Murals in Progress at Extra Space Self-Storage Facility in Jamaica Plain, MA

Two Boston-based artists are working on separate murals on the exterior of an Extra Space Storage Inc. facility in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Expected to be complete this fall, the art will cover 2,500 square feet of the multi-story building at 141 McBride St., according to a press release from the Stonybrook Neighborhood Association (SNA), which spearheaded the initiative.

SNA launched a competition in March 2021 for the mural project. A seven-member jury composed of local art professionals and community representatives chose proposals by Julia Cseko and Sharif Muhammad, with each receiving $5,000 in cash. They were selected from eight semi-finalists, down from 30 total entries. Submissions were evaluated on relevance of theme to the community and uniqueness of artistic vision. Cseko’s design will be on the east side of the building, with Muhammad’s on the northwest corner.

Cseko is an independent curator and educator at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts. In addition to the Extra Space mural, she’s worked on public art in downtown Boston and at Emerson College.

Muhammad has been a humanities and technology teacher at Boston Day and Evening Academy since 2002. He began painting in 2011, and creates images using an iPad Pro and digital-painting app Procreate.

Opened in December 2018, the Extra Space facility was built by SSG Development, a Boston-based real estate investment and development firm that specializes in mixed-use and self-storage projects. The property comprises 400,000 gross square feet of storage across 1,100-plus units.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space owns or operates more than 2,096 self-storage properties nationwide and in Puerto Rico. The company’s properties comprise approximately 1.5 million units and 160.9 million square feet of rentable space.

Sources:
Stonybrook Neighborhood Association, Mural Competition Winners Chosen for Jamaica Plain Building
Universal Hub, Blank Walls No More on McBride Street in Jamaica Plain