Artists’ colony
Somerville has the second-most artists per capita in the nation behind Manhattan, according to Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone.
Published 22:29, May the 6th, 2008
‘Underground gallery’ opens
Davis Square T station showcases artists
SOMERVILLE. In many ways, the Davis Square T station depicts its surrounding neighborhood, hosting a wide array of unique local artwork. Yesterday, the station added to that collection.
Somerville’s art community joined officials from the city, state and MBTA to unveil a new series of artwork on the station’s platform. The nine panels, which are four feet tall and wide, were selected out of more than 200 residents’ submissions and capture everything from the Somerville Theatre to Tufts University.
The idea sprung from a Tufts University student in 2006 and took off into a massive community project. Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz, one of the project’s chief organizers, called the selections “a wonderful underground gallery.”
“We have a new gateway to Somerville,” Gewirtz said. “This will be the first thing people see when they enter and the last thing they see when they leave.”
One of the nine artists whose work was selected is Greg Yantz, a biomedical engineer who took up art as a hobby several years ago. The 29-year-old, who recently bought a house in Somerville, painted a row of multi-family homes as his piece — which he said reflects the city’s “very dense but close-knit community.”
“I’m just really excited to share my work with other people here,” Yantz said.