In September 2017, I had the opportunity to participate in the Punto Urban Art Museum’s first mural showcase in Salem, MA. Punto’s vision is to "create a world class urban art museum district in Salem’s Point Neighborhood, one that embraces its rich immigrant and architectural history and presents a dynamic opportunity for the neighborhood’s future." The museum houses many large-scale murals from globally-recognized artists, as well as smaller murals like mine through their annual call for art.

This 9’x9’ mural took one week start to finish, and was my first time taking on environmental constraints for a painting. I never realized how fast the sun goes down in early fall until I painted outside! I got to chat with neighbors during the process, hang out with friends, and meet other local artists as we worked a few feet away from each other. 

I wanted to represent the diversity of cultures in Salem by painting some of the top nationalities represented by country birds. I researched which countries had the largest immigrant population in the city, and portrayed those birds as “finding rest” in the tree of Salem. This quirky place is a safe haven for many, fostering creative community from a wide range of backgrounds. It’s a place I want people to be seen and known by each other, regardless of how recent immigration to the United States has been.

The mural - among at least a dozen others - was presented to the community at a block party, and was available to view until the 2018 mural cohort painted their works.

Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” - Matthew 13:32