Hoboken Celebrates New Mural on Northern Edge, Celebrating Inspirational Women of the Mile Square City

At the age of 12, Maria Pepe fought for the right for girls to play Little League baseball. Photographer Dorothea Lange captured the gritty realities of the Great Depression. Nightclub pioneer Dorothy McNeil ran a prominent African-American entertainment venue.

All of them lived right here in Hoboken, and all of them are now celebrated on the Mile Square City’s latest mural along the northern edge of town.

“This mural is the result of a successful collaboration with the City that has been three years in the making,” said Reid Weppler, Vice President of Development with Storage Deluxe. “We’re excited to open our new store in the neighborhood and be part of the community.”

The 150’ by 35’ mural is sponsored by Storage Deluxe and was painted along a wall of the CubeSmart Self Storage building (1312 Adams Street).

 

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Heres a clip of Hoboken courtesy of @djshughes . Huge thanks to everyone that made this project happen. Most of all, @aremyh @hiro.hubbard.studio , Storage Deluxe, The Hoboken Division of Cultural Affairs, and our great sponsors, @goldenpaints and @jerrysartistoutlet . Stay tuned for the full video coming soon…

A post shared by DISTORT (@distoart) on Oct 19, 2018 at 10:28am PDT

“It is a blessing to be able to be a part of and to experience seeing a mural that reflects on Hoboken’s history and commitment to provide so many recreational opportunities to all children living here today,” says Pepe. “I am so thankful for all the support from my coach Jimmy Farina, my parents and family. I hope it inspires all children to believe all things are possible in Hoboken.”

“This is an exciting project that will breathe new life into the area,” said Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla. “This mural is a great tribute to some of Hoboken’s favorite daughters who made tremendous impacts on their community and the country.”

Very proud to unveil a new mural celebrating 3 incredible Hoboken women: living legend @maria_pepemaria who fought for right for girls to play @LittleLeague, photographer Dorothea Lange & Dorothy McNeil. All 3 were trailblazers who paved the way for girls & women everywhere pic.twitter.com/WF1I0XdUEf

— Ravinder S. Bhalla (@RaviBhalla) October 26, 2018

The mural, created by Jersey City artist DISTORT, refers to his inspiration for the work, “In this mural, I wanted to honor Hoboken’s history as a working-class and artistic city by representing the people and places that gave it it’s character.” The mural also features two dock workers, showcasing Hoboken’s industrial period.

Storage Deluxe worked closely with the City of Hoboken Division of Cultural Affairs and the City of Hoboken’s Mural Arts Committee (Geri Fallo, Administrator of Cultural Affairs; Al Barsky, Barsky Gallery; Liz Cohen, hob’art cooperative gallery; Justine Uva-Sgaramella, Urban Arts). The mural is also sponsored by Golden Artist Colors, Inc, and Jerry’s Artist Outlet in West Orange who donated the paint and other materials for the project.

“Having opened Hoboken’s Barsky Gallery in 2011, it has been a pleasure to be part of a thriving arts community and this mural is a visible reminder of that,” said Al Barsky. I’m grateful to Hoboken for their support and commitment to the arts, making this mural a reality. It was great to be able to bring my friends, the Golden family on board, who so generously donated the paint for this project.”

“My wife Barbara and I love this city,” said Mark Golden, a founder of Golden Artist Colors, Inc.  “It has provided us a wonderful opportunity to enjoy all the area has to offer. We are delighted our Company can participate in this amazing mural project.

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