Elisa Hamilton '07 Paints Switchbox in East Somerville

Hamilton participated in a local exhibition last year called "The Colors of the Americas: East Somerville Art Walk" that took place on Broadway in East Somerville.  The show transformed the storefronts and windows of Lower Broadway into a mile-long art gallery by showcasing the original works of 25 area artists specifically representing the different nations from Canada to Chile. This unprecedented public exhibition celebrated and reflected the diverse cultures of East Somerville by intertwining bold contemporary works of art among the daily social and commercial life of the neighborhood.

One of the curators of that show- Christopher Poteet- had been impressed with Hamilton's work in The Colors of the Americas.  Hamilton says, "he felt like my work really embodied the flavor of the community.   He approached me a couple months ago and asked if I would again be willing to donate my talents to the neighborhood- I of course said yes!  The switchbox I painted is on a median on Broadway, about a 5 minute walk from Sullivan Station on the Orange Line.  Since traffic passes both ways I wanted to incorporate both sides; when traffic passes one way they see a morning breakfast scene, the other way it's an evening bedtime scene."

Hamilton goes on to say, "I painted the box over the course of one weekend- two full days- and during that time it was amazing how it already began to activate the community.  Passers by would stop to chat, people came out of their houses to introduce themselves and tell me their stories.  One man brought me a banana, another some orange juice.  A man named Fernando who works at the delicious Brazillian restaurant across the street from the switchbox insisted on giving me free dinner after I finished the box on Sunday.  Bus drivers drove by waving and smiling.  Even before the box was completed it was already doing what art is supposed to do.  The Davis Square side of Somerville gets so much attention, but finally East Somerville is getting some love too, thanks to East Somerville Main Streets and the Somerville Arts Council.  It was a great project to be involved in."