The Greenway in Boston’s historic Dewey Square has a new 70-by-76-foot mural, thanks in part to Arch Painting.
The mural, titled Carving Out Fresh Options, was designed by Shara Hughes and executed by Overall Murals in partnership with deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.
Arch Painting’s role
The Woburn, Mass.-based painting contracting firm selected PrepRite® ProBlock® Interior/Exterior Latex Primer/Sealer for the project for its ease of use, multi-purpose stain blocking approach, and adhesion to previously painted substrates.
“Because we don’t know what kind of paint the mural artists will use, it is important to get an even, properly primed white substrate to give them a true blank canvas,” says Patrick Martin, project manager at Arch Painting. “This makes it easier for artists to apply the final product and execute the mural to the artist’s complete vision.”
A time-lapse video of the painting of the mural
Repeat performance
Prior to priming, the surface was fully scraped, all edges were sanded, and the entire surface was pressure washed with a mild, all-purpose cleaner. This marks the third time Arch Painting has been hired by the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy to prep the Dewey Square wall for a public art installation.
“For us, the best reward is being able to strengthen and continue a long-lasting relationship with the client, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to beautify the city of Boston through providing memorable and engaging experiences to park visitors in what is truly a first-class urban setting,” Martin says. “We feel very fortunate that they continue to return to us to help them realize this vision through our mural preparation work as well as other projects throughout the park.”
The Rose Kennedy Greenway team was happy to work again with the Woburn paint firm. “Arch Painting was very helpful in determining the right process to use in order to prepare the wall for the new mural. Professional, timely work in a public park environment.”
A condensed version of this article was originally published in the Winter 2018 issue of PPC magazine. Story by Mike Starling, PPC Editor. Photos courtesy of the Greenway Conservancy. Read about other successful painting projects in the PPC digital archive.