Artwork Graces Constitution Hill

Until very recently the vacant, three-story tenement at 5 John Street was a disheartening sight. What caught the eye were the plywood sheets nailed across the first-floor windows and the weeds sprouting between the front steps and the sidewalk.

That changed when artist Rafael Cuello arrived at the address earlier this month. Over four days time, he and a team of young assistants transformed the building into a work of art neighbors have dubbed "the stained glass house."

An abstract mural now stretches across the front. Twisted, bending black lines break patches of orange, yellow, red, purple, green and blue into irregular shapes.It's easy to see how the pattern reminds some viewers of church windows.

"It's like a cloudy sky," said neighborhood resident Steve Correa as he studied the house from the sidewalk Thursday evening. "Everyone who looks sees something different."

The artwork will likely be gone before it starts looking out-of-date. It’s meant to be a temporary cover-up. The house is owned by a non-profit organization that buys abandoned and derelict buildings and turns hem into homes once again.  

"It takes time to get the money for a rehab project," says Ainsley Morisseau, a representative for the organization. "Work on the St. John Street property is expected to begin sometime next ear, and it should be finished in 2013. In the meantime, the mural brings a ittle life to the scene. It's a focal point everyone can enjoy."

NWBRV connected with Cuello through a Providence organization called HousEART that was launched several years ago to decorate foreclosed properties with murals. The goal is to replace urban blight with inspiration. The artist is typically paid several hundred dollars. Usually
there are several assistants, high schoolers from the neighborhood who each receive a small stipend. Materials are donated or purchased at discount prices.

“The program provides a great benefit to the community, taking a property that has sat vacant and been an eyesore for years and turning it into something beautiful while we secure funding to complete the project,” said David Saadeh, NWBRV's director of asset management.

"I'm okay with the mural being up temporarily," says Cuello. "I see it as a visual for the better things that are to come from the house. I had the opportunity to meet and speak to many of the neighbors
that drove by the area and they were all very positive and welcoming of the artwork."

The artist's helpers were Michael Smith, 14, and Jade Shaver, 19, both participants in Woonsocket's after-school art program. The team used house paint and some acrylics, mixing most the colors themselves. The project took a total of 20 hours.

Working with such a large space was something new for Cuello, a painter, photographer, and graphic artist from Providence. He drew inspiration from the untended landscape around the house.

"The idea behind the mural," he said, "is to show that when you leave a structure abandoned, in this case a house, it's only a matter of time before Mother Nature begins to take back what is rightfully hers. Overgrown grass and plants cover the home, roots lift up and break the foundation, tree branches begin causing damage, and some even wrap around the structure itself. Eventually the home would be crippled or completely destroyed."

Cuello began by studying the branches of surrounding trees and creating line compositions based on what he saw. He then recreated those compositions on the side of the house.

"Many interesting shapes are formed out of the negative space," he says. "Once color is introduced the overall composition takes a form similar to a stained glass window -- in essence a window with an
abstract view of what the area would look like if completely taken over by nature. I decided to use a color palette that reminded me of the transition from summer to fall."

NWBRV is no newcomer to Woonsocket. The organization owns more than 150 rental units in the city. Most of the homes -- including 5 John — are located on Constitution Hill, a neighborhood of narrow streets and multi-family dwellings. Most of the houses are at least a century old and many feature unusual architectural details.

Most of the NWBRV homes are rental units. In many cases the rental fees are below market rates and a handful the units are reserved for artists, entrepreneurs, youth workers or other professionals described by the organization as "community builders," who commit themselves to serving the city in exchange for discounted housing. The group also owns rental housing in Burrillville and senior housing in North Smithfield.

NWBRV is part of NeighborWorks America, a national organization that promotes development of affordable housing.