LEWISTON — The corner of Lisbon and Ash streets is being brought to new life with a mural celebrating the city’s rich history with immigration, community and manufacturing. 

The mural “Welcome Immigrants” is being installed as a wraparound on the face of 152 Lisbon St. by Portland artists Ryan and Rachel Gloria Adams. The project, commissioned by LA Arts, will have a dedicated celebration June 26. 

According to LA Arts, the total cost of the project is $29,000, with $10,000 coming from the Lewiston Public Art Committee. Other partners include the Maine Arts Commission and Bangor Savings Bank Foundation.

“This project … is an opportunity to make a very large statement to a vibrant and diverse community,” Rachel and Ryan Adams said in an email. “We have watched the diverse immigrant communities bring so many wonderful things into the fabric of the state. Each community within Lewiston placed together can create both tension and beauty. It affords us a chance to reflect,  challenge, celebrate and show gratitude for the convergence of individuals we are surrounded by.”

The married couple have merged their styles and worked on murals together across Maine and as far as Boston and Richmond, Virginia. Separately, they have worked on over 100 public murals each from Europe and Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon.

“Welcome Immigrants,” in development for about five years, was proposed by Safiya Khalid of Maine Community Integration to celebrate the city’s immigrant communities and focus on belonging. 

It joins several projects in recent years, from power boxes to utility sheds to entire sides of buildings, all supported by the Lewiston Public Arts Committee and community partners.

Some of those projects include a musical mural from artist Clint Magoon on Cedar Street, a geometric mural by Angolan artist Serafim Yssolo at Lionel Potvin Park and several murals around the city by Jared Goulette, also known as The Color Wizard.

“Welcome Immigrants” evolved from efforts centering on African immigrant communities in recent decades to a broader reflection of the city’s long history, including French Canadian families who faced discrimination when they arrived in Lewiston beginning about 100 years ago.

“Our immigrant neighbors are not marginal to the culture and identity of Lewiston; they are an essential thread in the fabric of our community,” said Courtney Reed-Marsh, LA Arts agency administrator. “We were committed to the idea that this artwork should, likewise, be placed centrally on Lisbon Street, and we were willing to wait for the right opportunity.”

Projects like “Welcome Immigrants” take months of preparation, the couple said. It begins with researching and landing on a general theme before going through rounds of designs to figure out how the message can be communicated visually. Then come logistics like getting the correct lift, ordering massive quantities of paint, figuring out scheduling and organizing and “making sure everything fits in the cars.”

“Aside from that, we basically become amateur meteorologists and try to make sure we avoid rain and strike while the weather is nice,” the couple said. “In regards to a mental process, how much time do we have? It’s never a straight line, there are always curveballs that require quick and decisive action. As much as it can be stressful and difficult, overcoming the obstacles is strangely addicting.”

Drawing on Lewiston’s textile history, the Adams’ artistic style aligned with themes not just of Lewiston’s history of immigration and community, but also of its manufacturing and textile history. 

“We had a rough idea about the theme, but we had the opportunity to speak to a few Lewiston residents that could speak to different immigrant communities and their histories,” the couple said. “After those conversations, we both did our respective research, Ryan with relevant quotes and letter styles and Rachel with textile designs encompassing various motifs representative of Lewiston’s diversity and history. (Then we) landed on the layout we have today.”

“Welcome Immigrants,” when complete, will read “We Came Here on Different Ships” on the Ash Street side of the building. Wrapping around to the Lisbon Street side, the mural will respond with “But We’re All in the Same Boat Now.”

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline, long a supporter of public art projects, said public art is becoming a defining characteristic of the city.

“There is an economic case to be made for beautifying our city and in these current times, I would argue that we need art now more than ever,” Sheline said.

Beyond the personal gratification of accomplishing a major physical and logistical feat, the artists said, is seeing how art can liven up a space and have a positive effect on the community.

“More times than (we) can count, (we’ve) seen people converge as the murals are going up and talk about it with each other,” the Adamses said. “In many instances, they live in the same building or area and had never spoken before. Additionally, we hope to inspire and validate young kids of color to pursue creative careers — it can be done.”