The Newburyport (NBPT) Murals Project — We Share One Sky

The NBPT Murals Project is an ongoing, cross-sector project to activate, enliven, and beautify our City with art outside the gallery walls.

In the fall of 2021, Lisa Naas (then Executive Director of Newburyport Art) and Geordie Vining of the City of Newburyport met over a cup of coffee and talked about how incredible it would be to launch a large-scale murals project in the city. A collaboration developed and Newburyport Art formally partnered with the Tannery Marketplace, Blochaus Art Gallery, and the City of Newburyport to connect and engage residents and visitors alike with the theme of "We Share One Sky" through a series of large-scale, exterior mural paintings. Felipe Ortiz, an internationally-renowned muralist with ties to the area was invited as the Lead Artist on the project. The original, founding, Murals Team included:

Dr. Lisa Naas, Newburyport Art
David Hall, Hall & Moskow
Markus Sebastiano, Blochaus Art Gallery
Geordie Vining, City of Newburyport
David Faleris, Newburyport Art
Felipe Ortiz, Lead Artist

Today the project involves over a dozen artists and multiple collaborators! Summer 2024 will be the start of Phase 2 with multiple murals planned for installation. Scroll below for the project story and links to more information about the participating artists.

The We Share One Sky public art murals project is made possible, thanks in part to the generous support from Essex County Community Foundation through the Creative County Initiative.

Phase 1 - 2023

Phase 1 of the NBPT Murals Project — We Share One Sky — features commissioned work from muralists Felipe Ortiz (Lead Artist), Sophy Tuttle, and Jake Ginga (aka “Makerjake”).

On July 11 2023, Lead Artist Felipe Ortiz began the first large-scale mural of the project on Mill No. 4 of the Tannery Marketplace. It was completed just two weeks later.

Following the conclusion of the Mill No. 4 mural, Felipe also went on to complete two smaller murals at Newburyport Art itself, as well as lead a number of educational talks on site. The first small work was a companion piece to the Mill No. 4 mural created to be affixed to Newburyport Art’s Hills Gallery (with installation taking place in 2024). Felipe then went on to create a modular, interactive sculpture-mural installed at the rear of the NAA, facing its Sculpture Garden and the Rail Trail, where visitors are encouraged to move the individual slats around to make their own colorful scene.

On August 1, Jake Ginga (aka “Makerjake”) activated the west side of the Tannery’s Mill No. 3 along Independent Street. This site goes on to feature the work of many more muralists as part of the project’s Phase 2.

And on September 3, Sophy Tuttle brought an abundance of color and life to corner of 2 Federal Street, adjacent to Blochaus Art Gallery.

Phase 2 - 2024

One of the most critical aspects of We Share One Sky is to incorporate numerous voices and perspectives. While Phase 1 was underway with the commissioned work from Felipe, Sophy, and Jake, an application process determined the next local artists that would receive small commissions for murals in 2024 as part of Phase 2. Seven are assigned to complete their mural work on Mill No. 3 (alongside Jake’s), ultimately creating a mural corridor that leads directly to the front door of Newburyport Art. The remaining two artists will be designing murals for installation on north-facing windows of Mill No. 5 (facing the Rail Trail and Merrimack River). Mill No. 5 will also feature a special commissioned work (donated to the project) by Blochaus Art Gallery owner Markus Sebastiano.