Lana Bellamy|Times Herald-Record

CITY OF NEWBURGH - Vibrant, loudcolorsin a mural of the Hudson Highlands stretchacrossthe side of Simple Gifts and Goodies, calling out to drivers and walkers nearBenkard Avenue.

Shop owner Nancy Colas walked outside Tuesday morningand thoughtfully placed her hands on the painting.

"We have to grow where we're planted," said Colas, a Haitian immigrantwho worked hard to open her business on her own.

The mural painted byNelson Cekis Rivasat the corner of Benkard Avenue and Liberty Street was completed on Sunday.

It pays homage to the history of Esopus people who inhabited the area,but italso brings to mind the beauty and struggle ofgrowth needed to bloom, like the colorfulbrush featured in the painting, noted Anusha Mehar, founder and director of Panja Culture and Wellness Studio.

"It makes such a difference, especially in this climate where we're outside the space of communion in this moment," said Mehar."We're not able to join inside in the ways we have in the past."

Mehar helped secure a small grant from the Orange County Arts Council and coordinate logistics for the "medicine mural."

In the era of the coronavirus pandemic, Mehar said, "(We've) just started looking at new and old ways to publicly proclaim space that is joyful, as an act of resistance, and colorful and vibrant, representing the beautiful, diverse cultural tapestry that is Newburgh and our neighborhood on Benkard and Liberty...."

Mehar hopes to continue programming in the space near the mural with different wellness initiatives.

She was a co-producerfor the Newburgh Mural Project in 2012 that created four murals at different entry points to the city, including the murals at the underpass on South Street and onColden Street.

"What is beautiful about it is once you create something like a mural, it doesn't belong to you anymore, not you the artist, not you the owner of the building, not you the person who produced the project," Mehar said."It belongs to the people...."

Mehar has started fundraising for the next mural project at panjaculture.com. Shedoesn't want the cost of painting a mural to deter anyone from these projects, noting that Panja is there to help support these initiatives.

lbellamy@th-record.com

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New mural brightens Benkard and Liberty in Newburgh - Times Herald-Record