Draft:Murals in Springfield, Massachusetts

The American city of Springfield, Massachusetts has been home to many murals since the mid-20th century.

20th century
In 1910, American painter Robert Reid installed a mural at Central High School, entitled "The Light of Education". The mural depicted William Pynchon and the settling of Springfield.

In 1937, Italian-born artist Umberto Romano and his students installed a six panel mural in the Springfield Main Post Office (now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Office Building) depicting the history of Springfield from 1936 to 1936.

The oldest public mural in the city is Heritage, painted in ___ by local artists Don Blanton, Paul Blanton, and Josephine Edmonds. It was painted on the side of Robbins Beauty Supply on State Street. The three wanted to create a piece of public art celebrating Black heritage and pride.

Beginning in 1973, artist Nelson Stevens led the creation of more than 30 murals in the city, many of which were created in collaboration with students and local artists. Four of these murals were painted in the Winchester Square Historic District.

21st century
Between 2010 and 2023, the organization City Mosaic created between 40 and 50 murals in the city, with support from the Springfield government. They first began painting murals during the Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival.

In 2019, the organization Fresh Paint Springfield also began painting murals, many of them during their annual mural festival in June. The 2022 iteration of the festival, which included collaborations with Commonwealth Murals, resulted in 38 new murals.

In August 2022, the city government announced they would be offering grants to organizations looking to paint murals in the city.