Champlain Housing Trust has commissioned Juniper Creative Arts to create a 400 square foot mural on the North Street side of the Old North End Community Center in Burlington.
Titled “Moringa the Medicine Woman,” the 20′ x 20′ mural will be the newest addition to Juniper Creative’s Afro-Pollinator Series, that began with “Kelis the Afronaut” at Champlain Elementary School in Burlington’s South End.
The community is invited to join the artists at the Old North End Community Center, 20 Allen Street, to co-create the “Moringa” mural at Community Paint Day, July 31, from 12:00 – 3:00pm. This event will coincide with the Ramble (a free, annual event to celebrate creativity and community in Burlington’s Old North End) and ONE World Market.
Each step of the mural project has had community and connection at the forefront- from the choice of building and wall, to the decision to hold workshops with local students at the Sustainability Academy and Integrated Arts Academy to contribute to the artwork, to the addition of the Community Paint Day where everyone can contribute to the creation of the mural by painting predetermined shapes that will be collaged into the mural, and is the ultimate celebration of this co-created and community-centered centerpiece.
Organizers have created a gofundme campaign, to ensure equitable compensation for the Juniper Creative Arts team and their assistants, the cost of elevated panels, supplies, scissor lift rental, and the Community Paint Day event. Champlain Housing Trust has agreed to match all donations dollar for dollar up to $15,000!
Based in Brandon, Vermont, Juniper Creative Arts is a Black and Dominican family collective, comprised of Will Kasso Condry, Jennifer Herrera Condry, and Alexa Herrera Condry. They focus on facilitating mural projects for universities, K-12 schools, and community organizations, while educating people on the history of muralism in the United States and the value of community murals and graffiti as forms of democratic art. Their work is centered on using visual arts to lift up voices, images, and people that are often left on the margins.
The Old North End Community Center, created by Champlain Housing Trust a few years ago, is the heart of community work in the neighborhood, home to many organizations including AALV (Association of Africans Living in Vermont), a community theater group, Robin’s Nest Children’s Center, a senior center, and a Hindu temple association, in addition to offerings from Burlington Parks, Recreation and Waterfront.