Downtown Burlington offers rich bounty of murals

April Fisher, Burlington Free Press
·3 min read

Burlington is a city full of murals. This story explores the murals that adorn the city's downtown, part of a series put together by Free Press reporters that offer tours of the murals that adorn Burlington's various neighborhoods.

This is by no means a complete listing of all murals in Burlington. And because public art is essentially a living, breathing entity, murals will come and go over the next weeks, months and years. But this list (and the accompanying map and photo gallery) should give you a pretty good start for taking your own walking and/or biking tours of all the murals Burlington has to offer.

'Black Freedom, Black Modonna & the Black Child of Hope'

"Black Freedom, Black Madonna & the Black Child of Hope" by Raphaella "Raph" Brice decorates the east side of the Fletcher Free Library
"Black Freedom, Black Madonna & the Black Child of Hope" by Raphaella "Raph" Brice decorates the east side of the Fletcher Free Library

Adorning the Fletcher Free Library, "Black Freedom, Black Madonna & the Black Child of Hope" is a 16-foot-high, 12-foot-wide mural by Burlington artist Raphaella "Raph" Brice. The mural was commissioned by Burlington City Arts and the Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging for Juneteenth 2022.

A reimagining of the famous 14th century Italian painting "Madonna and Child," the mural depicts the revered Haitian Vodou figure Erzulie Dantor as a Black Mother Mary with the Christ Child, both with third eyes on their foreheads.

"The Madonna piece is an acknowledgment of love — of pure love," Brice said, "And a cosmic love at that."

At the Turning Point Center

This scene is just part of the wide mural that spans the side of the Turning Point Center building on King Street below South Winooski Avenue. The artist behind the piece is Tara Goreau, who has done murals at locations across Vermont, including City Market.
This scene is just part of the wide mural that spans the side of the Turning Point Center building on King Street below South Winooski Avenue. The artist behind the piece is Tara Goreau, who has done murals at locations across Vermont, including City Market.

On King Street just below South Winooski Avenue, a wide mural spans the side of the building that houses the addiction recovery nonprofit Turning Point Center.

Painted by Vermont artist Tara Goreau in collaboration with community volunteers, the mural depicts people helping each other up a flight of stairs, symbolizing the steps to addiction recovery.

Other scenes in the mural, including construction workers building a house and community members sitting down for a shared meal, connect to the work of the other nonprofits in the building: Migrant Justice, Vermont Workers' Center, and 350Vermont.

Goreau is the artist behind a number of murals around Vermont, including murals at the downtown City Market, South End City Market, and Winooski Memorial Library.

World Cow

On the side of the Lux Barber Shop on Cherry Street, a Vermont-born global phenomenon is painted on the wall: World Cow. Founded in 2016 by Vermonter DJ Barry, World Cow murals have spread across the U.S. and 40 countries around the world.
On the side of the Lux Barber Shop on Cherry Street, a Vermont-born global phenomenon is painted on the wall: World Cow. Founded in 2016 by Vermonter DJ Barry, World Cow murals have spread across the U.S. and 40 countries around the world.

On the side of the Lux Barber Shop on Cherry Street, a Vermont-born global phenomenon is painted on the wall: World Cow. Bearing spots in the shape of the world map, the World Cow is often accompanied by the slogan "we're all spots on the same cow."

Founded in 2016, World Cow murals have spread across the U.S. and 40 countries around the world. "The message is simple. We're all spots in the same cow," said founder DJ Barry. "So no matter your race, your gender, we're all in this life together. Our feet are on the same ground. We're breathing the same air. We should be kind to each other."

Inside Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center

"Luminaries of Justice and Liberation" is the name of the mural inside the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center at 60 Lake St. Painted by the family collective Juniper Creative Arts, the mural depicts 100 people of color who have paved the way for social change.
"Luminaries of Justice and Liberation" is the name of the mural inside the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center at 60 Lake St. Painted by the family collective Juniper Creative Arts, the mural depicts 100 people of color who have paved the way for social change.

Inside the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center at 60 Lake St., portraits of 100 people of color who have paved the way for social change decorate the 1,100 square foot vaulted ceiling.

Entitled "Luminaries of Justice and Liberation," the mural was painted over the course of 11 months in 2021 by Will Kasso Condry and Jennifer Herrera Condry of the Vermont-based family artist collective Juniper Creative Arts.

Luminaries depicted in the mural range from the Haitian revolutionary Jean-Jacques Dessalines to musician Nina Simone to MeToo founder Tarana Burke. A legend below the mural lists all 100 people depicted along with QR codes to more information about each.

A_Dog Skatepark

"The Silent Symphony" is the name of this mural at the Andy A_Dog Williams Skatepark. The mural was created by the Los Angeles-born artist Egypt Hagan for Juneteenth 2021.
"The Silent Symphony" is the name of this mural at the Andy A_Dog Williams Skatepark. The mural was created by the Los Angeles-born artist Egypt Hagan for Juneteenth 2021.

Under an awning at the Andy A_Dog Williams Skatepark, multiple walls are decorated with a mural of young men and women in traditional African wardrobes.

Entitled "The Silent Symphony," the mural was created by the Los Angeles-born artist Egypt Hagan and commissioned by Burlington City Arts and the city's Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging for Juneteenth in 2021.

"The imagery conveys Juneteenth's significance, telling the story of strong African people who have endured so much, finally standing tall and fearless," Burlington City Arts writes on their website. "The greatest symphony that was once silenced, is now for all to hear."

Contact April Fisher at amfisher@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AMFisherMedia

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Touring downtown Burlington's murals