Thank you Somerville for letting me paint this electrical box on your beautiful corner of Summer and Willow St! The work on this began on June 3rd, 2022 and finished on June 15th, 2022.
I met many kind people while working here. I will never forget the words of gratitude from the neighborhood folks that saw me out there during the day and at night. I love you, Somerville!
When I started, I was worried about being harassed by strangers since I was alone, but from the start, people I didn’t even know encouraged me and shared kind words. On the final night of painting, I worked by the phone lights of several supportive new friends.
I hope that this is inspirational for other artists reading this. No matter what your medium or preferred subject is, there is always a place for you. Let art be a bridge between you and your community. It’s scary at first, but it’s worth it.
This design is inspired by the renegade identity of tomatoes in 1700s Europe. This era saw tomatoes misjudged as a deadly poison by aristocrats. The fruits were dubbed “poison apples” because aristocrats would get sick and die after eating them. But the truth of the matter was that wealthy Europeans were eating them off of pewter plates and giving themselves lead poisoning. The tomato was cast as the villain of the story, however, until 1880, when pizza was invented in Naples, and the tomato’s use became widespread in Europe…
I painted tomatoes in Somerville as a sign of solidarity with the members of our city who face present-day persecution: communities of color, disabled communities, and queer communities. Each of us is connected by a common strand that roots itself deep underground, and commercial success whitewashes our collective stained histories. That’s what tomatoes are: a poison apple turned around in the hand of power, and a symbol of the unfinished march to freedom.
This artwork is supported in part by a grant from the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council! Thank you for opening doors for artists like me, SAC!
