Alex Ferror started coming up with designs for a mural at the Boys & Girls Club in Manchester weeks ago, but he didn’t formalize his main subjects — the “characters” — until meeting some of the kids. The artist had a Zoom call and talked to children from the club last week during a workshop. That enabled him to incorporate more elements into the colorful addition to the split-level wall in the rear of the building.
The artwork will come to life over the course of the city's 10-day mural festival. Ferror is known for conveying whimsy with magical adventures, such as an upside-down umbrella floating in the night sky, a boy floating away with balloons, and his signature character, a pink bear named Dom. “I thought the best idea would be to make a paper boat and fill it up with the kids — my characters,” he said.
By last Saturday, Ferror and a crew of volunteers started painting the designs as part of Arts Build Community’s second “Community Canvas Mural Program,” which will bring at least five new murals to the Queen City. Three are at the Boys & Girls Club, and others are on Amherst Street on buildings owned by the Palace Theatres. Ferror and four other featured artists will work until Sunday alongside a team of local artists.
James Chase, an associate professor at the Institute of Art and Design at New England College, who founded Arts Building Community, said the program is about community involvement. “I am over the moon to have the local artist all l.