Photo: Courtesy of TD Garden
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Salem muralist Anna Dugan has been named the inaugural TD Garden House Artist, the venue announced Monday.
The house artist program "commissions local artists from underrepresented communities within New England to create transformative art in and around the arena," TD Garden said in a press release.
The program is made possible thanks to a collaboration with TD Bank, which committed $15 million for new community programming to make the arts more accessible and inclusive through the "Access the Arts" initiative.
Dugan, a Filipino American, has been painting murals since 2017. Her mural inside TD Garden's main entryway, entitled "Celebration of Belonging," envisions the arena as a symbol of togetherness and home for fans, performers, and staff.
1 of 3 Photo: Courtesy of TD Garden
2 of 3 Photo: Courtesy of TD Garden
3 of 3 Photo: Courtesy of TD Garden
"It’s like being able to be connected to family, friends, neighbors, people that you don’t know through the events that take place in this space, makes it a piece of home for so many of us," Dugan told WBZ NewsRadio Tuesday.
The mural features Boston sports legends such as Larry Bird and Phil Esposito, performers like Elton John, and TD Garden staff members. It was one of those staff members who reached out to Dugan to thank her for putting her in her artwork.
"One of the ushers that I painted, she reached out and was like, 'Oh my gosh, I made it, I made it on the mural, this is so amazing.' It just makes it special, it makes it real for people," Dugan said.
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