Hill Icons Sought For ​“Five Star” Mural

Hill neighbors can submit names and faces of civil rights icons from their neighborhood to join Coretta Scott King on a new mural scheduled to go up across from the Wilson Library in May.

Wilson librarian Bill Armstrong came up with the idea of doing murals to brighten up the corner around the New Haven Free Public Library branch. A Hill neighbor came to the library with the idea of incorporating local heroes.

“I just think it’s the greatest suggestion. I’m a big believer in public art, and it’s wonderful to have up someone in the community who has contributed,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong envisions a small write-up of who the different icons are as either part of the mural or on a plaque on the wall. That way children can learn about what people from their own neighborhood have achieved.

The owner of Five Star Laundromat, Josue Santana Sr, has volunteered the walls of his business to the project. The civil rights-focused mural would be on one wall and a literacy-focused mural would be on the other.

The project is coming to fruition at the same time that New Haveners debate whether to close Westville’s Mitchell Library if Yale University and the state don’t provide New Haven with an additional $53 million for the budget for next year.

The mural project does not rely on city dollars. The project relies on $7,500 coming from Sustainable CT and another $7,500 from an upcoming fundraising campaign.

Armstrong has worked in New Haven’s library system for two decades, at Wilson since June. Around then, he started thinking about how to beautify the view from the library.

Soon after, Armstrong went on a walk with Hill North Community Management Team chair Howard Boyd. He learned that he wasn’t the only one who thought the convenience store across from the library was an eyesore. Boyd liked the idea of murals around the library as a way to cheer up the space. Then-Branch Manager Luis Chavez-Brumell was also on the walk. (Chavez-Brumell has since been promoted, and the new branch manager’s name is yet to be announced.)

Armstrong approached Connecticut Murals about managing the mural project. The Hartford-based organization chose two artists born and raised in New Haven, Isaac Bloodworth and Kyle Kearson.

At first, Armstrong wanted murals on all sides of the library, on the convenience store walls, on the laundromat wall and on a wall behind the library. He realized the three sites were too ambitious, though.

The laundromat regularly gives away bundles of children’s books the library had pulled off its catalogue. Around September, Armstrong dropped by with some more books and asked Santana about the mural idea. Santana had considered putting up murals around his laundromat before. He had never gotten around to working on it, and here was a free opportunity.

“I told them I had two walls if they wanted,” Santana said.

One wall faces Wilson.

The other wall faces Columbus Avenue.

By Wednesday, Santana had yet to hear about the mural themes and hoped he would get some input before the paintings so up.

The library didn’t look for Hill-based artists for this mural project. However, Armstrong hopes that the Five Star murals will kick off more interest and opportunities for other artists to come forward.

Santana doesn’t know any Hill-based artists either, besides the graffiti artists who tag his walls sometimes and his 11-year-old son. The latter is more talented than the vandals, in Santana’s opinion.

Wilson Library is partially open. There are a few shelves of books and DVDs in the lobby, and patrons can reserve other books for curbside pickup.

The lobby also hosts two computer stations, where patrons can search for jobs, check their emails, apply for unemployment and print documents.

In a week’s time, they will also be able to pick up free packets of seeds for their gardens, courtesy of Gather New Haven.