Over the cheers of a gathered crowd, an audible “pop!” could be heard as Luke Beekman popped the cork on a bottle of champagne. A ceremony was held Thursday to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the non-profit project Mankind Murals, Inc., which has been helping to revitalize public spaces in the Mansfield community.
Beekman, the Director and Co-Founder of Mankind Murals, helped create the organization in 2015 after completing two initial mural projects at what was formerly the Harmony House homeless shelter downtown.
Beekman then spoke about how art and culture can have a significant impact, especially in an area actively undergoing revitalization. Beekman’s theory is backed up by several studies, including a fact sheet distributed by Americans for the Arts which notes that crime rates in areas with high arts participation is lower, while cultural participation leads to wider community participation, helping curb negative activity. An article by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention also posits that public art installations can help downplay violence and crime by alleviating depression, anxiety, and stress.