Christian Báchez, ‘24

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All Aboard the S.S. Nax 

All Aboard the S.S. Nax, 2022
Mural, Approx. 50’x12’
Pernet Family Health Service, Worcester, MA

I worked with Worcester, specifically Pernet Family Health Service on Millbury St., to help beautify this drab backyard space along I-290 into a vibrant seascape depicting a diverse group of children travelling on the S.S. Nax. This was part of a larger effort to turn the backyard into a oasis that students will use on a daily basis as a place to hang out, do homework, learn, and grow!

When designing the piece, I kept in mind three main things: the organization, the people seeing it every day and the history of the location. Pernet Family Health Service is a family health agency that works to provide families with support to overall improve their quality of life. I included the phrase “strengthening families” in the clouds in various languages that the organization accommodates for and the theme is sprinkled around the piece including in the schools of fish in the sea. The space was meant for the children at the location so I wanted to paint people that looked like them. Growing up, I would have loved a mural to include people who looked like me so I liked the idea that I had the chance to do that for these students. Finally, it is at a place known as Green Island which, back in the day, required boats to be able to leave as it was surrounded by the river. I “reflooded” the location by adding the water and the boat calls back to that interesting history.