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Roxbury Sunflower Project Recap

Roxbury Sunflower Project Season 8 — officially launched!  

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Grove Hall Public Library to kick off another year of planting beauty and community care in Roxbury and beyond.

We distributed free sunflower seeds, seedlings, and Kid’s Kits for Young Gardeners. sparc! the ArtMobile brought creativity with artmaking for all ages. From flower crowns and visors to bird feeder decoration, the event was full of joyful energy and sunshine.

Here’s to a season of growth, connection, and sunflowers blooming across the neighborhood!

Photo Credit:  Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo

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SATURDAY!

One day. Two sparc! events. All the creative energy.

Join sparc! the ArtMobile this Saturday, May 10 for a full day of community art and celebration on Geneva Ave!

Morning: Roxbury Sunflower Project Season Opening

10AM–1PM @ Grove Hall Public Library (41 Geneva Ave, Dorchester)  

Celebrate 8 years of sunflowers in Roxbury!  

Pick up free sunflower seeds, seedlings, and Kid’s Kits.  

Join sparc! for joyful artmaking for all ages.

Afternoon: Make Your Mark on sparc! 

2PM–5PM @ Alfredo’s Auto Body (58 Geneva Ave, Dorchester)  

Celebrate 5 years of Back Against the Wall: Graffiti in Grove Hall with  

live mural painting. This year’s event will also feature “Make Your Mark on sparc!” a community collaboration of painting on the new sparc! Van 2.0. Members of the community are invited to paint a temporary mural on sparc! to honor its roots in collaboration and arts engagement. 

Come for the sunflowers, stay for the paint.  

All are welcome. Everything is free.

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JOIN sparc! SATURDAY!

Roxbury Sunflower Project

Saturday, May 10 @ 10AM - 1PM  

Grove Hall Public Library

41 Geneva Avenue, Dorchester, MA

Join us for the 8th opening season of the Roxbury Sunflower Project!

Pick up your free sunflower seeds, seedlings and Kid’s Kits. MassArt’s sparc! the ArtMobile will host artmaking activities for all ages.

Make Your Mark on sparc!

Boston’s Live Art Mural Event Celebrates Five-Year Anniversary

Saturday, May 10 @ 12 - 6PM  

Alfredo’s Auto Body

58 Geneva Ave, Dorchester

Celebrate 5 years of Back Against the Wall: Graffiti in Grove Hall!

Join us for live mural painting, hands-on art, free sparc! the ArtMobile workshops, and community vibes.

This year, we invite you to Make Your Mark on sparc!

Experience Boston’s graffiti culture in action.

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Comics in Color - Chain Link Gallery

💥💫 The Boston Comics in Color festival Chain Link Gallery installation is UP on Columbus Ave!💫💥

As part of the countdown to the Boston Comics in Color Festival, sparc! the ArtMobile teamed up with these long-term partners to create an outdoor gallery featuring bold, vibrant works by local artists who will also be showcasing artwork at the festival!

Take a walk along Columbus Ave near Roxbury Community College and experience this celebration of comics, color, and community — right on the fence!

Then, join us at the festival on Saturday, April 26th (1-4 pm) where sparc! the ArtMobile will be hosting with:  

– Superhero Mask Making 

– Create Your Own Zine

🎟️ FREE tickets — Here

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Boston's Comics in Color Festival !! (4/26)

🎨✨ One Week Away! Boston Comics in Color Festival is Back! ✨📚

We’re so excited to return! sparc! the ArtMobile will be onsite with:  

– Superhero Mask Making  

– Create Your Own Zine

Join us from 1–4 PM on Saturday — don’t miss it!

Boston’s first and only comic arts festival celebrating stories by and about people of color is a vibrant, intergenerational, and family-friendly event featuring panel discussions, hands-on workshops, live art, and cosplay!

SAVE THE DATES:

Friday, April 25 | 6–8 PM

Opening Panel @ Roxbury Community College  

1234 Columbus Ave

Saturday, April 26 | 10 AM–5 PM 

Festival Day @ Reggie Lewis Center  

1350 Tremont St  

sparc! will be there 1–4 PM!

Get your FREE tickets HERE

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Silvia López Chavez - Artist Talk, Recap

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Grove Hall Public Library for an inspiring evening with Silvia López Chavez! 

Silvia shared stories behind her vibrant public art practice—centering community, joy, and the power of place. Her work reminds us how powerful belonging in public art is! 

