Fresh Paint Mural: GeoUtopia - Springfield, MA

GeoUtopia

Springfield, MA

N 42° 06.267 W 072° 35.490

https://kimcarlinoart.com/public-art

Short Description: 

"GeoUtopia" is a large mural located on Worthington Street behind the currently unoccupied building at 8-12 Stearn Square in the dining district Springfield, MA.

Long Description:

Fresh Paint Springfield took place in early June 2019. The City of Springfield commissioned nine artists to paint murals at various locations around the downtown area.

"GeoUtopia" is a 50' long by 25' high abstract mural painted by Easthampton artist Kim Carlino. The artist describes herself as an "... interventionist, mining the space between painting and drawing. I explore the evolutionary nature of mark making and relationships between color, geometry, line and form."

The focus of this abstract mural are central, yellow, oval forms against a red and black background. The form is criss-crossed by a series of black line segments, white circular arcs, and light blue and gravy wavy curves. She includes a black spiral design, which is seen in many of her works, throughout the yellow form.

Fresh Paint Springfield Mural: Beast in the Paint - Springfield, MA

Beast in the Paint

Springfield, MA

N 42° 06.172 W 072° 35.631

Quick Description: 

"Beast in the Paint" is a massive mural located at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Worthington Street in downtown Springfield, MA.

Long Description:

Fresh Paint Springfield took place in early June 2019. The City of Springfield commissioned nine artists to paint murals at various locations around the downtown area.

"Beast in the Paint" is a basketball themed mural was created by the legendary, British-American, Bronx resident, graffiti artist who calls himself Wane One. Springfield is the Birthplace of Basketball and the home to the basketball Hall of Fame. Located on the six story East Columbus Avenue Parking Garage, the mural wraps around the northwest corner of the building for 185', covers most of the brickwork at the first two stories of the garage and rises to the top of the six story stairwell.

The title has a double meaning. The beast is the huge parking garage which he painted. The paint is a basketball term for the area in and around the basket. The beast in the paint is then a proficient player in this area. The stairwell is painted with a series of basketballs, of various sizes, against a blue background which rise to the top of the building. Here you will find the name of the mural and his characteristic signature. The rest of the mural is painted with a muticolor array of geometric shapes.

Roadside Attraction: Grave of the Smiley Face Inventor - Worcester, MA

Grave of the Inventor

 of the 

Smiley Face 

Harvey Ross Ball

Worcester, MA

N 42° 14.079 W 071° 50.242

Quick Description: 

The inventor of the ubiquitous smiley face, Harvey Ross Ball, is located in the western edge of the St. Rita section of Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester, MA.

Long Description:

When the State Mutual Life Assurance Company of Worcester, MA found it necessary to raise worker morale they hired freelance artist Harvey Ross Ball to design a happy image for posters, buttons, and signs. The result was the smiley face. Note: the original smiley face has oval eyes, the left eye is slightly larger, and the smile is asymmetrical.

Harvey Ball took ten minutes to create the image, was paid $45, and never applied for a trademark or copyright for his design. Thus, it entered the public domain and became free for anyone to use. The smiley face then became a world wide icon.

His grave marker contains the original image of the smiley face on both the front and the back.

Human Migration Monument: British Home Children Memorial - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

British Home Children Memorial

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Canada

N 44° 38.299 W 063° 33.956

Short Description: 

A memorial to the British Home Children who were sent to Canada is located along Marginal Way opposite Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Long Description:

From the late 1869 to 1948, over 100,000 children emigrated from the United Kingdom to Canada. They were sent as indentured farm workers and domestics. Canadians assumed they were orphans, but most came from families that had fallen on hard times. Since there was no social safety net, over 50 charities participated in this program.

The memorial to the British Home Children is 6' high rectangular granite stele inscribed in both English on the front and French on the back. It contains, on top, a coat of arms with the inscription HOME CHILDREN CANADA and the motto SPES IN CANADA (HOPE IN CANADA). Below is the flag of the United Kingdom. The memorial is inscribed:

BRITISH 

HOME CHILDREN

IN MEMORY OF

THE MORE THAN

100,000 CHILDREN

SENT TO CANADA

FROM GREAT BRITAIN

BETWEEN 1869

TO THE MID 1940's

TO WORK AS

FARM LABOURERS AND

DOMESTIC SERVANTS

PETITS

IMMIGRES

BRITANNIQUES

EN MÉMOIRE DES PLUS 

DE 100 000 ENFANTS

DE LA GRANDE-BRETAGNE

ENVOYÉS AU CANADA A

PARTIR DE 1869 JUSQU'AU

MILIEU DES ANNÉES

1940 POUR TRAVAILLER 

COMME OUVRIERS AGRICOLES

OU TRAVAILLEURS

DOMESTIQUES