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Windows to an Underground World

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Windows to an Underground World
Sacramento and Somerville Ave, underpass
643 Somerville Ave, Somerville, MA

http://www.tovaspeter.com/art/lowell-street-underpass

From January - June 2005, students in Mrs. Sweeney’s class at the John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Somerville worked with local artist, Tova Speter, to create a mural in the pedestrian tunnel connecting Beacon Street and Somerville Ave. In the early months, the students participated in the design process, choosing a theme, researching images, and configuring a final design to implement when the snow finally melted. Funded in part by a grant from the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council as an education grant, and supported by Mayor Joe Curtatone, Tova acted as an artist-in-residence and worked to offer the students the “entire mural experience” from start to finish. Home Depot in Assembly Square and Tags Hardware in Porter Square generously donated materials. The mural design consists of a series of “underground” images, and measures over 60 feet long and 7 feet high.