jillian r. wiedenmayer transforms an urban overpass into a vibrant art space

trained architect and artist jillian r. wiedenmayer and a team of street artists collaborate on the chroma line, boston’s largest mural to date. working with local community organization allston village main streets, wiedenmayer set up a series of design charrettes in boston’s allston neighborhood meant to strengthen residents’ sense of cultural identity and explore their shared vision for the city. public sessions were held at jackson mann community center, allston civic association and brighton allston improvement association, where community members shared their ideas and hopes for the neighborhood.

the piece is open 24-hours and is located in boston’s allston neighborhood

following the sessions, wiedenmayer collaborated with a team of street artists including nick sullivan, golive, rant and nya belleve to translate the feedback into the chroma line, an urban intervention that expresses the community’s cohesive vision. the final artwork uses color and conversation to enliven franklin bridge, an overpass located between the north and south allston neighborhoods. 

jillian r. wiedenmayer and her team of street artists create a cohesive mural

nick sullivan’s work explores themes and stories that were collected during the neighborhood design charrettes

the entire bridge is turned into a giant, site specific art installation

the painting covers the full 480 feet of the existing pedestrian overpass

on the bridge walkway, wiedenmayer has inscribed colorful graphic motifs to weave together the work of her team of artists

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: sofia lekka angelopoulou | designboom