'Together' by Mz. Icar
We commissioned Mz. Icar to create an exterior mural at The Engagement Center in Newmarket Square.
Project Details
Project Context
The City of Boston commissioned the anonymous art collective Mz. Icar to create this mural as part of the third round of the Transformative Public Art Program. The Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture allocated more than $1 million toward murals at 10 sites across nine neighborhoods as part of the program. The total budget for this project was $75,000. The mural is located on the exterior of The Engagement Center in Newmarket Square. On this project, Mz. Icar collaborated with the:
THE SITE
The Engagement Center opened in August 2017 and moved into a new building at 26 Atkinson Street in December 2021. It's a welcoming, low-threshold daytime space for individuals navigating homelessness and substance use to:
- access resources
- engage in recovery, behavioral health, and homeless services, and
- receive nursing care and medical support.
Participants receive daily nursing care, including medication management, from Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. They can also receive medical care, connect with a behavioral health provider, and start substance use disorder treatment.
The Artwork
The mural "Together" is a colorful love letter that serves as a reminder that we are connected, valuable, and on a journey.
"Together" is a combination of acrylic paint and vinyl wrap. It measures 63 feet wide x 15.75 feet high on the front wall (the side that reads "Together"), and 14 feet wide x 15.75 feet high on the wall facing the parking lot.
We had the privilege and honor to meet with the staff and guests of the Engagement Center, hear their stories, hopes for the future, and learn about how this future is coming to fruition. The concept of meeting people where they are at is a strong example of radical love. We attempted to channel into this piece via the creation and engagement portion of this project. For the engagement component, we met with both staff and guests and posed the question, "How would you like to feel upon entering the Engagement Center?" Within the responses, there was a strong focus on the community, togetherness, and relief. We decided to use the words 'together' and 'relief' to create a colorful beacon that embodies those feelings in a buoyant manner.
- Mz. Icar
Meet the Artist
Meet the Artist
Mz. Icar
Artist, 'Together' mural in Newmarket Square
Mz. Icar is an anonymous art collective, comprised primarily of Black Women. Their name is "racIzM" backwards. They were established in 2018. Their members comprise of an Illustrator, Photographer, Designer, Prop stylist, Street Artist, and Collage Artist. They started this collective to create works that celebrate Women, Global Blackness, and Play. They create narratives in the form of mixed-media street art and fine art that explore histories and imagine the best case scenario future from the perspective of women and people of color.
Their work has been exhibited at Pyramid Hill Museum in OH, Culture House DC, Welancora Gallery, The Leroy Neiman Gallery, Westwood Gallery, i-20 Gallery, WNYC Radio’s Green Space, Rush Gallery, Andeken Gallery, SXSW and the Manifest Hope Art for Obama Democratic Convention Gallery Exhibition. They have done site-specific installation work at Etsy’s HQ, Publicis, and branded art projects for Ms. Lauryn Hill’s world tour, Essence Magazine and Nickelodeon.
The City of Boston commissioned Mz. Icar to create an exterior mural at The Engagement Center in Newmarket Square as part of the Transformative Public Art Program.
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