By George P. Hassett

Murals painted on walls and under bridges help to inform and shape the political activism in Somerville, said a panel of artists and activists at the Somerville Museum Sunday.

The panel discussion was a piece of the museum’s latest exhibit, “Imagining Somerville: Discovering a city through art.” The exhibit aims to explore the role of Somerville in the creative life of its artists by presenting works that use the city and its neighborhoods.

Sunday’s event, “How art grows from community activism,” explored the relationship between community organizing and the artistic process. Mystic View Task Force (MVTF) member and beginning artist Lawrence Paolella said grassroots development activists, such as the members of MVTF, and creative artists must share certain skills.

‚ÄúBoth need to take an idea and see it in their mind before it is actually there, whether it is a land transformation or a painting,‚Äù he said. Paolella mixed politics and art on a much smaller scale last year when, after running unsuccessfully for Ward 3 alderman, he used his old ‚ÄúPaolella for  Alderman‚Äù yard signs as palettes for his new artwork.    

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and others often tout Somerville as being home to the second most artists per capita in the nation behind only Manhattan, yet “Imagining Somerville” is the museum’s first exhibit examining the role of the city in the work of its artists.

Panelist Tova Speter said she has used art as a tool for empowering the city’s youth. Speter has created two murals on city walls with groups of children from Somerville schools and the Somerville Boys and Girls Club. She guided learning assistance students in their effort to transform a dilapidated underpass between Somerville Avenue and Beacon Street.

   
“A lot of kids don’t consider themselves artists. To say yes and then help them create a permanent part of their community is empowering. To me, the role of the arts in a community is to facilitate natural talent to come out and empower people to contribute to the community in a way they never thought possible,” she said.

Speter said she has worked in other cities that are not as enthusiastic about children redefining their community space through art. Gina Foglia, who guided Sunday’s discussion, said Somerville is fertile for both disciplines.

‚ÄúOne of the wonderful things about Somerville is people here do respond to art and community activism,‚Äù she said. 

The opening reception for ‚ÄúImagining Somerville‚Äù is Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the museum. The series‚Äô final event will be June 23 when the museum hosts ‚ÄúThe Bagel Bards imagine Somerville,‚Äù a poetry reading workshop hosted by Doug Holder that will include poetry and narrative readings about Somerville.