SALEM — The Salem Pantry in partnership with youth artists in Raw Art Works’ Artists in Action group recently unveiled new murals at The Market pantry depicting the services the pantry offers to visitors.
The murals on the walls of The Market at 47 Leavitt St. take viewers through the farm-to-table process, illustrating the entire journey of produce from harvest to the hands of pantry visitors.
Artists Isabella Tejeda, Joanna Rodriguez, Aisha Nuñez, Franchezca Carela, Evangeline Tejada, Elisha Torres, Ryker Krawitz, and Mercedes Minaya Ubiera are part of Raw Art Works, a Lynn-based youth arts organization that offers free visual arts programming and jobs to local youth in grades 4-12.
One of Raw Art Works’ teen leadership and workforce development programs is Artists in Action, which is a civic engagement group focused on creating social change and affecting the local community through the arts.
Over the past three weeks, the artists from various schools in Lynn and Salem have met at the Raw Art Works studio in Lynn to brainstorm ideas for, illustrate and finalize the five murals.
To familiarize themselves with the work that the pantry does, the artists volunteered to help restock the shelves at The Market before working on their mural designs.
“As a group leader, I made an effort to set everything up,” said Helen Danz, senior expressive art therapist at Raw Art Works. “But then I wanted everything to be youth led, to really put them in the spot to be in charge of the project.”
The Salem Pantry provides the North Shore with access to fresh, free, nutritious food through mobile pantries, a home delivery program, food distribution hub, and The Market.
It partners with local farmers and health organizations to serve more than 3,600 households and distribute more than 300,000 pounds of food per month, officials said.
Before starting the mural work, the artists just brainstormed ideas and agreed what they should add, artist Joanna Rodriguez said.
“It was really cool how everybody was able to add their own ideas,” she said. “And even though we ended up working a bit on our own on each mural, everybody still had their own ideas sprinkled throughout.”
The finished murals include produce such as corn, tomatoes, and squash popping out of the paintings through pasted-on 3D foam cut-outs. In addition to illustrating the farm animals, farmers, and workers that allow the Salem Pantry to operate, the artists made a focused effort to depict the diverse community it serves by illustrating customers of varying backgrounds and disabilities.
“One thing that was important throughout the panels was inclusivity and diversity, it’s something that we really advocated for and wanted to portray,” Rodriguez said.
Also visible in the murals is The Market’s mobile market trucks picking up produce from the farms, driving it along the roads, and delivering it to customers. On the side of the truck is the pantry’s motto: “Nourishing Our Community” in English and Spanish.
Each mural also has an illustration of a dog or cat, to showcase how the pantry also provides pet food for families in need.
For more information on their services/hours of operation or to volunteer, visit thesalempantry.org.
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202