A sprawling new mural celebrating 40 women who helped shape Worcester is nearing completion on the YWCA Central Massachusetts building downtown, with organizers now eyeing an official dedication for early October. The Worcester Wall of Women spans several blocks and features hand-painted portraits of leaders, artists, activists, educators, athletes, and community advocates whose stories organizers say have too often gone untold.
The mural sits on the YWCA's exterior wall along Francis McGrath Boulevard, according to YWCA Central Massachusetts, which has advocated for women, girls, families and communities in the region for more than 135 years. As reported by Boston 25 News, organizers now plan to complete the work by the end of September, with an official dedication ceremony planned for early October, weather permitting.
Painting a Wall That Fills a Gap
Local artists Sharinna Travieso and Jennessa Burks designed and painted the mural, with Travieso arranging the portraits to create an organic flow across the wall, per Boston 25 News. Burks incorporated native Central Massachusetts wildflowers into the artwork, telling the outlet the flowers grow in the region with very little care. The mural also includes torn white pages symbolizing women's omission from history books, a detail Boston 25 News reports was woven directly into the design.
Deborah Hall said the selection process included both historical figures and living leaders who inspired their communities, according to Boston 25 News. She added that the mural fills a gap in monuments and historical representation of women. That absence isn't unique to Worcester — a national monument audit cited by The New York Times found that only six percent of statues nationwide represent women.
Detective, Swimmer, Abolitionist Among the Honored
Among those depicted is Sarai Rivera, the first and only Latina woman elected to the Worcester City Council, and Parlee Jones, an arts advocate recognized for enriching Worcester's cultural landscape. The mural also honors Bethany Veney, a formerly enslaved woman who settled in Worcester and became a noted author, and Albina Osipowich, an Olympic gold medalist and world-record-setting swimmer, Boston 25 News reports.
Hazel Berry, one of the first women of color to serve on the Worcester Police Department who went on to become a detective, said she was humbled by the recognition. She told Boston 25 News that representation can help young people imagine themselves in roles they may not view as accessible, and she hopes the mural will inspire future generations. Sue Mailman, a local businesswoman and school committee member, said the featured women use their voices to improve their community despite obstacles, per the same report.
A Broader Pattern of Public Art
The project traces its origins to a collaborative process involving 10 to 12 women from across Worcester, who worked together to select the initial honorees, according to The Worcester Guardian. That outlet reports the project is a collaboration between YWCA Central Massachusetts, Travieso, and author Anne Marie Murphy, and is supported in part by a grant from the Worcester Arts Council, according to a JustGiving campaign page for the project. Community support has helped keep the mural moving forward, Boston 25 News reports, with passing drivers offering encouragement to the artists as they work.
Organizers hope the wall will eventually grow beyond its initial 40 honorees, the Worcester Guardian notes. The mural adds to a small but growing body of public art in the city recognizing women's contributions, following Worcester's Speaker's Stand sculpture near Main and Walnut streets, which honors abolitionist and suffragist Abby Kelley Foster. That sculpture, created by Ann Hirsch and Jeremy Angier of A+J Art+Design, was installed in November 2021 and dedicated that December as part of the city's Main Street Reimagined initiative, according to Worcester Magazine.
