In honor of the original 2012 "Africa to America" mural created in a Madison Park Development Corporation summer youth program, Roxbury Community College agreed to host a newer, larger redesign of the mural on campus in partnership with mural director Roberto Chao and project coordinator Mark Schafer.
A dozen Black and Brown artists—emerging, mid-career and internationally celebrated—who live and work in the Roxbury community began the Design Phase (Design Phase photo gallery) in May 2023. This multi-generational collective of artists extensively researched overarching themes, critical messages, and key elements for inclusion that would energize, educate, and inspire mural visitors. Once the design was approved in August 2023, the mural crew immediately leapt into the Preparation Phase (Preparation Phase photo gallery) in earnest. The team cut the aluminum panels to size, sandpapered the surfaces, and coated them with primer paint. A digital projector then beamed the final design onto the panels, three at a time, so that the muralists could trace the enlarged imagery lightly and carefully.
The Painting Phase (Painting Phase photo gallery) offered the most excitement as ideas and concepts came to life in vivid colors, shapes, and sizes. The crew doubled in size as neighbors, artists, students and other volunteers from the community joined in to support the core team. With diligence, the team completed the mural and moved quickly into Installation Phase (Installation Phase photo gallery) the week prior to the unveiling. They were overwhelmed with emotion the first time they saw the mural assembled in its entirety. In total, it took over 2,000 hours of work by the mural crew and community to bring this mural to life.
Below is a before-and-after comparison of the original digital design and the installed, painted masterpiece.
Check out these videos of the artists in action:
