by Nick Jehlen in Arts and Culture, Schools and Youth, Transportation
Posted on May 3, 2009 at 11:53 am
Last Modified on May 3, 2009 at 11:55 am
loading…
I live outside Davis Square and every time I ride the T, I stop and look at the tiles that line the entrance to the station. I grew up in Somerville at the same time as many of the people who made these tiles, so I usually look for someone I know, and I often wonder what they’re all doing today.
After doing a little research (the tiles were made during the 1978-79 school year by students of the Powderhouse School with the help of Jackson Gregory and Joan Wye of the Belfast Bay Tile Works) I decided to try and track some of them down.
Working with some friends, I’ve created a website that has photos of all the tiles and a way for the artists to post information about themselves. We’re also asking people who are interested in finding out more to pick a tile and try to find the person who made it in order to interview them for the project. We think this is a good way to better understand Somerville’s history over the past 30 years.
We launched the site on May 1, and we’ve already received emails from a bunch of the artists themselves, and we’ve got our first tile story posted.
If you know someone who made a tile, please encourage them to visit the site and add their story. And if you’re interested in participating, we’re asking for help in tracking down and interviewing people.
http://DavisSquareTilesProject.com
loading…
What a terrific idea!
I was so happy to see the musician’s tile by Thomas Gilbert, who is an wonderful community and disabilities rights advocate in Somerville today.
This will definitely result in a fascinating bunch of stories. Thank you, Nick!
loading...