By Elias Taye and Eloge Willy Kaneza
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A new mural at the corner of Lisbon and Ash streets in downtown Lewiston features the message, “We arrived on different ships. We are all in the same boat now.” The immigration-themed artwork was created by Maine artists Ryan and Rachel Gloria Adams and commissioned by LA Arts.
The project originated in 2021 with a proposal by then-Lewiston City Council member Safiya Khalid. During the design process, the artists consulted members of Lewiston’s historic and present-day immigrant communities to develop imagery and colors reflecting the city’s cultural diversity and textile heritage.
The mural references Lewiston’s history as a destination for successive waves of newcomers, from French Canadian mill workers to more recent immigrants and refugees from Africa and other parts of the world. The project was funded by the Maine Arts Commission, the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation, and the Lewiston Public Art Committee and was dedicated during a public ceremony on June 26.