We’re so grateful to Silvia for sharing her process, and to all who came out to be in conversation with her.  

Make sure to check out her work displayed on Geneva Ave as part of sparc!’s Chain Link Gallery exhibition!

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✨📚Join us for the Hellerstein Lecture, an exciting evening celebrating the art of children's books! This event will explore the legacies, memories, and collaborations that bring inspiring stories to life.

All are welcome for the sparc! led artmaking activity, followed by the presentation and conversation with two incredible creatives in children's literature. 

We're excited to hear from our very own Ekua Holmes, an award winning artist, illustrator, and Director of CACP's sparc! the ArtMobile, and Autumn Allen - an award winning children's book author, editor, and educator.

Together, they will share insights into the creative process and the relationships that make meaningful children’s books possible.

📅 Date: Thursday, April 17  from  5 - 7 pm

📍 Location: MassArt auditorium 

🔗 RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com/e/connected-legacies-the-making-of-childrens-books-tickets-1233051001739?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

This evening is part of the Hellerstein Literary Reading & Lecture Series at MassArt. Established in honor of Professor Marjorie Hellerstein (1924–2005), a longtime MassArt faculty member, the Hellerstein Series engages our community in conversation with the finest living authors, poets, and literary critics.

Brought to you by MassArt Humanities, Creative Writing Minor, sparc! the ArtMobile, the Godine Library, Office of Institutional Advancement, Center for Art and Community Partnerships (CACP), and the President’s Office.

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Silvia López Chavez - Chain Link Gallery + Artist Talk

📣 New Chain Link Gallery installation alert! 📣

We’re thrilled to showcase the incredible work of local artist and muralist Silvia López Chavez as part of the Chain Link Gallery exhibitions on Geneva Avenue! 🎨

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Silvia is known for her bold use of color, geometric patterns, and community-driven storytelling. Her art explores the social and historical impacts on placemaking, transforming public spaces into vibrant reflections of culture and connection.

Join us on Tuesday, April 8th as sparc! the ArtMobile’s Creative Spaces hosts an artist talk with Silvia! Come hear about her artistic process and inspirations.

📅 Tuesday, April 8th, 2025

🗣️ Artist Talk:5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

📍 Grove Hall Library- 41 Geneva Ave, Dorchester

✅ RSVP -

Thank you to the sparc! Team Members who helped install these beautiful pieces on a windy day! If you are walking by, take a selfie and share #chainlinkgallery.

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Magda Léon - Artist Talk and Workshop Recap

✨ What a day! 🎨💛  

Big love to everyone who joined us for our Printmaking Workshop & Artist Talk with the amazing Magda Léon (MFA ’24) at Grove Hall Public Library!  

From inky hands to powerful conversations, we explored the art of printmaking and community connection. 

Magda shared her journey as an artist, diving into themes of bicultural identity and the immigrant experience, while sparking meaningful dialogue and reflection.  

Heartfelt thanks to Magda, our incredible participants of all ages and stages, and the Grove Hall Public Library for making this such a special gathering.

Stay tuned for more sparc! events coming soon! 💫 

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sparc! the ArtMobile Chain Link Galleries

Magda Léon visits her Chain Link Gallery installation at RCC

sparc!'s fence Beautification installations are an ongoing public art initiative by MassArt's sparc! the ArtMobile in Grove Hall beginning in 2012. Around a city-owned lot at 48 Geneva Ave, there are 300 feet of chain link fence. It is distinctive, old, bent and forlorn, yet it is the defining boundary of a lot that spans nearly an acre and formerly held a vibrant teen center. Across the street are three important community spaces, the Albert Holland High School (formerly the Jeremiah E. Burke High School), the Grove Hall Community Senior Center and the Grove Hall branch of the Boston Public Library making this a well traveled and highly visible space.  These fence installations are a way of speaking to and with the community. Installations have featured poetry and art, duct tape abstraction, yarn pom poms, flagging tape and winter gear give-aways.

A space that was an eyesore was transformed by simply giving it care, creativity and attention. 

During the Covid pandemic, this project was reborn and renamed “Chain Link Galleries.” As one of our only ways to continue to ignite art and design in the neighborhood, these installations became an important way of staying in touch and involved with the community. With a new partnership, we expanded our offering to include the fences at Roxbury Community College along Columbus Ave with great visibility. Each season we feature local community artists, MassArt alumni or reflections on community events, enlarged on vinyl panels and paired with poetry and other narratives. 

