New Latino Heritage Mural Will Highlight Culture

NEWBURGH – Recently, Newburgh community members gathered at the City of Newburgh parking lot at the corner of Broadway and Grand Street, to celebrate the end of Hispanic Heritage month. The group began the kick off of the future mural initiative on the side of the DMU Music building, at 86 Broadway. Residents gathered in traditional clothing, brought flags, and other cultural items from their respective countries. Face masks adorned with flags from different Latin American countries were donated by Rocio Silva, local business owner of Ramos Upholstery in Newburgh. Brian Wolfe and Angela Montiel took photos in front of the site of the future mural and residents talked about what this project means for them.

The Newburgh Latino Heritage Mural Initiative will utilize the east facing side of the building which is 4 stories high. The proposed mural will highlight Hispanic heritage and will be a warm, colorful welcome to those coming into the City of Newburgh from the riverfront. Rene Campos, owner and President of DMU Music Inc. was excited at the prospect of featuring the mural on the building. “I have always wanted to do a mural on the DMU Music building to honor the legacy and contributions of Latin American Art and Culture. This year, it felt like the right time to finally get it started and I am very excited to see how many people are enthusiastic about this project.”

Kevindaryán Luján, Orange County Legislator, was on hand to celebrate the kick off. “I believe this mural will be a great symbol of unity and diversity for the City of Newburgh as well as a great addition to the amazing art we are seeing across the city. I hope this project will inspire other artists and business owners to invest in the arts.”

“This mural is an important way for the Newburgh’s Hispanic community to share our culture with the entire City of Newburgh. We look forward to the mural having an educational piece for our youth. We want to ensure that the youth, not only learn about the cultural aspects, but also learn about the importance of art and the role it plays in the community and in the world,” stated Diana Campos, Chair of the Latino Heritage Mural Planning Committee.

“In today’s world, when so many people are tearing each other down, public art is an opportunity to build each other up. We know that public art enhances communities, but only by making them more vibrant and beautiful places to live, but has shown to decrease crime rate near well-lit murals, provides jobs for artists, promotes cultural awareness and leads to creative placemaking. Orange County Arts council proudly supports the upcoming Latino Heritage mural initiative and could not be more excited to work with the community on this project,” stated Sarah McKay, Executive Director of the Orange County Art Council
The Latino Heritage Mural is expected to begin in 2021 in partnership with Orange County Art Council. Anyone interested in volunteering, donating or learning more about the project canfollow the Newburgh Latino Heritage Mural page on Facebook or email them at Almanewyork@outlook.com – Donations are being accepted through Go Fund Me – Newburgh Latino Heritage Mural. Muralists that are interested in submitting their ideas for this project are welcome and will be decided in 2021.