Arts and Culture

Mural dedicated to all Boricuas and Latinos outside their homeland. Who leave behind their families, friends and part of their history to look for a better future. In their baggage they carry all their culture, pride and traditions to create a new home and a community proud of their roots.

Casanas inspiration for this mural comes from the Famous Bomera "Tata Cepeda" She is know for her dance, and music culture to Puerto Rican Heritage.

Flowing Flamboyan tree with hibiscus flowers blowing in the wind. The coqui singing it’s beautiful song & our cemi, Atabey lifting our island and our people PR of BORIKEN up with its music of Bomba from its barriles, with the islands natural beauty, it’s resources, and rich culture.

"The Master of Mask"

Case was inspired by the proximity to the War Memorial, and aimed to reflect on local, regional and national history. The piece commemorates the efforts of the abolitionist movement within the Valley, and honors the leaders who sparked momentum towards the cause.

Building on Commercial St. Mural sponsored by N2N, Erica Langevina

La cultura es poder / Culture is power Community mural in collaboration with youth lxs of Holyoke, as part of the UMass Amherst project, supported by Nueva Esperanza, Inc. in link with the Race and Visual Cultures project by El Corazón/The Heart of Holyoke Lxs youth from Holyoke told us that music is a vibrant part of Puerto Rican culture in their community. Boricuas we have taken the class with us wherever we go. Also, we chatted about how music can be a point of both distance and a meeting between generations. That's why you can appreciate on the mural the different musical genres going out of the windows and merging into a wake of colors that lead us to a Bomba fence. With this image, we wanted to evoke the connection of more contemporary rhythms with ancestral traditions. The bomb is very present in diaspora activism and their community practices. Then is struggle and our culture is power. Among the things that were discussed was also discussed to visualize an economically prosperous community. The premises included in the mural are spaces that have been around for many years in Holyoke, where the community shares and we hope they will last for much longer. Grateful for the attention and all the work of Kayla, Estrella and Stephanie of New Hope. Thanks to this team this project was made possible. Huge thanks to Britt Ruhe and the team at Common Wealth Murals for assisting us in the installation process and completion of the project. We also thank Herminio Rodriguez for allowing us to use his photos as reference for the mural. “La cultura es poder”???? Mural comunitario en colaboración con lxs jóvenes de Holyoke, como parte del proyecto El Corazón/The Heart of Holyoke, con el respaldo de Nueva Esperanza, Inc. en enlace con el proyecto “Race and Visual Cultures” de UMass Amherst. Lxs jóvenes de Holyoke nos contaron que la música es una parte vibrante de la cultura puertorriqueña en su comunidad. Lxs boricuas nos hemos llevado el voceteo con nosotrxs pa donde vayamos. También, conversamos sobre cómo la música puede ser un punto tanto de distancia como encuentro entre generaciones. Por eso se aprecia en el mural los distintos géneros musicales saliendo por las ventanas y fusionándose en una estela de colores que nos conducen a un cerco de Bomba. Con esta imagen, quisimos evocar la conexión de los ritmos más contemporáneos con las tradiciones ancestrales. La bomba está muy presente en el activismo de la diáspora y sus prácticas comunitarias. Entonces es lucha y nuestra cultura es poder. Entre las cosas que se conversaron también se habló de visualizar una comunidad económicamente próspera. Los locales que se incluyen en el mural son espacios que llevan muchos años en Holyoke, donde la comunidad comparte y esperamos que perduren por mucho más tiempo. Agradecidas de las atenciones y todo el trabajo de Kayla, Estrella y Stephanie de Nueva Esperanza. Gracias a esta equipa este proyecto se hizo posible. Agradecemos grandemente a Britt Ruhe y el equipo de Common Wealth Murals por asistirnos en el proceso de instalación y culminación el proyecto. También agradecemos a Herminio Rodríguez por permitirnos usar sus fotos como referencia para el mural.

El Corazón de Holyoke rises with the people to bring back hope and activity as we begin to embrace new life post-pandemic. Local artists have created artworks that center the importance of cultural identity as our ancestral technology of survival and resilience through joy, connection to place, connection to community, and link to our ancestors. These are the things that keep us going, that bring us life in moments of hardship. “¡Arriba, corazones!”, as Ruth Fernandez would say. We are here, and we survive. Our stories carry us forward. El Corazón de Holyoke se levanta con la gente para renovar la esperanza, generar energía y actividad mientras nos preparamos para salir de esta pandemia. Los artistas locales han creado obras de arte que centran la importancia de la identidad cultural como nuestra tecnología ancestral de supervivencia y resiliencia a través de la alegría, la conexión con el lugar, la conexión con la comunidad y el vínculo con nuestros antepasados. Estas son las cosas que nos mantienen en movimiento, que nos dan vida en momentos difíciles. “¡Arriba, corazones!”, como diría Ruth Fernandez. Estamos aquí y sobrevivimos. Nuestras historias nos llevan adelante.

“Tun Cutum PÁ” by Don Rimx Beyond Walls Tours Holyoke 2022 50ft x 85ft | 147 High Street, Holyoke, MA

"Yagrumo" by Vero Rivera Beyond Walls Tours Holyoke 2022 36ft x 15ft | 398 Main St. Holyoke, MA