Colombian Artist Celebrates Immigrant Stories in New Pittsfield Mural
Artist Laura Barrios explains the inspiration of the mural, of immigrants building new lives in the Berkshires.
The unveiling on Thursday, marks the close of Let It Shine's 2026 outdoor public art season and the third year of its emerging artist program, said Mill Town Foundation Program Director Andy Wrba.
Let It Shine's Emerging Artists Mentorship program was established in 2024 to support aspiring artists in the community by providing guidance, hands-on experiences, and opportunities to create large-scale public art.
"This mural, along with all the murals, as part of this emerging artist program, and even more broadly, all the murals that you see downtown throughout Pittsfield shows that we care about the cultural scene and we care about the creative people that live and work in our city," Wrba said.
The new mural, painted by Colombian artist Laura Barrios, celebrates immigrants who have built lives and found a sense of home in Berkshire County.
Barrios has been working on the piece for the last two months alongside mentor artist, Jesse Tobin McCauley.
"It's a homage to the immigrants who work and make a home in the Berkshires … this is a very personal experience too because I am an immigrant," Barrios said in her speech.
In the mural, yellow warblers and a robin, migratory birds, are establishing a home in their new environment, she said.
The project was supported by Katunemo: Art & Healing, an art collective founded by Maru Dominguez to help immigrant and local emerging artists. During Barrios' interview with iBerkshires, Dominguez helped translate for her.
Since Katunemo first arrived to the Berkshires a year and a half ago, the area has been very inclusive — accepting her in a really unbelievable way, Barrios told iBerkshires.com.
They have accepted her with a lot of love and given her the opportunity to show her art, she said.
When visitors get off the train, Barrios said she hopes people feel at home in the Berkshires and feel accepted with all the differences people have.
Dominguez said the collective works to bridge cultural and language barriers, helping artists navigate opportunities to showcase their work.
"We don't have the difficulties with language and cultural barriers, so they can actually create and develop their artistic careers in the area, and that's part of my role to support them during the process," Dominguez said.
"Sometimes it can be a really hard, really hard experience to apply for open calls or apply for different grants to create and to make art. So, the idea is to support them during the process for them to feel more comfortable and able to develop their careers in this new area."
As Let It Shine seeks artists from diverse backgrounds, Katunemo helps advocate for artists within its network and connect them with opportunities to participate, Dominguez said.
It is important to share works created by immigrants because they also help shape this community and country, while raising awareness that they deserve the same respect, dignity, and sense of belonging as everyone else, Barrios said.
"I think that we all build this community. We are all working really hard to make this community better, and we all deserve the same space to share our stories, show who we are, where we are coming from, what we want for this community, this country, this county," Dominguez said.
"So many of us, we are really appreciative and we really thankful for being here, and we want the best for the community and this is a part of giving back to our community as well, creating art, but also a way of connecting and sharing our stories with the rest of the community."
Tags: murals, ribbon cutting,
