– “The Madonna of Springfield” –
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and city officials joined with Common Wealth Murals Director Britt Ruhe, Honorary Consul General for the Italian Consulate in Springfield Paul Picknelly, members of the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Society, members of the Sons and Daughters of Italy led by Salvatore “Sal” Circosta, and the South End Community on Monday for the unveiling and ribbon cutting ceremony of the brand-new mural in the South End. The artist who completed the new mural located at the Mt. Carmel Society, Nico Cathcart, joined and gave remarks. Councilor Brian Santaniello also joined.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno states, “This initiative is something I have welcomed and embraced right from the start. The City and I are happy to continue to support the work of Common Wealth Murals and positive impact they have in our community. Britt Ruhe and her Common Wealth Murals team do an excellent job bringing a welcoming vibrancy and creativity to our downtown and to neighborhoods throughout Springfield. This neighborhood mural in our South End means a lot to the community, and as with all their mural projects, Common Wealth Murals gets the community directly involved in enhancing our city’s aesthetics and pedestrian experience, which makes our city look good and people feel good, leading to people spending money by patronizing our business and cultural amenities. Thank you to Common Wealth Murals, the artists, model, and our friends in the South End for working to make this mural happen. The beautiful and vibrant ‘The Madonna of Springfield’ mural is a wonderful and fitting addition to our South End community."
Salvatore Circosta, president of the Springfield Sons and Daughters of Italy and Casa Italiana Social Club, stated, “This beautiful mural represents the “ritorno alle Radici,” or return to our roots that this club has made since it has come into the care of the Sons and Daughters of Italy. Now this can be a true Casa Italiana, a home for all of the Italians of greater Springfield, both men and women, as we recommit to our Lady of Mount Carmel, and to our authentic Italian traditions.”
ABOUT THE MURAL
“The Madonna of Springfield” celebrates the Italian community and culture of the South End. The mural is located at the Mt. Carmel Society, 12 Winthrop Street. In the mural, a woman sits in the center of a field of abstracted stars, dressed in bronze and blue silk with lace trim. Her hands are above her heart in a gesture of compassion. Surrounding her is a bounty of prickly pears, lemons, cherries, a lily and a Flor de Maga. The colors and images in the mural draw from the area of Italy from which most South End families originate, the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. Inclusion of the Flor de Maga makes reference to the evolving demographics of the neighborhood, and the universal appreciation of the symbol of the Madonna.
ABOUT THE MURALIST
Nico Cathcart was named one of the Top 40 Artists to Watch by Culture Candy and Up Street Art Magazine in 2023, and she was highlighted as one of 50 influential women muralists in the book “Street Art by Women.” Her 2023 mural, “Age and Grace” won a national mural award. She was featured in the emmy-winning documentary Mending Walls, as well as in a TEDTalk about being a Deaf/Hard of Hearing muralist.
ABOUT Common Wealth Murals
Founded in 2019, Common Wealth Murals is one of the leading public visual art organizations in MA. Centering the public in the creation of public art, CWM has produced 70 murals in the City of Springfield alone, and more in other communities in MA and beyond. More than half of those murals directly engaged several thousand residents and artists in participatory mural design and painting, and trained 75 artists and teachers in community-engaged mural making. CWM has also produced Springfield’s annual graffiti jams, bike kiosk installations, sidewalk chalk art, and other temporary public art installations.
