Sax Art, created by artist and Framingham resident Sorin Bica and Friends of Saxonville members Brandon Ward and Lynne Damianos, is raising funds for a public art project in the Saxonville neighborhood of Framingham. The project’s goal is to support local artists and highlight the importance and history of the Sudbury River to the City with the creation of two murals on the Sudbury River Floodgates.
The group issued a call for proposals in June and two individuals with Framingham connections - local artist Mia Cross and international muralist Lena McCarthy - were chosen as the winners. They used the natural setting around the river as inspiration to create their proposal, hoping that spectators can take a moment to appreciate the river and its surroundings. Both artists will receive $5,000 each to create the murals.
“Through this collaboration we want to emphasize the importance of creating a harmonious relationship between the City's residents and the river. Each of our pieces highlight several of the beautiful species (animals or flora) that call the Sudbury River home,” said McCarthy and Cross when describing their pieces.
The murals will be placed at the Sudbury River Floodgates between 1545-1555 Concord Street.
The Friends of Saxonville and the
Framingham Cultural Council have contributed $5,000 to t
he Sax Art group, according to the MetroWest Daily News and their project donation
page. They are currently fundraising for the other $5,000 needed through the platform Kickstarter, where more than $3,000 has been raised. If you wish to support this project, please visit their page on Kickstarter -> http://kck.st/3pkFGL1
“We were looking for a way to support and uplift a growing artist community that exists in Saxonville. There are a number of different art studios that call the Saxonville Mills home, and we thought this was a great way to draw attention to that,” Ward told Choose Framingham.
Cross and McCarthy first got to know each other at church in Natick, and years later were reunited as roommates at Boston University, where both of them attended the College of Fine Arts. Since then, their friendship has persisted, and as two professional artists, they found this project was the perfect opportunity to finally be able to collaborate artistically.
Cross was born and raised in Framingham. After graduating from Boston University, she received multiple grants and her artwork has been featured throughout New England and New York. Her work also lives in private collections around Europe and the United States.
McCarthy is originally from Wayland, and now has her studio located at the Saxonville Mills. She began her career by creating street art in Santiago, Chile and since then has painted across the world. Her murals can be found in Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the United States.
You can read more about the Floodgate Mural Project at the MetroWest Daily News. And if you’d like to contribute to the Sax Art mural project, you can do so at their Kickstarter page.
