"Our Story" by Betsy Casañas, 2021

Betsy Casañas is a visual and public artist, an educator, a community activist, and an organizer. She is the director of A Seed on Diamond Gallery and founder of Semilla Arts Initiative. Betsy has 24 years of experience in the arts and has created over 40 murals worldwide.

“As a Latina artist who has been working in communities of color around the world, I understand the importance of the people in these communities to see themselves reflected in the artwork and in the leaders of their communities. We have been depicted in a negative light on social media, news, and television as second-class citizens who should be feared. I believe it is our obligation as artists to reflect the times we are living in, and to highlight the people’s stories and change the narrative that has been created for us. By normalizing and humanizing our collective stories we create communities that are more tolerant.”

This mural, on the side of the library, was painted with the help of Springfield residents and library patrons. This mural was partially painted using the GoodSpace Method of community-engaged mural making. Learn more about GoodSpace Murals here.

IG: @bzcasanas

This mural is located at 765 State St.