Now showing: Magda Léon, at RCC and on Geneva Avenue. Join us tonite for her Artist's Talk. Scan the QR code to register or go to bit.ly/.43pGCnl.

Keep watching these spaces for new installations. sparc! the ArtMobile: igniting art and design in the neighborhood.

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Artist Talk + Printmaking Workshop with Magda Léon (Tue, March 18th)

Join sparc! the ArtMobile for the upcoming artist talk with Magda Léon (MFA ’24)! Magda’s artwork is featured in this season's Chain Link Gallery exhibitions, displayed on Columbus Avenue in Roxbury and Geneva Avenue in Dorchester. 

Known for her powerful use of printmaking, installation, and social practice, Magda’s art explores themes of bicultural identity, drawing deeply from her Guatemalan-American heritage and illuminating the immigrant experience.

Join us Tuesday, March 18, 2025, from 5:30pm - 7pm at the Grove Hall Public Library. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear Magda discuss her creative process, the themes behind her work, and the ways in which her art fosters connection and understanding within the community.

Before the artist talk the sparc! and Magda will lead a printmaking workshop in the library from 3:30- 5PM.

Please share with your networks.

RSVP here for the Artist Talk!

RSVP here for the Printmaking workshop!

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Valentines Day Art2Go

Spreading love and creativity this month!❤️✨  

In celebration of Black History and Valentine's Day, sparc! delivered Art2Go kits to the Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library! Each box was filled with art supplies, craft materials, and writing prompts—all designed to celebrate Black 

History, self-love and creative community.  Everything you need to create something cool.

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Join us next week! Knitting with sparc!

 We're excited to announce the sparc! Team is back with two more free knitting sessions!  Last fall, sparc! hosted an incredible series of intergenerational knitting workshops, where participants created scarves that were donated to the Giving Cupboard at the Grove Hall Library—a free resource full of essentials for the Grove Hall community. 

Location: Grove Hall Public Library – Jazz Lounge (41 Geneva Ave, Dorchester, MA 02121)

When: Wednesday, Feb 19th & Feb 26th  

Time: 3:30 – 5:30 PM 

Join us as we knit scarves and other cozy items while connecting, learning and crafting. 

 Beginners are welcome! Instructions and supplies provided on site. 

Space is limited—please register! HERE

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New Dates: Knitting with sparc!

Last fall, sparc! had an incredible turnout for a series of intergenerational knitting workshops. Now, the sparc! team is back with two more sessions! Participants will make scarves and other items to donate. These will go to the Giving Cupboard at Grove Hall Public Library. The Giving Cupboard is a free resource outside the library. Beginners are welcome! 

📍Location: Grove Hall Public Library – Jazz Lounge (41 Geneva Ave, Dorchester, MA 02121)

📅 When: Wednesday, Feb 19th & Feb 26th  

⏰ Time: 3:30 – 5:30 PM

Register Here!

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sparc! Field Trip ✨ 

✨ sparc! Field Trip Alert! ✨  

Recently, sparc! Staff,  Ekua and Isabelle took a trip to Artisans Asylum in Brighton, where they got an amazing tour of the space from Facilities and Art Director, Kamal! During the visit, Ekua’s family donated a 3D printer to their fabrication lab. 💻✨  

We loved learning about the vibrant community at Artisan Asylum and seeing the incredible resources they offer to support artists and makers. Studio, space and equipment rentals, classes and demonstrations,  there’s so much going on and they're open 24 hours a day.  It’s always inspiring to connect with spaces that champion creativity and innovation! 🛠️🎨 

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Handmade Holiday Cards for the Community!

Check out these festive cards made by our talented students and staff!

Last Month, the sparc! team and members of the CACP cohort created 200 unique holiday cards to give to community members in our holiday Art2Go bags. Each card, made with watercolor, acrylics, markers, pencils, collage and care, was designed to inspire others to create and share their own holiday cards—along with the materials to bring their creations to life!

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New Chainlink Gallery Feat. Magda Léon

​​✨ Have you checked out our new Chain Link Gallery installation?  

Last month, sparc!'s Director Ekua and sparc! team members Jenna (Film Video ‘27) and Camryn (MFA ‘26) worked together to install the season’s first exhibition — featuring local artist and MassArt MFA student Magda Léon. Her stunning work is now on display on Columbus Avenue near Roxbury Community College and will be up through March 2025!  

Stay tuned for her upcoming Geneva Ave installation in Dorchester!