BOSTON (WHDH) - The corridors of City Hall are looking a bit different this month, thanks to hundreds of pieces of art made by Boston students.
Their artwork now lines a number of the building’s hallways – and the display “drew” quite the crowd over the weekend.
“I’m so proud of all of them and really excited to be here with them,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who was on hand to meet with the young artists who are drawn to art.
The mayor told 7NEWS it is important to give children different ways to express themselves, with the arts playing a key role in education.
“This is a part of not just school for learning math and science and English, but learning about who you could be as a human being and so it’s really exciting to see those pieces coming together,” Wu said.
It was a message echoed by Tyler Banfield, a fourth grader at Mendell Elementary who got to meet the mayor on Saturday.
“I really like art just because you can express all of your emotions and, sometimes, you can’t say that with just words,” Banfield said.
Tyler showed 7NEWS his piece of art on the wall like so many other kids. He told us why his painting was more than just a pigment of his imagination, inspired by by his time away at camp.
“It has a lot of meaning to it that I like,” he explained. “For example, I just think how nature has a very lively background which I really love. I just love how nature can sometimes just takeover.”
“It means a lot to me as a parent,” said Alejandra Hung, Tyler’s mother. “I think after Covid, after that really tough first year, there was a lot of trauma and pain kept inside for a lot of kids, so this really gives them the medium, the channel, to really express themselves.”
“Just being able to see Tyler smile so brightly at the mayor, smile so brightly at you today, I think it was just really heartwarming,” she added.
Art proving to be a way that kids can brush off the bad times in life, from self-portraits to cityscapes. The artwork showcased on Saturday will be on display through the month of March, giving visitors and the artists themselves a reason to smile.
The art can be found throughout City Hall, including on the first, second, sixth, seventh and eighth floors.
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