Announcement from Austin Street Partners

Destiny Palmer Wins 28 Austin Mural Competition

Austin Street Partners, in conjunction with the New Art Center, the Newtonville Area Council, and Newton Community Pride, is pleased to announce that Destiny Palmer, a Boston-area artist, has been selected as the winner of the 28 Austin Mural Competition.

Ms. Palmer’s winning entry will be located on the brick wall facing the newly created 28 Austin Plaza in Newtonville, MA. The plaza was designed as a community gathering place as part of the development of 28 Austin Street—a 68-unit mixed-income residential building that represents the culmination of a multiyear partnership between the City of Newton and Austin Street Partners to turn a neglected municipal parking lot into housing, retail, and public outdoor space.

A panel of jurists—including representatives of the New Art Center, the Newtonville Area Council, and Newton Community Pride—selected Ms. Palmer’s design from among 26 entries from 25 artists from across the United States. The 28 Austin Mural Competition was created and organized by Meryl Kessler, one of the co-founders of Newton’s Halloween Window Painting Contest.

“We were blown away by the quality of the art that was submitted for consideration,” said Scott Oran, principal of Austin Street Partners,” but the committee was most moved by the beauty and excitement of Destiny Palmer’s mural.”

Ms. Palmer’s artist statement, which will be displayed adjacent to the mural, explains her work: “I am inspired by the various cultures that exist in our communities. Color and pattern are universal languages that I like to collage together to represent the history of people and spaces…I use and rely on bright color because it brings energy to the space and creates a reason for people to come and create dialogue. Abstraction is a great way for different people to find common ground in experiencing art…” Ms. Palmer has begun painting her mural, and it will be completed and dedicated in early September 2020.

Ms. Palmer is an artist and educator. She currently teaches art at Thayer Academy and was previously an Assistant Professor at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has participated in exhibitions at Antenna Gallery, The Colored Girls Museum, Automat Collective, Ely Center for the Arts, Vandermoot Gallery, Landmark College. Ms. Palmer has hosted workshops at The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts. Most recently Ms. Palmer was invited to speak on her relationship to Hans Hofmann at the Peabody Essex Museum. For more information, please visit destinypalmerstudio.com.

Austin Street Partners is the developer and owner of 28 Austin Street, a mixed-use apartment building in Newtonville, MA. Completed in 2019, 28 Austin is 33% affordable. Retail tenants in 28 Austin include Caffe Nero, the international bakery and cafe, and Henry Bear’s Park, a toy store. For more information, please visit www.28Austin.com.

For more information about the New Art Center, a non-profit community space for art, please visit www.newartcenter.org.

For more information about Newton Community Pride, which builds community and encourages volunteerism in Newton through year-round arts, culture and beautification projects, please visit newtoncommunitypride.org.