City of Newton, MA
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To showcase the work of student artists in Newton, we bring you SHINE!
Our artists were selected to paint mural boards reflecting this year’s SHINE theme “America at 250—Local Stories, Shared Futures”. Their murals will be displayed in public gathering places around our city throughout the summer. Read the below to learn about our artists’ ideas about America’s anniversary, and find out where you can see their work installed.
In addition to the below, you can see SHINE murals from previous years at the following locations: Newton Centre Bowl, Newton Centre Playground, Auburndale Cove playground, Cabot Field at the pavilion playground, Bulloughs Pond at the corner of Comm Ave and Walnut St, Cold Spring Park at the Beacon St. entrance, Levingston Cove at Crystal Lake, Newton Community Farm, and the front lawn at 1294 Centre St.
2026 SHINE Murals
Juliet Grenzke Brimmer & May School, Grade 7
Location: Newton Centre Plaza
“I thought about how we are all connected, across space and time. The phases of the moon represent time passing, and that we are always looking up at the same sky and same side of the moon no matter when or where we are. The stars in two of the moons represent Massachusetts as the 2nd of the original 13 colonies. The people at the bottom represent the past on the left to the future on the right. Together, they hold the banner.”
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Claire Chang Newton South High School, Grade 9
Location: Newton Centre Plaza
“Following the phrase ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness’ from the Declaration of Independence, I drew a lively tree that represents life, the Liberty Bell that represents liberty, and an iconic smiley face for the pursuit of happiness. The hands holding the bell and the smiley face represent the people who influenced America. I’ve made the background of this mural have hills and dandelions to add some natural beauty. Dandelions represent hope, strength, and joy, and they are everywhere!”
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Ell Genier Newton North High School, Grade 10
Location: Newton Centre Plaza
“Thinking of the theme America at 250, I wanted to focus on my hometown of Newton. We paint our murals at the Crystal lake bath house, and since Crystal lake is such a staple of Newton and was here even before America first came to be 250 years ago, I wanted to show when the bath house was first built. How Newton as a community has grown over time was my main focus.”
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Del Jain Newton North High School, Grade 11
Location: Newton Centre Plaza
“With the recent turmoil in the United States, it's important to remember that our government comes from the people. So many, including me at Newton North High School, have protested for a better society. As our country grows older, we must not forget our inalienable, natural rights.”
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Eva Maiewski Bigelow Middle School, Grade 6
Location: Albemarle Playground
“I painted kids running around the world with Newton in the center to show the diversity of our city. Each kid has white shoes to show we're all the same underneath. The words on the clouds represent Newton's values over the decades.”
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Jayden Zheng Bigelow Middle School, Grade 7
Location: Hyde Playground
“This piece shows how America has grown and changed over the past 250 years. The tree represents how the country started small but became stronger and more diverse over time. The Jackson Homestead and Durant-Kenrick House represent America’s history and roots. The Three Sisters plants—corn, squash, and beans—symbolize early agricultural life in colonial America. Overall, the artwork highlights the importance of diversity, history, and unity.”
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Nick Mikhailau Brown Middle School, Grade 8
Location: Upper Falls Greenway
“This image represents how small-scale life was in the last hundreds of years and how it might look in the near and far future. The field and windmill show the jobs of regular people back then, when their nearest city was miles from home And there were more bushes and trees in the past. In the near future you might notice only the same large skyscrapers, drones, concrete sidewalks, and roads. The main idea is to show that the world would look the same, just larger. New science discoveries and technology are waiting for us in the future world, shown here by a laboratory as the symbol of the science process and people moving into the cities from the isolated civilizations. The future will not look different but will function differently. And the bridge with the river is the present that divides the future and the past.”
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“Newton Quilting Circle” Community Mural by Artist Caoin O’Durgy (with help from all our SHINE artists and the Newton Community at SpringFest 2026)
Location: Newton City Hall front steps
“The quilt is an icon of Americana that truly represents the spirit of the United States: we are a patchwork of perspectives, ideas, and inspirations that weave together to create something beautiful and unique. The technique used to create this mural reflects these ideas by highlighting individual mark-making, because the hands of all of our members offer something beautiful to contribute.”
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They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below.
If you are interested in sponsoring this project or others, please contact us to discuss. Review our sponsorship opportunities HERE