North Shore CDC Announces the Punto Urban Art Museum

North Shore Community Development Coalition (NSCDC), a Salem-based community development

organization, announced their establishment of the Punto Urban Art Museum. Their vision is to
create a world class urban art museum district in Salem’s Point Neighborhood, one that embraces
its rich immigrant and architectural history and presents a dynamic opportunity for the
neighborhood’s future. The Punto Urban Art Museum has two primary goals: to create a beautiful,
uplifting environment for Point residents, particularly for children to grow up in, and to break
down the invisible divide between the Point and the rest of Salem by inviting visitors into the Point
to experience world-class art first-hand.

Twenty years ago, NSCDC produced two murals which have long been points of pride in the Point
neighborhood. Two years ago, NSCDC worked with the Point Neighborhood Association, the City of
Salem and Salem-raised and South Florida-based artist Ruben Ubiera on a crosswalk mural project.
That installation not only won an award from the American Planning Association-Massachusetts
Chapter, it was also very well received within the Point neighborhood. NSCDC & Ubiera saw the
opportunity to combine efforts and bring more high quality art to the neighborhood by using
NSCDC’s affordable housing portfolio and Ubiera’s passion for street art and relationships within
the art world.

In the past six months, the partnership has begun to do just that: they have worked with nine artists
so far to create 10 new large-scale outdoor murals, as well as 12 large-scale wall murals within
NSCDC’s new office loft, also in the Point neighborhood. They have plans for up to 30 additional
artists to paint in 2017 alone, including a contiguous series of 20 walls being made available to local
and emerging artists.

As more art has come to the Point, NSCDC & Ubiera realized that this was more than a few murals in a neighborhood; they realized they were creating a museum of urban art. By creating a walkable, curated arts district within three blocks with dozens of murals in the Point, the district will be readily accessible to all that downtown Salem already has to offer to over a million tourists per year. Bringing a fraction of those visitors to the Point neighborhood stands to be a transformative economic development boom to immigrant-owned businesses. It will also begin to break down the invisible barriers between the Point Neighborhood and the rest of Salem by creating a beautiful, walkable destination within the Point Neighborhood for people to visit.

“There is an invisible divide in Salem between the Point and the rest of downtown; the investment
Salem has seen has largely not been visible within the Point. I think this project is going to help
bridge that gap,” said Mickey Northcutt, CEO of North Shore CDC.

According to a report by Americans for the Arts, young people who participate regularly in the arts
are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, to participate in a math and
science fair or to win an award for writing an essay or poem than children who do not participate.
Low-income children are not as exposed to art as those from more privileged backgrounds.
Increasing public art "...enables those children from a financially challenged background to have a
more level playing field with children who have had those enrichment experiences,'' said Eric
Cooper, president and founder of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education.

Ruben Ubiera, now NSCDC’s first Artist-in-Residence, is curating a dynamic team of global artists to
bring their talents to the Point. Born in the Dominican Republic, he spent his formative years in
high school in the Point when his family immigrated to the U.S. After receiving an art scholarship,
he has become a world-renowned Urban Pop Soul artist, commissioned around the world to do
large-scale wall mural instillations. “When I was [at Salem High School], if it wasn’t for the teachers
that pulled me aside and did what they did for me, I would’ve never done what I’ve accomplished.
Maybe I’m daydreaming, but these [murals] will serve as bridges between communities. Or at least
a conversation,” said Ruben Ubiera, artist.

North Shore CDC is releasing an RFP for local artists to participate in the 20-wall exhibit on June 30th, with
responses due by August 4th. Up to 20 artists in total will be selected to participate.
North Shore CDC invites Salem residents and all other community members to enjoy the beginning of this
public art initiative. Should you want to learn more about North Shore CDC or the vision for an Urban Art
Museum in Salem’s Point Neighborhood please visit
https://www.instagram.com/urba... or www.puntourbanartmuseum.org or
www.northshorecdc.org.