“Home is Here.”
a Summer 2024 Youth Art Project with Artist-in-Residence, Yixuan Zeng
About “Home Is Here.”:
11 young artists spent July working underneath the Red Line tracks (close to St. Ambrose Church on Adams Street), to paint a (not so scary) mural of life-size monsters within our summer drawing/painting program, “Home Is Here.” A Youth Art Project led by Artist-in-Residence, Yixuan Zeng, that asked students to look to drawing and painting as means for seeing home, understanding home, and making home in Fields Corner (in Dorchester).
The first half of the program centered upon practicing urban sketching and observational drawing; the second half of the program centered upon translating those technical skills, as well as the spatial-awareness and social awareness the sketching had afforded, into a physicalized mural in Dorchester.
Through the support of our friends at Brain Arts Org — who hosted us not only during the program, but during the program’s final event — the public got to meet the (not so scary) monsters. Witnessing an artist talk given by students, a biographical exhibition of the project, as well as a reception with our students and programming team.
Special thanks to: Sam & Brain Arts Org, Thayra, Chatani, Anna, Agatha, Benrey, Miguel, Marie, Tam, Sharon, Cristina, Rosie, plus the team’s super mom, Paula.
About the Artist:
Yixuan Zeng is a visual artist who passionately believes in the limitless power of storytelling for greater social change. They have collaborated at numerous film festivals to elevate underrepresented stories, formerly as Programming Director at the Boston Asian American Film Festival. As an illustrator and designer, Yixuan has worked on a variety of projects from apparel to emojis. Nowadays, Yixuan crafts murals to reclaim public spaces for local communities and to inspire collective healing and empowerment.