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Roxbury Community College Unveiled a 85-foot Ode to Africa mural by Roberto Chao
November 3 @ 5:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Today at 5pm Roxbury Community College is unveiling an 85-foot mural on campus that was created by a group of community artists led by master muralist Roberto Chao, who has made over 50 community murals. More than two dozen artists contributed ranging from international experts to an RCC student just starting her career. The theme is “An Ode to Africa in the Americas”.
MORE INFO
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The event is part of RCC’s 50th anniversary Academic Symposium at the College. Today’s panels include:
- 10:30-11:20am: “Restoring our Community from the Inside Out: Partnerships, Pressure and Reform”
- 2:10 – 3:00pm: “Education that Levels the Innovation Playing Field”
- 2:10 – 3:00pm: “Unleashing the Power of Wealth Generation: Transforming the Economy through Empowerment”
Roxbury Community College Unveils “An Ode to Africa in the Americas” Mural, Honoring the Past, Present and Future
Friday November 3 at 5 p.m.
WHAT: Roxbury Community College (RCC) is hosting a dedication ceremony Friday November 3 at 5pm for a mural that is a partnership between RCC and the local community. The dramatic, colorful 17-panel mural stretches 85 feet along the outdoor walkway wall between Buildings 3 and 4 on the RCC campus and can be seen from Columbus Avenue. Each panel is 9 feet tall. Led by renowned master muralist Roberto Chao, more than two dozen Black and Brown artists from the Roxbury community worked on the mural for several months, ranging from elder artists to students just starting their artistic careers. An estimated 2,000 hours of volunteer painting labor went into the planning and execution of the project.
The mural team’s collective vision for their “An Ode to Africa in the Americas” mural honors and illustrates the past and present of Africa’s presence in the America’s in all its richness, complexity, devastation, resilience, pain, joy, beauty, creativity, and brilliance. A QR code placed next to the mural gives visitors access to more information about the symbolism and history behind the images on the mural, so it can be used as an educational tool.
The panels were painted on weather-resistant aluminum composite panels. This project was made possible through $20,000 in funding from RCC, panel donations from J Freeman, Inc in Dorchester, and a paint donation from the Sherwin-Williams store in Jamaica Plain.
WHO:
- Roberto Chao, Muralist
- Jackie Jenkins-Scott, RCC Interim President
- Tamyya Wright, RCC student
WHERE: Roxbury Community College – Courtyard 1 between Building 3 and Building 4
1234 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury, MA
WHEN: Friday November 3, 2023 @5pm
