Still a work in progress, the mural at Tufts Street adds a splash of vibrant color to the neighborhood. — Photo courtesy of East Somerville Main Streets

By Norah Doyle

Have you noticed the large mural on Tufts Street near East Somerville Station? Painted by local artists, this enormous canvas brings a pop of color and excitement to this corner of Somerville.  Here’s how it came to be.

The mural was painted in phases throughout the summer of 2024, but has yet to be completed. The project is headed by Neighborways Design, a transportation planning and design firm that specializes in street safety, bicycle/pedestrian facilities, public art, and community-based planning.

Before painting could begin, Neigborways wanted to see what the people of Somerville desired to see on Tufts Street.

“We held events at the East Somerville Community School where we asked for ideas about themes for murals on the Tufts Wall and on the wall and pavement around the community school,” said Mark Chase, Principal and Senior Planner at Neigborways. “Nature was an important theme.”

Liz LaManche, Director of Art & Graphic Design at Neighborways, designed and planned the mural, working with the local artists who contributed to the mural.

“To cover such a mammoth area, we planned out in advance and then myself and an assistant drew the lines for where the landscape colors would go,” explained LaManche in a promotional video for the mural, shot by Alex Ezorsky. “Then everybody came in and filled in the lines and put in the cute colors of the circles and flowers and little details.”

LaManche personally contributed to the mural, painting a chickadee bird. LaManche painted this bird as an homage to Jerry Lauretano, a longtime resident in the Tufts Street neighborhood, who has done extraordinary work in bringing trees to the community, whose favorite bird is a chickadee.

“Growing up in general, they always looked down on my neighborhood. I wanted to make a difference, something everyone can enjoy,” said Laurentano regarding his contributions to the neighborhood. As a nature and landscaping enthusiast, it’s no surprise that Laurentano’s favorite part of the mural is the birds.

Neighborways has been instrumental in adding a network of bike lanes throughout Somerville and Boston, as a way to encourage pedestrian and cyclist transportation, without compromising safety.

For Nova Riley, a Somerville resident and local artist who contributed a frog and a heron to the mural, this piece hits close to home – literally. Riley lives just down the street from the mural and can see it from her porch.

“It’s right at the end of my street, so the best part for me is walking outside and truly feeling like I’m making a positive mark on my neighborhood, in the best way I know how. It makes a big difference to a neighborhood to do these relatively small things just to say to each other, ‘Hey, we care about this place,’” said Riley.

“I chose a heron because it’s a really beautiful bird that I see very frequently when I’m visiting the waterways in the area. And I’m obsessed with frogs, I love nature,” said Riley, explaining her art in the promotional video for the mural.

The mural is not yet completely finished, as a few circles have been reserved for the owner of the gym that the wall belongs to -Rx Strength Training- to paint.

Neighborways may not have any official new mural projects in the works, but that doesn’t mean local artists haven’t been plotting.

“I think Somerville in general is ripe for murals, but I would especially like to see more done with the bike path at any point east of the Lowell St entrance,” said Riley. “There is a concrete and gravel cove right by the Cross St. entrance that would be amazing with a revitalizing mural; what a great canvas.”