Hammond Street Ground Mural
About the project
Bangor Beautiful and Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness (WPHW), two Bangor-based nonprofits, partnered together on the Hammond Street Ground Mural Project to create a visually stunning piece of public asphalt art on Hammond Street in the heart of Bangor to tell . The mural was designed by Keyana Pardilla (Penobscot/Passamaquoddy) and Reanna Sockabasin (Passamaquoddy). As Wabanaki artists, they brought their expertise, knowledge, and cultural perspectives to the design. The mural represents Mt. Katahdin, the Penobscot River leading into the ocean, traditional foods, plant, and animal life that are all important in Wabanaki culture.
We also want to highlight WPHW Artist Design Team, Tiana Aurelio (Penobscot), Lisa Sockabasin (Passamaquoddy), Saige Purser (Yakama), Andrea Sockabasin (Penobscot/Passamaquoddy), Macy Flanders, Becky Soctomah-Bailey (Passamaquoddy), and Ethan Lubin. The artist design team worked collectively with Bangor Beautiful and was instrumental in their contributions to help create the design and bring the mural to life.
The mural is in the unused shoulders of Hammond Street on the west bound (uphill) side of the road extending from Main Street up past the U.S. Post Office, and wraps on to Franklin Street. The mural is approximately 3,400 square feet in size and creates a road diet by leaving an 11-foot travel lane. By decreasing the perceived size of the road, drives naturally slow down, which increases pedestrian safety.
Lisa Sockabasin, Co–CEO of Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness says, “This visually stunning piece of art will tell the vital story about our connection to the earth and river. We hope to merge creativity with community, illustrating our shared responsibility to honor and protect our environment by beautifying our streets."
The mural will be painted using a high-quality bio-based, water-soluble traffic paint which will allow for easier installation and cleanup. A non-slip aggregate will be added to the paint to ensure safety by increasing traction.
The mural was installed by Bangor Beautiful volunteers & WPHW staff over 8 days beginning on May 29th and ending June 5th.
The mural will be touched up each spring and as meeded 2 to 3 years until Hammond Street is repave in 2026. This relatively short lifespan with a definite end will serve as a pilot project for this type of public art. As a pilot project for the first large-scale asphalt art mural in Bangor, it will serve as a model for potential future ground murals to beautify and increase safety at other locations in Bangor. We are so excited to have brought this new medium of public art to Bangor and to see all of the many benefits that will come with it.
An Artist Talk & Celbration open to the public will be held on Friday, June 14th from 6-7pm at Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness at 16 Central Street, Bangor, ME.
The project was funded by a Maine Community Foundation grant and through individual donations.