SUCCESS | Project #1- Feeding Chittenden Mural | 2020
Thanks to generous community support (from people like you!), leadership from our Core Curators, and a paint sponsorship from Vermont Paint Co., Mission surpassed its $21,130 fundraising goal! Together, our Core Curators and 91 donors made it possible to gift Feeding Chittenden a stunning mural by Abby Manock—one that celebrates and uplifts our community—and also contributed an additional $10,000 to support Feeding Chittenden’s operational costs.
Hot Off The Press:
“Mural project brings color to food shelf in Old North End of Burlington”- Burlington Free Press, November 2, 2020
“Mission Murals Steps Into the Picture With New Feeding Chittenden Project”- Seven Days, August 25, 2020
The Backstory:
In 2020, when the world was on lockdown and many of us were searching for ways to come together for the greater good, I (Jill Badolato) decided to channel my creative energy, public art experience, and community-building skills into something meaningful. I knew I wanted to continue fusing community, mission, and art—and that’s how Mission Murals was born. I rode my bike around town, surveying the urban landscape, until one location stopped me in my tracks: Feeding Chittenden. It felt like the perfect place for a Mission Mural to uplift and benefit the community.
The Need:
Feeding Chittenden works to alleviate hunger by feeding people - our most basic human need.
As the largest direct service emergency food provider in Vermont, Feeding Chittenden serves over 12,000 people each year. Due to the current pandemic, the number of people relying on Feeding Chittenden is soaring. In this time that we call the “new-normal” patrons must wait in the socially-distant line outside to receive their boxes.
Their distribution facility in the heart of the Old North End serves as a backdrop for the community. The building itself is in need of a visual transformation and has the opportunity to celebrate and elevate the community.
Artist Statement:
Inspired by themes of fabric and woven textile as a metaphor for the overlapping communities that converge around the sharing of food at Feeding Chittenden, I created the design for this mural after researching textiles and other decorative motifs that originate from many of the countries, and regions representing the languages spoken in the Burlington community. I chose a bright color palate centered around Feeding Chittenden’s existing logo, adding neutrals to balance the more vibrant colors.
The translation of my source material into the creation of my design was not one to one. The result is an all new, layered pattern that is not based on specific motifs, but instead built through the process of drawing and rearranging shapes and colors to create a new repeating design that is universally joyous, inclusive, and hospitable.
The facade of Feeding Chittenden is a long strip of wall that connects the sidewalk to the back fence, embracing the parking lot, which, due to Covid, is now an essential common space where people gather at safe distance to access Feeding Chittenden’s services. With this colorful swath stretching from street, to fence, I like to think of it as a welcoming table runner, inviting all members of the community to discover, learn and partake in the opportunities that Feeding Chittenden provides.
Self-worth is often generated by our physical environments. A colorful, community inspired mural by artist Abby Manock will share Feeding Chittenden’s mission of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and will offer patrons an even more positive experience.