By Melissa Moore-Randall\
Revere City Hall is filled with artifacts of Revere many of which highlight Revere Beach. The newest piece of art is the mural of the Revere Beach Clock in Mayor Keefe’s Office.
According to Revere Historian Jeff Pearlman, the clock which is located in the Peter McCauley Plaza, was once used to remind beach goers to return their rented bathing suits. It has since become a popular tourist attraction for beach goers.
Pat Keefe shared his thoughts about the mural.
“When I first got into the office, I felt it needed a little more culture, and I also was very appreciative of our youth artists who have historically done a great job sprucing up hallways and classrooms at our schools. The choice to put the clock was really just what the team chose, I only offered some suggestions. I would like the mural to represent a bit of Revere’s past, present and future. We know our beach represents a huge portion of Revere’s identity, and the Clock has been a huge tourist attraction over the last few years, I believe it is currently the highest trafficked and photographed site in our community. I guess if you take the clock in a deeper sense we know that time is symbolic of so much. How much time do we have on this planet, how much time do we have to experience and make our impact on society, or maybe just a reminder to not be late for an appointment. Regardless I think the students hit a home run and have brightened up my view and I look forward to future installations at City Hall and across our community.”
Noelle Stillman, a teaching artist at Revere High School, worked with four students on the extracurricular project which was conducted after-school. Students responded to a “Call to Artists” and were selected based on artistic merit. Alexarose Trainito, Junior , Alexandra Gracias, Junior, Steven Espinal Blanco, Junior, Melanie Hernandez Pleitez, Junior were the students selected.
Stillman discussed the collaboration of the project. “City Hall approached the Revere Fine Arts Department for this project. Students were involved in every step of this mural-making process, working collaboratively to brainstorm design themes representative of the history and culture of our city, and installing the work as a team. ”
Stillman went on to add, “The Revere Fine Arts Department is currently in talks with a few additional student community mural projects, including dog park banners and crosswalk designs near Shirley Ave. Additionally, the month of March is Youth Art Month and Music in our Schools Month, a time where educational communities nationally honor the creative work students complete in these essential fine arts school programs..”
“Community arts projects, like this opportunity provided by City Hall, are a critical pathway for students to step into community leadership roles in the arts. These social engagements of arts education also provide intrinsic values that are vital for our youth today- from cross-curricular integration, creative problem solving, and constructive expression of personal voice in real-world applications. These opportunities help them engage in the place-making of our city, allowing our young citizens to share their values and take ownership of the legacy of our common community.”
Director of Fine Arts Kelly Williams was so excited about the project. “Huge shoutout to Noelle Stillman! Noelle is new to RHS but not new to teaching as she comes to us from a 15 year teaching career in Florida. Noelle has been a great addition to our high school art department and has shown her willingness to support students in lots of different ways!”
