'Afro-Latin Music and Dance' by Roberto Chao

'Afro-Latin Music and Dance' by Roberto Chao Artist Roberto Chao created a mural in collaboration with Hyde Square Task Force and local community members at Mozart Park in Jamaica Plain. Page Sections Have questions? Contact: send an email Project Phase Pending Planning Design Construction Complete This project was installed in October 2022. Project Information Location Mozart Park 10 Mozart Street Jamaica Plain 02130 See all Project Features Public Art See all Year Completed 2022 Artist Roberto Chao Primary Project Type Arts and Culture Recenter Project Details Project Context The City of Boston awarded a grant to artist Roberto Chao to create this mural as part of the third round of the Transformative Public Art Program. The Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture allocated more than $1 million toward murals at 10 sites across nine neighborhoods as part of the program. The mural is located at Mozart Park in Jamaica Plain. Transformative Public Art Program Roberto Chao created a mural in collaboration with youth on the east wall of the park in 2008. Since its creation, the wall has degraded and the mural could not be restored. Roberto has been collaborating with Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF) on this project. In November 2019, HSTF youth activists proposed the idea of a new mural with the theme of "Afro-Latin Music and Dance" while visiting Mozart Park. In the summer of 2021, more than 50 youth engaged in brainstorming elements of the design. The youth and community members celebrated Latinx Heritage Month this past summer by prepping and priming the wall. 15 participants including artists, youth, and volunteers, worked under the direction of Roberto Chao to design the mural. Dozens of residents attended a series of community engagement meetings to offer their input on the design. The Artwork The mural was painted on 8x4 foot PVC panels to make a 163-foot-long mural. The mural consists of 32 panels attached to wooden frames. The mural design includes depictions of Africa, the United States, and the Caribbean islands. It features imagery including: local and international icons such as Fela Kuti, Jamaica Plain's Fabiola Mendez, and Bob Marley ancestral musical instruments symbols of Afro-Latin history and culture dancers, and nature. Design for Latin America panel of Roberto Chao's mural. Meet the Artist Meet the Artist Roberto Chao Roberto Chao Artist, Mozart Park mural project Roberto has had the privilege to build groups to express their inner thoughts on a wide range of collective art projects. For decades he has carried out community art works that illustrate, empower and enrich the cultural environment of the communities in which they are created. The many mural projects Chao has created and directed are highly respected and enhance the streets of Boston (Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, South End, Waltham, Chelsea, and East Boston) as well as other cities, like Lowell, Salem, Worcester, and Manchester, NH., and countries like Uruguay, Puerto Rico, México, Cuba, and Nicaragua. Multilingual and multicultural, Roberto is a people-oriented, lover of Boston, and a community artist who is committed to creating a meaningful visual landscape in our city through community participation, with the aim of achieving the change that everyone in the city envisions and deserves. Visit robertochao.com for more information and images. Watch the Video Related Resources Related Resources Learn more about public art in Boston Learn more about public art projects in Boston Learn more about the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture Who's Involved Arts and Culture 617-635-4445 Have questions? Contact: send an email