The mural is under way and it’s really exciting to see it finally coming to life. “What mural?” you say. The one that’s being done by Ricardo Roig to celebrate Westfield’s 300th anniversary; the one that our church helped finance as a gift to the town. Back in August the elders wrestled with figuring out what would be fitting gift to the town as it marks its 300th next year. The town after all has provided a welcoming home for our church to thrive for nearly as long. We came here only 28 years after the town was founded.
The elders came up with what they considered to be a great gift - a $10,000 donation to Westfield for a public art installation that our neighbors in town and friends from out of town can enjoy.
Westfield’s newly established Public Art Commission enlisted Ricardo Roig, a Westfield High graduate and a former art teacher in the schools, to create two murals depicting some of Westfield’s iconic buildings. Our church is among them. The installation will cost $65,000 with other donations coming from the state, the county and residents.
After getting final approval from NJ Transit, workers constructed the frame that hangs on the stone walls of the railroad trestle underpass near the South Avenue circle. This week Ricardo and his assistants began assembling the mural done in his distinctive style.
Roig’s sketch of our church will be among the buildings featured in the mural. In addition Roig, who has a studio and gallery in Hoboken as well as one on South Avenue here, plans to make prints and give us the first one.
It will be fascinating to watch the murals unfold over the next week or so and rewarding to know we had the opportunity to give back to the Westfield community.