By Lorenzo Recupero
If you ever find yourself strolling through Broadway or Ferry Street, the main arteries through the area, you’d be hard-pressed to find a pulse for artwork.
To one local artist, and her organization, Everett is an empty canvas just waiting to be colored over.
“Everett is lacking art,” said local 24-year old artist, Jennifer Medrano, who has an image in her mind of a more artfully vibrant Everett.
“As an artist, I wish Everett had more. It’s such an industrial place. I feel like you work here and then just go home,” said Medrano, who specializes in acrylic and watercolors as her focus but employs many forms of creativity in her art, including digital mixed media.
A resident of Everett for the last four years, Medrano is ready to advocate for local artist like herself to have outlets within the city to create, share and view different artworks, which to her helps to foster a sense of inclusiveness and community for artists, something she feels Everett is lacking.
“The city needs more open studios welcoming the public. People should be able to go into such places here and ask questions and see creativity from other locals,” said Medrano, who outlined a few ways the city can help create this environment, including more public murals and networking programs for artist and business owners to connect.
“We are lucky enough to have cities like Chelsea and Somerville surrounding us. Somerville, especially, is sort of like a jackpot for artistry and art displays. Everett can do better by imitating these communities in that way,” said Medrano, pointing to the recently renovated and painted over “Chelsea Walk” in that city’s downtown area.
Her ultimate goal is to help propel the city in that direction and she’s ready to do so in any way she can, and is inviting any local artist or organizations to reach out to her to come up with a concrete plan together to revamp the city’s art scene.
“My goal is to create a local art scene wherever I am, and currently it’s here,” she said.
Luckily for Everett she won’t be doing it alone.
Medrano, along with her two roommates and fellow artist Karen Garcia and Gisell Builes, formed the Greater Boston Artist Collective (GBAC), which directs its energy toward creating funding for art displays in the area.
The group has done multiple exhibits of their work for the Boston Children’s Hospital, donating 25% of their profits each time to the hospital’s cause. She believes more awareness for these kind of events is the key to more exhibitions for artist and artwork to grow in the area.
“More fundraising needs to go towards creativity and the local art scene in Everett and GBAC we hope to help,” she said.
Medrano was quick to add that she’s willing to donate her time and artwork to do non-profit events in Everett should the city make a move to do so. Art, to her, communicates on it’s own.
“Artists still need funding and local displays help us get there. I do art to look at people’s expressions when they see it. That’s the true art in this, to me,” Said Medrano. “I want to see how it made you feel on your face, see what art can do. It’s such a sentimental feeling,” said Medrano. “Art is about feeling and community. It is a language,” she said.
If you’d like to see Medrano’s artwork in person, on July 14 Aeronaut Brewing at 14 Tyler Street in Somerville will have an exhibit showcasing a portion of Medrano’s artwork between 4-6 PM with no cover charge. All visitors must be 21+.
The local artist is urging any residents, business owners, city officials or anyone with interest in artwork in Everett to reach out to her at any time via her website (Medranovisualart.com) to view or purchase her artwork — and, most importantly, to network and talk about adding art to neighborhoods across Everett.