ArtWorks unveils its finished mural in Westfield

Aug. 25, 2020 | Dennis Hackett
dennis@thereminder.com

One piece of the mural honors nurses that have been at the front lines of the pandemic.
Reminder Publishing photo by Dennis Hackett

WESTFIELD – After months of work on the project, ArtWorks of Westfield finished its first mural at the underpass between Taylor Avenue and Hedges Street and hosted a dedication ceremony on Aug. 24.

Residents and artists alike came out to the dedication to hear the artists and the project’s supporters talk about what it means to finally have the project completed.

“This mural has become a celebration, it’s a remembrance of this time in our lives. Throughout the painting of it, so much joy, love, positivity has been shared and it’s truly heartwarming. Today it is the honor of ArtWorks of Westfield to dedicate this mural to the city of Westfield and the heroes of the COVID pandemic,” Shannon Chiba, one of the artists behind the project, said.

Bill Westerlind, ArtWorks’ founder said this is just the first of many murals.

“We wanted our first mural to be the very best so people would be blown away by it so we can do more. This is gonna be a catalyst for more murals in the city, I can guarantee you that,” he said.

He added that it was a complete community effort to get the project done.

“This was all about community so every image you see in there has input from so many people in the city that it was a true community adventure. On the first day I think we had about 25 to 30 folks here and people just came off the bike trails. So, this effort is a function of our entire community,” Westerlind said.

State Sen. John Velis was also in attendance at the dedication and said he was happy with the completed mural.

“Shannon, you said something real interesting about when you go down there and you look at it, there’s a sense of serenity and that’s exactly what I got. You take a look at it and you feel at peace, you feel at ease,” he said.

With the first mural finished, Chiba said that ArtWorks’ next mural will be done in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club and will be a project that the children of the city can work on.

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