“Busy as a Bee” will grace a utility box on High Street near Journal Square and “The American Cape” sculpture, while “Music for All” will be featured on a utility box on South Second Street across the street from R.I.S.E. Fit and Household Books.
Jennifer Acus-Smith, program manager for StreetSpark, said the new mural selections will be painted this summer. She said they reflect “the heart and history” of Hamilton.
“Our program goals are to showcase the creativity and vision of artists through high quality mural design, to present a diversity of artistic styles and perspectives throughout Hamilton, to increase the visibility of the arts in Hamilton, to give jobs to local working artists (and) to attract more residents, visitors and businesses to the Hamilton area,” Acus-Smith said during Hamilton City Council’s regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday evening.
Council greenlighted all four murals later in the meeting.
The artists behind the murals
Artist Sophie Groenstein, of Hartford, Connecticut, designed “Sparks of Labor” for the Meyer Brothers & Sons location as “a tribute to the hands that built Hamilton.”
“The design has come a long way,” Groenstein said in a release. “The background is a really old map of the area. I wanted that to feel like a blueprint. It marries the industrial history of Hamilton with the spark of what lies ahead.”
Hamilton artist Brett Tachi, who was part of the painting team that brought the 2025 StreetSpark “Viva El Sueno” mural to life at Hamilton Living Waters Ministry at 510 8th St., designed “Convergence” for the space at Pfefferle Tire & Auto Service.
“I hope people see something new in it every time they look,” Tachi said in the release. “There are lots of little hidden pockets to explore. I just want to inspire a sense of wonder and imagination, and for people to look at where they live with a new eye.”
Melissa Peterson, of Edgewood, said her design for High Street’s “Busy as a Bee” is “about the fruits of labor from the relentless toil for transformation.”
“Hamilton as a city has undergone a tremendous metamorphosis over the past 15 years,” Peterson said in her artist’s statement. “The design with a bee framed in florals embodies the idea that with that toil comes growth and abundance.”
Students from the Hamilton High School public art class, under the guidance of instructor Paul Loehle, each made a design for a utility box on Second Street with Makayla Reinersman’s “Music for All” ultimately getting the nod.
Featuring a variety of instruments and music equipment, her mural also highlights deaf musical artist Sean Forbes, providing “a unique insight into how music transcends hearing to become a felt, visual, and shared art form.
“Placed in the heart of the community, this piece invites passersby to appreciate the diverse perspectives and creative expressions that shape our collective way of life,” StreetSpark said in a release.
StreetSpark is a partnership between Fitton Center for Creative Arts, the city of Hamilton and the Hamilton Community Foundation. It said it “creates engagement by producing high-quality art, providing opportunities for local artists and enhancing the visual appeal of the city.”
The four newly approved designs will join the 21 large-scale murals and 17 utility boxes created by StreetSpark artists since its founding in 2016.
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