Murals

FOLLOW THE WAVE: Art for the People, Made by the People

The Wave Mural Collective

The Wave Mural Collective is a group of women artists, activators, and activists who collaborate to create community-based murals centered on social and environmental justice and public art as a vehicle for community voice, storytelling, and connection.

The wave serves as both a symbol and a metaphor—representing the power of collective movement, transformation, and the ripple effect that public art can generate within communities.

While each of us has experience leading and contributing to mural projects individually, our first collective effort was the Building a Better World Wave Mural, completed in downtown Amesbury in June 2025. This project stands as a model of our mission: to co-create murals that are rooted in equity, collaboration, and place-based storytelling—and to bring this model to other communities.

Two women in jumpsuits standing in front of a colorful mosaic wall, giving high fives, at a construction site with scaffolding and a bucket.

The Collective Approach

At the heart of our mural-making process is a simple yet powerful philosophy: Art for the People, Made by the People. While our team of artists provides the creative direction and leads the design and installation, the soul of the work comes from the hands of the community.

Through pop-up tile-making and paint workshops, hosted across neighborhoods, schools, organizations, and public events, we invite participants of all ages and backgrounds to engage directly in the creative process using clay or paint. These workshops foster connection, self-expression, and a sense of ownership.

Each tile or brush stroke created tells a story and represents a unique voice. Assembled together, they form a vibrant, permanent mural that reflects the spirit, diversity, and creativity of the community. It’s not just about making art—it’s about making space for all community members to be seen and celebrated.

This is collective art-making with purpose. This is COMMUNITY in action.

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD Community Wave Mural 2025

  • Clay red tiles that say "Passion for Change"

    The Evolution.

    In Spring of 2024, we opened a call to students in the local school systems for mural designs with the theme Building a Better World. Our goal was a large-scale mural that united diverse entities of the community together into a common goal, creating something both beautiful and meaningful.

    Our greatest hope in the process was to ignite dialogue and actionable change and to bring people together.

    What unfolded exceeded all expectations. We made, we laughed, we cried, we healed. Stories were shared, voices were elevated, and a sense of belonging grew stronger with every tile. Most importantly, we supported one another—showing what’s possible when community comes together with purpose and heart.

  • a picture of a rainbow colored wave

    The Creation.

    The Building a Better World Wave Mural is a community-driven mosaic installed in downtown Amesbury, MA in June 2025.

    Beginning with a chosen design by 8th grader Ania Tymowski, further digitally rendered by Meadowhawk Studios, this mural features tiles made by humans of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Representing a “Wave of Change,” its 12 colors reflect themes of social and environmental action, each one a step toward Building a Better World, together.

    These 12 themes were inspired by responses from our middle school students when asked, “What do we need to build a better world?” The result is a powerful visual story woven from hundreds of community voices, one tile at a time.

  • Young girl sculpting with clay, focused and carefully working with a tool on a small project, wearing a pink sweater, sitting at a table.

    Community Built.

    From November 2024 to May 2025, our team hosted nearly 30 community events that brought public art to life. Through pop-up tile-making workshops held across the city, we engaged hundreds of participants, from toddlers to senior citizens.

    Thanks to generous grants and donations, every event was free and accessible, ensuring that everyone could take part, regardless of age, background, or experience.

    This project reflects the magnitude of the creative spirit and collective voice of our community.

Silhouette of a spherical object with a symmetrical geometric pattern, resembling a stylized wheel or gear, in white on a black background.
Logo for Creative County with the word 'Creative' in stylized black script and 'County' in uppercase green and gray letters, with a green, white, and blue arc above.
Black-and-white illustration of two people in a boat, fishing on a calm lake with a large tree and mountains in the background.
Logo of the Newburyport Cultural Council featuring a colorful, abstract geometric shape and black text.

Community Collaborations

People at a table examining and handling carved clay or stone pieces in a classroom or workshop setting, with colorful craft projects on the wall behind them.

River Valley Charter School
River Valley Charter School (RVCS) is a public Montessori-based charter school in Newburyport, MA. From September 2024 through March 2025, RVCS educators Catherine Debrocke and Lizzy Keery led a Visual Arts Project Group for 7th and 8th grade students, using the Building a Better World mural project as both curriculum and creative catalyst.

The project became a hands-on vehicle for elevating youth voice, inviting students to explore community, identity, and shared responsibility through art. Students engaged deeply in real-world problem-solving, physical making, collaboration, compassion, and reflection.

Students explored every step of the clay process, from raw clay to sculpting, glazing, kiln firing, and installation. Beyond the classroom, students also pitched in at numerous public tile-making events, guiding makers of all ages as they created their own pieces of the mural.

The 12 themes represented in the mural emerged directly from the students’ discussions, research, and insights, making their perspectives an essential part of the mural’s foundation.

Mosaic rainbow colors and patterns on a brick wall.

Meadowhawk Studio
Joanna Tomah of Meadowhawk Studio provided the visual structure that holds the mural’s organic, community-created shapes in harmony. She digitally refined the original student drawings and added geometric tile framing to bring the concept to reality. Translating Ania Tymowski’s hand-painted student design into a precise Photoshop grid that scaled the artwork to the wall, Joanna introduced geometric tile lines to frame the tapestry of organic community tiles. Joanna adapted the digital design as the mural evolved, incorporating input from the project director, community, participating artists, and student team.

Joanna helped shape the structure that brings the mural’s organic, community-created forms together as a cohesive whole. Joanna also meticulously hand-crafted all 774 rectangular tiles by hand in her home studio!

A woman arranging colorful glazed ceramic tiles and decorative pieces on the floor, creating a rainbow mosaic pattern.

FOLLOW THE WAVE: Art for the People, Made by the People

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FOLLOW THE WAVE: Art for the People, Made by the People *

Follow The Wave

Another “sign” that we’ve officially arrived — hearts and doors wide open at 12 Oakland St. 🌀 Home base of @thewavemuralcollective, The Center is where it’s at for community, collaboration + creativity. @artatthecenter
🪶Honoring Indigenous Peoples Day 🪶 Indigenous communities have long been stewards of Turtle Island, this land, culture, and sacred knowledge, carrying forward deep traditions of care, resilience, and inter-connectivity. Today, we honor not only
Two women embracing in front of a colorful tile mural. The woman on the left wears glasses, a black hat with rainbow and the word "caravan" on it, and a beige vest with a pin. The woman on the right has short gray hair, glasses, and wears a tie-dye shirt with a gray zip-up hoodie. They are smiling happily.

Make it

We’d love to bring the magic of community art-making to your city! Our team offers a full range of support—from consultation and planning to creating a unique mural from start to finish alongside your community. Whether you’re looking to spark connection, celebrate local stories, or brighten public spaces, we can help make it happen.

Learn more

Make a donation

Support our mission by contributing today.

3% Cover the Fee

The Center is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. EIN 33-3119516

A woman standing on a table in a classroom with colorful rainbow-shaped arrangement of various stones and tiles on the floor below her, with windows showing greenery and a playground outside.