Lexington Center Mural

 

In the fall of 2024, the Town of Lexington (Town) released a call for artists interested in creating a mural on the exterior columns of the Depot Building owned by the Lexington History Museums. This project is a collaborative effort between the Town of Lexington, Lexington Center Committee, and the Lexington History Museums to bring art and color to Lexington Center! This project is part of the Lexington Mural Program, which is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.

The Town released a Call for Artists, and 19 artists submitted their credentials. Out of those 19, three semi-finalists were invited to advance and prepare conceptual proposals. Each application was reviewed by a selection panel comprised of Lexington residents, Economic Development staff, and a representative of Lexington History Museums. After interviewing each semi-finalist, the grant was awarded to artist Kit Collins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mural symbolism from beginning at the top left (the pillar closest to the Lexington Visitor Center) and traveling roughly clockwise over the course of the entire mural.

 

  • Musical notation to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” – widely taught in Lexington Public Schools and the Lexington Patriots’ Day song is sung to its tune
  • Milkweed and lupine – to represent native plants and pollinators
  • Corn, beans, and squash – homage to indigenous agriculture
  • Hollyhocks, pansies, sage, pears, poppies – plants farmed in colonial New England
  • Tree ring, feather, turkey tracks, wooded area, heron – local biosphere and plant and animal life
  • Planet motifs – homage to Lexington Symphony, which performed Holst‘s “The Planets” to celebrate the Symphony‘s 30th anniversary
  • Horizontal lines – symbolize clapboard, one significant building material for colonial Lexington
  • Horseback riders – homage to Revolutionary War soldiers
  • Tea bags, fire, billowing smoke – represent 1773 Tea Burning Protest
  • Red, white and blue stars – homage to star motifs decorating the Lexington Historical Museum
  • Spindle and wheel – reference to 1769 Spinning Match Protest, and colonial-era spinning technology in general
  • The pathway of Munroe Brook from Arlington Reservoir up towards Brown Homestead
  • Train, footsteps, and pawprints – representing past, present, future travelers along present-day Bikeway: railway users, walkers/pedestrians, and their canine companions
  • Cyclists along Bikeway
  • Ribbon-cutting – a hat tip to Lexington’s business community
  • Follen Church – one of Lexington’s many beautiful, significant and well-preserved historic buildings
  • Taking flight – an homage to pioneering Lexington aviator Peggy Kimball
  • Broken chains – symbolize the history and contributions of abolitionists and freed formerly enslaved people in Lexington
  • Thick blue line mirrors the path of Bikeway
  • Grey tracks mirror the path of Lexington & West Cambridge Railroad

Completed Work

 

Artist Bio

Kit_headshot_Henry Marte

“Kit Collins (she/her) is a public artist, muralist and illustrator based in Medford, MA. She prioritizes opportunities to create vibrant, site-specific, public-facing works that celebrate, spotlight, and honor the social, natural, and creative environments in which they are implemented. She strives to create works that will not only add liveliness, color and texture to the everyday visual environment, but will also meaningfully resonate with the communities that host them.”