite adversity, their growth is never stunted and the natural process creates a healthy ecosystem full of life around them. Eyevan believes that humans embody the same power – the power to stand tall in the face of adversity and grow through it. The piece also serves as an ode to Graffiti Letters and contains quotes from activists who have dedicated their lives to the fight for human rights.

Gomez will paint a mural emblazoned with the word “Roxbury,” intended to inspire positivity, uplift the community and present a sense of joy to the general public.

Talbot will paint a mural themed ‘strength in the herd’, which will focus on the strength, pride, determination, courage and diversity of the local community through images of herd animals and flora.

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