LEWISTON, Maine — Artists have been busy in Lewiston throughout the summer painting murals as part of the city's new public art effort.
The city created a public art committee and assigned about $25,000 in the budget in 2023 to beautify Lewiston.
Joe Philippon, a Lewiston police officer of 18 years, is part of a self-organized group coordinating mural paintings in the city. Many of those paintings are privately funded, either through donations or grants, he said.
"One of the things Lewiston has a problem with [is] perception: both internally and externally; how we view ourselves and how people view us," Philippon said. "I think there's definitely a perception that Lewiston is a rough city."
The idea came from a work trip to Richmond, Virginia, where he noticed lots of public displays.
"When I came home, I said, 'You know, this is what we need here in Lewiston. We need to change our narrative, transform ourselves,'" Philippon said.
Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline, who has lived in Lewiston for 12 years, echoed that sentiment.
"For many years, Lewiston has been looked down on in Maine, and we're starting to change that, and I'm really excited about that," Mayor Sheline said. "When citizens are proud of Lewiston and they take pride in our city, that does a lot for me as mayor."
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded Lewiston a $1.3 million Choice Neighborhood Planning and Action grant. It is one grant of a total of nearly $5 million to six communities to help create plans to redevelop severely distressed HUD-assisted housing and revitalize neighborhoods. Funded through HUD's Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, these grants will help local leaders to craft comprehensive, homegrown plans to revitalize and transform these neighborhoods.
Of the $1.3 million, $950,000 is reserved for action activities to begin implementing the plan. Eligible uses of these funds include recycling vacant property into community gardens, pocket parks, or farmers markets; beautification, place-making, and community arts projects; homeowner and business façade improvement programs; neighborhood broadband or WiFi; fresh food initiatives; and gap financing for economic development projects.
Sheline has advocated for the public art installations, highlighting the work through community Facebook pages. He also checks in on the artists as they progress through their pieces.
Mural artist Jared Goulette, "The Color Wizard," found that involvement unique.
"I've never ever painted in a city where the mayor even acknowledged me or came and talked to me or anything," Goulette said.
He added people frequently stop to talk to him about his work.
"I really like interacting with the community. I think it's important. I don't mind being stopped throughout my painting process," Goulette said. "People enjoy even watching them be created, it just gives you a good feeling."
"I think it looks great. The colors really bring out the community," Bernadette Burrell said, who was passing by on Monday. "It's not like bland like the rest of the buildings, they're all different brick colors. It brings out [the] brightness."
Goulette has painted three murals in the city so far: a blue jay on Main Street, "Birds of Paradise" flowers on an apartment on Bartlett Street, and an abstract piece at 86 Lisbon St.
Clint Magoon, a national award-winning artist, is painting a "Lewistonopoly" board, a rendition of the classic board game, Monopoly, with Lewiston landmarks as the spaces, on the side of the Lewiston Pawn Shop.
"I just think it brings more culture," Magoon said. "I am proud of where I live."
"It's really going to hopefully give our city new self-esteem and help our citizens feel proud about the place where they live," Mayor Sheline said.
"We have our issues," Philippon said. "We have our dark spots and we have our light spots. The reality is we have more light spots but it's the dark spots that get all the attention. Hopefully when these projects are here [they] are just an example of adding more light to drown out that darkness."
Philippon hopes to double the efforts in adding public art in 2024.
On Tuesday, Aug. 22 at noon, the city will hold an official ribbon cutting at the "Birds of Paradise" mural on Bartlett Street.