Artists from Puerto Rico and Florida will create Norwich's latest murals. Where, and why.
NORWICH — It seems that 2022 has become the year for murals in Norwich with the murals on Market Street Garage and Castle Church. Now, two more are being painted in downtown Norwich.
The Norwich Street Art Collective invited two artists, Carlitos Skills and Golden to Norwich to paint murals. Skills, whose legal name is Carlos Alexis Rivera Rivera, is working on a mural is at 59-61 Broadway, and Golden, whose legal name is Cristhian Saravia, is painting one at 161-171 Franklin St.
Both murals are expected to be finished on Thursday, August 18.
Peter Helms, founder of the Norwich Street Art Collective, was inspired by the street art in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami, Florida. It was once a blighted neighborhood, but is now a place where culture and business thrive.
“A group of people decided that if they brought in art, that would inspire people and give them a sense of pride in their community, and ultimately transform it economically,” Helms said.
Norwich is in a unique position. While millions of people visit the nearby casinos every year, there hasn’t been enough of a draw to pull casino visitors into the city. An outdoor art museum may have the kind of pull needed, he said.
As long as it was family-friendly, the artists could do anything they wanted, as tight restrictions are “not how you get the best art from artists.” The city and the property owners also felt the same way, he said.
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To get the best people, Skills was brought in from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and Golden from Miami.
Norwich-based Edward and Mary Lord Foundation also helped make the murals happen, but Director Kathryn Lord declined to state how much the organization contributed.
"The Lord Foundation is excited to help the Norwich Street Arts Collective with the mural project they have planned for downtown," Lord stated in an email. "They are an enthusiastic, committed group of young creative thinkers and we believe their ideas will bring some lively and interesting things to life for our city."
Skills said his mural, called Metamorphosis, is about change, which is why the piece prominently features butterflies.
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“I wanted to do a representation of this area of Connecticut, Norwich, transforming itself with the use of art and imagination,” he said.
Jesse Baier, co-owner of JLS Premier Masonry and Construction, was working on a building in the same lot as Skill’s mural. Baier liked the mural and said greater change in the community “starts with one person caring.”
Moosup resident Laurie Bartholic, who works at Reliance Health, said including art in Norwich’s revitalization has an appeal.
“As someone who isn’t an artist herself, I really appreciate the talent and experience that other people have, and can express themselves in that form,” she said.
Skills said he likes visiting cities all over, and bringing art into communities with limited art. Public art gives people something to do beyond going to the bar, he said, and gives people something to unify around and help them believe in themselves.
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“It’s fun to come a couple of years later, and see what happened with the art, and how it changed, and how it created a new place,” Skills said.
Skills has traveled to New York and Wynwood, as well as other countries, including France and Colombia.
Beyond just these two projects, Helms said he wants to start a street art festival in Norwich next year, bringing 15 more muralists to the city, sharing their craft, and Skills and Golden will help in organizing it. He hopes these murals will help inspire more art in the city.
“This is really just the beginning."
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich adds two more murals, on Broadway and Franklin Street
