Climate change-inspired mural is being designed in the North End. Here's what we know.

NEW BEDFORD — In the North End, a sea level rise-inspired mural will soon be installed to bring awareness to the effects of climate change and encourage resilience within the community.

The project is one of the outcomes of the 2023 Envision Resilience Challenge , a multi-university design studio and community engagement initiative focused on hopeful climate futures developed by philanthropist Wendy Schmidt through Remain.

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The Envision Resilience Mural Project — a Nantucket-based organization that works to bring creative thinking to environmental and community challenges, elevate local industry and encourage innovation and resilience — tells through art the story of a community working together to be imaginative and adaptive in the face of a changing climate and rising sea levels.

With predictions of sea levels rising between 2 and 7 feet in the region by 2100, the mural aims to spark discussions and envision resilient futures for the community.

What to expect from the mural project

The installation of the mural on the exterior of the "North End Stereo" building on Sawyer Street was set to get underway this month. The mural itself will be created by a local artist selected by New Bedford Creative and will depict a graphic designed by Ethan Moyer, a student from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth College of Visual and Performing Arts who participated in the 2023 Envision Resilience Challenge.

Moyer's design was inspired by Worby’s Posters, Comics, and the Illustration Marketplace class, which tasked students with designing activist-style posters around the theme of coastal resilience in New Bedford and Fairhaven.

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The phrase “Envision Resilience” will be featured in three languages on the mural: Spanish, Portuguese and English.

It not only serves as a visual reminder of the impact of climate change but also highlights the power of collaboration and community involvement in addressing these issues.

More about the challenge's history in New England

The Envision Resilience Challenge encourages coastal communities to imagine innovative approaches to the impacts of climate change. The design studio brings together multidisciplinary student teams from various fields, such as architecture, landscape architecture, design, engineering, environmental science, naturalism, journalism, and art.

The challenge was first introduced in Nantucket in 2021, and has since expanded to Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, New Bedford and Fairhaven in 2023. This year, the challenge is taking place in Portland and South Portland, Maine, as well.

The Envision Resilience Mural Project is just one example of how Remain is working to support the local economy, community and environmental vitality of Nantucket.

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com . Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports . Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Climate change-inspired mural is being designed in the North End. Here's what we know.