Elevated Thought
Sending so much gratitude to @Marquis Victor (Executive Director) and @Celeste Cruz (Art Curator), as well as all the young people and artists – thank you for welcoming me to your space! Elevated Thought is a social justice art space based in Lawrence, MA founded by Marquis, a former Boston Public School teacher and graduate of Boston's Social Innovation Forum. Through workshops, apprenticeships, and public art projects, the organization engages young people in activism using poetry, storytelling, painting, and film.?This is Corning Foundation and Corning Life Science’s first year supporting Elevated Thought's I am Art. I am Change. Apprenticeship.?
I had the amazing opportunity to spend a few hours at Elevated Thought on a recent afternoon, and I am thrilled to share some highlights below. However, the pictures don't do the murals or artwork justice, so I would definitely recommend visiting in person!
Celeste showed me the current exhibit, sharing the artists' stories behind each piece. This is important, because some of the artists make an appearance (in person) and in their murals that we see later!
Art in the space:
Celeste sharing the stories behind local artists' work, including two of her self portraits (Location: Elevated Thought HQ)
The Black Panther was at the old studio space. It was cut from the wall and reframed to be put in this new location, at the entrance to Elevated Thought. Artist: Sammy Johnson. Location: Elevated Thought HQ.
A snippet of the entrance stairway. Artist: Rixy. Location: Elevated Thought HQ.
Celeste then took me on a personal walking tour around downtown Lawrence, a former mill town on the Merrimack River, to see the murals in person – amazing paintings by local artists with input from the community! Some are commissioned by local businesses. Others are collaborative projects with other artists and the city. (I didn't map our walk, so the best I can do is caption the approximate locations below!)
Henry Jewelers Mural. Artist: Alex J. Brien.?Location: Henry's Jewelry & Awards at 77 Essex St
Yes You Can Ebox. Artists: Kate Delaney and Patrick Gurrero. Location: Jackson St and Essex St
La Familia (planter). Artist: Celeste Cruz. Location: 10 Pemberton Way
Fairy Ebox. Artist: Ledia Mane. Location: Newbury St and Essex St
COVID Mural. Artists: Alex J. Brien, Celeste Cruz, and Mariana Perez. Location: Common St and Amesbury St
Artist: Mattaya Fitts. Location: Amesbury St and Methuen St
418 Essex St Mural (left side). Artist:Alex J. Brien. Location: near 418 Essex St
418 Essex St Mural (right side). Artists: Jared Goulette and Werks. Location: near 418 Essex St
Artist: Rixy. Location: by St. Vincent de Paul Society near 42 Franklin St
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The words were collected through a workshop with community members. Artist: Alex J. Brien. Location: Buckley Transportation Center, 295 Common St
This banner features pictures from the archives with spray-paint touches depicting now and hopes for the future. Artists: Alex J. Brien and ET youth artists. Location: Lawrence Public Library at 51 Lawrence St
Artist: Alex J. Brien. Location: YWCA at 38 Lawrence St
Celeste and I headed back to the headquarters as the sun set and as the young people settled in after school to work on various projects -- visual art and writing -- with resident artists.
One of the neat characteristics about old factories is the loft space -- open floor space and high ceilings allow for such cool creations. Elevated Thought has an exhibit and event space on the sixth floor:
Marquis and I had a lengthy and insightful conversation, and started brewing ideas for future collaborations.
The last mural to close out my visit is a tribute to the Bread and Roses Strike of 1912 (also called the Lawrence Textile Strike). The strike started at Everett Mills, where Elevated Thought is headquartered today. It was of immigrant textile mill workers that lasted over two months during the brutally cold winter months. It was the first of many textile mill strikes in the 1910's and remembered as one of the most well-organized strikes in US labor history -- meetings were translated into dozens of languages, the community came together to make sure people were fed.
Bread & Roses Mural. Artist: Mattaya Fitts. Location: Everett Mills at 15 Union St
I picked up pizza and dessert from Tripoli down the street and went home to watch a documentary about the?strike and the history of Lawrence. Celeste told me that Lawrence is still a city of immigrants, and we can see that the history of activism is still present. Organizations like Elevated Thought provide a space for the next generation to think, to create, and to use their voices and creativity for individual and community change.?I'm inspired to continue my creative journey and to use my voice. Thank you to the whole team at Elevated Thought for hosting me. Keep sharing your amazing work! I'm honored to have been able to share the space and hope to collaborate on a piece the next time I visit!
For more info, check out:
#ElevatedThought #Iamart #iamchange #localartists #youngartists #art #lawrenceMA #millcity #socialjustice #SupportTheArts
#CorningFoundation
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One of the initiatives I lead at?Corning Life Sciences?is connecting local nonprofits in the Greater Boston/Lowell area with grants from the?Corning Foundation, and extending those partnerships to employee volunteer opportunities! I'll be sharing on LinkedIn, so follow along using the hashtags:?#CorningFoundation?and?#CorningVolunteers.
This sounds really inspirational.