Your Help Needed to Make the old Strong School Beautiful!

[Lee Cruz]

Let's make an iconic, abandoned building at the heart of our neighborhood beautiful again.

Please donate here! 

Built in 1915, the former Strong School building at 69 Grand Avenue has stood vacant on Fair Haven's major corridor for more than five years. A prime example of Tudor style collegiate architecture, the building is a historic gem near the waterfront of New Haven's landed immigrant neighborhood. But its vacant status, with boarded up windows and doors, makes this once majestic structure a security risk and eyesore.

Painter Emilio Herrera Corichi, from Puebla, Mexico, has worked as a muralist, sculptor, and portrait painter for more than twenty years. He specializes in community and indigenous arts, and in working collaboratively with community groups to transform their visions into art.

We can turn the former Strong School building into a hive of community activity again as we paint a mural together on June 3-4. Neighbors of all ages will help determine the mural’s themes and images, as well as do the painting. Our kids will play a concrete role in bringing this art to life in their community, and feel the pride of ownership every time they pass by.

A few examples of Emilio's work are in the gallery above. Check out his portfolio here.

Together we will create not only an original art installation for our neighborhood's main street, to remain until the building’s future is determined, but also permanent artwork made by our neighbors to be distributed throughout our neighborhood when the plywood boards are eventually removed.

Can we raise the minimum needed to support our artist and cover the cost of supplies in one week?

Amigxs: ¡sí, se puede! Please donate here!