Seeing is Believing
Murals that celebrate the hopes, histories and heroes of people living in Springfield now.
It’s hard to believe in the things we never see.
What would we believe - about ourselves and each other – if our public spaces were full of big, beautiful, permanent art that celebrates people just like us?
Let's find out.
YOUR DONATION GENERATES A 4X BOOST TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY
An economic and community impact evaluation of our 2019 mural installations found that the economic boost to Springfield was 4 times what was contributed from Springfield funders.
The evaluation also found that the project “generated extensive positive media coverage and was effective in improving perceptions of Springfield. Coverage in TV, radio and print news stories reached almost 1.5 million people and there were over 150,000 social media impressions and likes. Almost all media outlets ran multiple stories, increasing the likely viewership and impact.”
YOUR SUPPORT RESTORES HISTORICAL LEGACIES
"I am a Black Woman," by Nelson Stevens, photo by Clyde Santana
In 2022, we recreated two Springfield murals with national historical significance, and trained 12 local artists in state-of-the-art community-engaged mural techniques.
Photo by Isabella Dellolio Photography
In the early 70’s, Springfield was home to the world’s only collection of AfriCOBRA public art. Nelson Stevens, one of the founding members of AfriCOBRA, directed this groundbreaking public art program which created over 30 murals. Tragically, all but 2 murals were lost over time, including the four murals that were created by Mr. Stevens. We recreated two of his murals in 2022 and will recreate the third in 2024. Learn more about this project here.