Creating Beauty in Unusual Places
by Bill Dusty
Beauty can sometimes be fleeting in Springfield, and other times it can be found in unexpected places. As of last Friday, one of those places is now the corner of Winter and Chestnut Streets.
On August 7th and 8th, internationally-traveled artist Robert Markey stopped by Springfield to teach a workshop on mosaics at the Springfield Museums School. While he was in town, Markey also took up an invitation to help plan and create a mosaic on the exterior wall of a nearby building located at the intersection of Winter and Chestnut Streets. The building’s blank wall faced a vacant lot in front of Chestnut Street. The lot, which is now city-owned, was once the site of the former Shannon’s Pub, which was torn down last year. Residents got tired of looking at the blank walls facing the lot as they passed by each day, so they approached the owners of the buildings to see if they’d be open to the idea of beautifying the drab brick surfaces. The owner of the Winter Street building obliged them, and an invitation was extended to Markey to help out. He accepted, and the project got underway during the week of August 11th through the 15th.
The project was a joint effort co-sponsored by the Springfield Museums and the Armoury-Quadrangle Civic Association. The work was performed by Markey and dozens of volunteers throughout the week, and all of the material used for the mosaic was donated.
Below are a few photos taken on Friday as volunteers worked to finish up the mosaic.
It began with broken tiles and squares.
Artist Robert Markey pitches in.
The Armoury-Quadrangle Civic Association’s Anna Brandenburg and the Springfield Museum’s Jeanne Fontaine helped organize the project.
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