Restore Women's History Mural!

We are halfway to our fundraising goal of $24,000 thanks to all our supporters! But we still have $13,000 to raise. The iconic mural, "The History of Women in Northampton 1600-1980," needs major restoration. Unfortunately, the mural was damaged last year in a way that resulted in a white haze and drips on the mural, ruining the visual appearance of major figures and groups. The Hestia Mural Restoration Collective is raising funds to repair this damage. Failure to repair the mural may lead to its eventual destruction. A terrible loss of a mural that brings back from obscurity three centuries of women's history. Representation matters; not only is it important for girls and women to see themselves honored in public places, but for everyone to have a more inclusive understanding of history. Our goal is to ensure that this artwork is preserved for the community for years to come.

The mural was painted in 1980 by the Hestia Art Collective (Linda Bond, Mariah Fee, Susan Pontious, Rochelle Shicoff and Wednesday Sorokin), is 35' x 100', located in Northampton Massachusetts and remains the largest mural in western Massachusetts. The imagery is the result of two years of original research and depicts women's contributions to Northampton in the home, the arts, education, business, industry and politics. Since its completion, the artwork has been used in local schools and colleges as a teaching aid for local and women's history. In 1986 it received the Governor's Design Award.