Arts & Entertainment
Salem Arts Festival Mural Slam Champion Declared
A Cambridge artist's rendition of two extinct passenger pigeons won a vote of the people that included more than 1,000 responses.
SALEM, MA — A Cambridge artist's portrayal of two extinct passenger pigeons as the centerpiece of "Being One With Earth" was voted this year's winner of the Salem Arts Festival Mural Slam.
More than 1,000 people voted in this year's contest held at the recent festival through the Public Art Commission, Salem Main Streets and the Creative Collective.
Zhonghe (Elena) Li is a multi-media artist and first-year participant in the Mural Slam.
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The mural, which was largely created on-site during the Arts Festival, is now adorning the rear of the buildings at Artists' Row at 24 New Derby Street.
She said the motivation behind her creativity has been her love for nature's diversity and her profound concern for the environment, special extinction and humanity's role in the future.
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Li said she is deeply influenced by Taoist philosophy of being one with nature and hopes to promote the "art of living together' through art.
More of her work can be found here or follow her @hehe.li on Instagram or wildcraneart on YouTube.
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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