Nuestra Mesa art-tables surround Chelsea Square fountain on installation day, Saturday, August 1, 2020. photo credit: Katy Rogers
Nuestra Mesa is a collaboration between Studioful Design, Chelsea Prospers, the City of Chelsea's program for downtown and public art, headed by Mimi Graney, and ten local artists (nine painters and one metal artist). Check out the Chelsea Prospers website for many more public art + civic projects!
Although socially distant, we collaborated across creative fields to create Nuestra Mesa.
Nuestra Mesa was born of necessity: the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated we stop the project we had in mind for Chelsea Square (a participatory design and build living room for the plaza created of found furniture); the pandemic also necessitated we create a project in response to the novel, socially distant way of sharing public space. In addition, we wanted to support the budding outdoor eating starting to emerge as a needed lifeline for the surrounding restaurants - and a needed connection for residents to the outdoors, and each other.
Close up and overall views of the Nuestra Mesa installation. photo credit: Katy Rogers
We also still wanted to support the local artists at all levels of their career, with a focus on emerging artists; we aimed to help build relationships, provide opportunity for artists to connect to their city, increase artists’ capacity for further community involvement, and provide financial compensation. We wanted participation that was connected and meaningful, yet safe.
Artists meet each other for the first time on installation day, bring friends to show off the art-works, and we even take a socially distant group photo! photo credit: Katy Rogers
To add to this context is the fact that Chelsea was one of the centers of the COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts.
We worked to create a conceptual framework for the project bringing together these discrete needs: a public art project to bring people together while keeping them safely apart, a participatory project where the participants work remotely, and a project acknowledging the collective trauma of a still-ongoing pandemic, while reminding us all of our resilience.
As we pondered creating a framework for this community art, we had conversations about the issues surfaced by the pandemic. One was the issue of public mourning, and how in the United States, public mourning is often suppressed. With so many Chelsea residents from Latin American cultures that integrate death as a present part of life we sought to use this openness to vulnerability as a foundation. Our research led us to create space for nine murals on nine tables to illustrate the “nine days of mourning” familiar to many cultures as a way to slow down and reflect on this moment in time.
We were especially inspired by the Dominican tradition where “these nine days consist of 3 days of grieving (crying and reminiscing), 3 days of silence (thinking and reverence) and 3 days for release (accepting and separating).”
We created a palette of colors and symbols to weave together these themes of mourning across nine tables with two chairs each designed to follow the circular body of Chelsea Square fountain – a place to bring food form a local restaurant and eat, a place to speak with a friend, to enjoy the water’s mist on a hot day, or just to reminisce. We also designed integrated table and chair sets that would showcase these artworks – and be the literal frames for their display. Each table-set includes the distinct symbol from one of the nine days of mourning. We collaborated here with the talented Scott Lanes who made the tables and improved our design in the process.
Artists and tabletop symbols (left to right):
top row - RAIN: Yenny Hernandez; FALLING LEAVES: Max Pro; WAVES: Keshia De Leon;
middle row - CLOUDS: Trippy Landia; SOIL: Aliyah Saldana-Oswald; OCEAN: Anna Dugan;
bottom row - SUNSHINE: Nirvanna Lildharrie; NEW TREE: Nelson Saldana; WIND: Marianne Ramos;
photo credit: Katy Rogers
We gathered nine artists to interpret each symbol and color in their own individual works as we all process the experiences of our lives individually, and yet the color and symbol palette gather these expressions together, as we also process these experiences collectively. We further developed the project to include the seats as part of the murals that either look backward to the day (symbol) that still lingers, and forward to the day (symbol) that is not yet here.
Max Pro captures a photo while holding his daughter. photo credit: Katy Rogers.
Claudia Paraschiv and Scott Lanes install the Nuestra Mesa painted panels on the red bases. photo credit: Katy Rogers
Artist Bios
We are so happy to showcase the talents of these thoughtful artists, local to Chelsea and the North Shore, but diverse in age, experience, background, and artistic interest. Please click on each photos to link to more of their work! (Note: not all artists have a web presence, so head down to Chelsea Square to see these in the original!)
Due to the nature of social distancing, not all artists were able to join us for portraits. All photos by Katy Rogers.
yenny hernandez
Yenny is a Latinx award winning graphic designer and illustrator from the Northshore. Of Puerto Rican descent her work pulls from her heritage and is often infused with vibrant colors and tropical foliage. Her work spans from messages of positivity, finding your voice, to depicting family, friends, and artists of color.
Yenny interpreted the theme of RAIN, representing the 1st day of mourning.
max pro
Max Pro was born and raised in Chelsea. His love for comic books and time travel fuel his creativity, which feeds into everything he does. He owns a custom clothing design business called All Planets that represents suicide awareness and mental health.
Max Pro interpreted the theme of FALLING LEAVES representing the 2nd day of mourning.
keshia de leon
Keshia de Leon of K Leon Creative Consulting is a Creative Educator, Artist, and Activist. Through her work in Community Engagement and Mural installation she has gained a unique and honest artistic vision that guides her work.
Keshia interpreted the theme of WAVES, representing the 3rd day of mourning.
trippylandia
Trippylandia is a Photographer and a Fine Art Painter in the Boston area. Her work is a combination of surrealism and psychedelic art. She composes vivid characters with a galactic and trippy feel, inspired by Vincent Van Gogh, Tim Burton, and Astronomy.
Trippylandia interpreted the theme of CLOUDS, representing the 4th day of mourning.
aliyah saldana-oswald
Aliyah Saldana-Oswald is our youngest participating artist, and daughter of Nelson Saldana. Art enables her to have an emotional outlet. She has been painting since very young.
Aliyah interpreted the theme of SOIL, representing the 5th day of mourning.
Anna Dugan
Anna Dugan is a Filipina American mural artist & illustrator based in Salem, MA. She use colors, patterns, typography, and humor to spread joy & positivity through her work. “Art brings communities together and has the power to connect us to one another.”
Anna interpreted the theme of OCEAN, representing the 6th day of mourning.
Nirvanna lilDharrie
Nirvanna Lildharrie is a painter based in Chelsea. Locally, Nirvanna has participated in the Chelsea Night Market, showcasing her art and doing free portraits for the people of Chelsea. In her art, you can find motifs of human emotion, gender, spirituality, and nature.
Nirvanna interpreted the theme of SUNSHINE, representing the 7th day of mourning.
Nelson Saldana
Based in Chelsea, MA, Nelson was born in the Bronx, NY, and moved to Chelsea when he was twelve. Since he was a child, he sketched uncontrollably all the time. Nelson’s goal in art is simple: create the most art through as many different media as possible and watch what happens.
Nelson interpreted the theme of NEW TREE, representing the 8th day of mourning.
Marianne Ramos
“Whatever I do, art shows up in the mix.” Marianne has lived, worked, and volunteered in Chelsea since 1983. With many college credits, but no degree, Marianne is a self-taught artist best known for her micro-mosaic collages, shell-o-visions, and Pandemic Postcards. Her work has been seen at local galleries.
Marianne interpreted the theme of WIND, representing the 9th day of mourning.
scott lanes
Scott Lanes is the owner of Witch City Customs in Salem, MA - a custom fabrication and architectural metalwork studio. Scott thrives on taking designs to new levels and collaborating to create original, fun, and useful works. Scott fabricated the table frames for the Nuestra Mesa table sets, including custom feet and symbol sun discs.