Chewstick Community Art Program

The Chewstick Community Art Program (CCAP) is a way to further our overall Chewstick Foundation mission and to inspire, enlighten and heal the community.

Public art has long been an effective agent of positive change, by demonstrating its impact through our existing facility we aim to expand the program into the broader community. We will develop depth to the program by partnering with community organizations, charities, youth groups and artists to imagineer and create the pieces.

The Chewstick Community Art Program took its first steps toward community beautification in 2011, when a group of Bermuda middle school students painted the now iconic 4ft x 8ft paintings, donated by The Ministry of Education, that hang on the Elliot Street side of our former headquarters at 28 Elliot Street in North Hamilton.

Then, on November 17 2012, CCAP launched its first official public art campaign – bringing together local non-profit organizations CURB, Rainbow Alliance of Bermuda, Family Centre, and Bermuda Blue Halo to beautify the exterior of Chewstick’s community facility and the Northeast Hamilton Area.

On December 1 2012, Chewstick held a Fundraising Rally & Open House, during which, members of the public were invited to participate in painting a 12ft x 30ft mural with the theme of “Peace” on the exterior Court Street wall of our former facility on the corner of Court Street and Elliot Street in North Hamilton.

The Court Street mural went through several evolutions since its first painting, including tributes to the late Nelson Mandela and Dr. Maya Angelou. In February 2014, CCAP installed a mural celebrating legends Bob Marley and Lance Hayward at the nearby Jamaican Grill. CCAP’s focus is to bring our history to the streets so that our legends are not forgotten and their stories can remain solidly in the public consciousness.  These community murals outside our brightly colored building in the heart of Bakatown were  received warmly, and routinely caused people to comment, take photographs, and think positively about the area and the future.

In Summer 2014, CCAP formally took off as a venture to beautify not just North Hamilton, but the entire island, starting with several large murals at Wellbottom, Warwick. In October 2014, we partnered with the Argo Group Gold Cup and Royal Bermuda Yacht Club to introduce a community art feature to the Family Festival of Sail, while also supporting artists Kendra Earls, Juan “Chatoe” Trevino, and Michael Cacy.

In early 2015, Chewstick partnered with the Bermuda Industrial Union for their 65th anniversary, to honor important union leaders, the late Dr. E.F. Gordon and Dr. Barbara Ball.

Summer 2015 saw the partnership between Chewstick and Bacardi for their 50 Years on the Rock celebration, painting our largest mural ever!
We also painted a portrait of Dr. Charlotte Ming, the founding principal of Clearwater Middle School.

In October 2015, CCAP  completed an installation on Chancery Lane steps as part of the City Arts Festival. The 4 murals feature 4 poems by local poets Tiffany Paynter, Stephan Johnstone, and Yesha Townsend, which can be read either top to bottom or bottom to top!

In November 2015, Chewstick Community Art Program organized the painting of a mural on Front Street, bringing national pride to life with a large example of Bermuda’s flag.

The Chewstick Foundation is developing the depth of the program by inviting partnerships with businesses, community organizations, charities, youth groups and artists to imagine and help create pieces that break down barriers and bring people from all walks of life together. We are seeking both artists and property owners to continue this venture and help inspire positive change through community art initiatives and projects.  With your help we aim to build on this momentum.