FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information, contact:

Susan Scully Petroni

City of Framingham Public Information Officer

spetroni@framinghamma.gov

City cell: 508-782-8629

Framingham and Natick Announce Participatory Public Art Project

A Home for Future Generations
Residents invited to take part in art-making activities highlighting energy-saving actions

February 10, 2026 - The City of Framingham and the Town of Natick are proud to announce A Home for Future Generations, a collaborative, participatory public art project inviting residents to learn, create, and imagine a more sustainable future together.

Created by visual artists Julia Csekö and Raquel Fornasaro, the project is fully funded by the sponsors of Mass Save through a Community Education Grant. It centers community participation as both an artistic and educational tool, connecting creative expression with practical conversations about energy conservation.

Community art-making is essential to the project’s success. Residents of Framingham and Natick are invited to join Csekö and Fornasaro at a series of painting workshops taking place this spring. More than 20 workshops will be held in collaboration with local schools, libraries, faith-based organizations, nonprofit partners, and community events, including but not limited to:

Through these workshops, participants will contribute artwork that becomes part of two complementary public art installations, one in Framingham and one in Natick. Each home-shaped installation will consist of two 8 × 8 ft walls forming an L-shaped structure.

The interior walls will feature murals developed with community input, focused on themes of energy conservation and collective responsibility. The exterior walls will form a community-created mosaic of painted shingles, illustrating an “Energy Conservation Journey” that highlights achievable steps such as insulation, window upgrades, heat pumps, energy-efficient appliances, and solar energy. Participants’ artwork will be directly incorporated into the final installations, allowing residents to see their contributions reflected in the completed works.

Visit https://www.juliacseko.com/a-home-for-our-future-generations to learn more and review upcoming opportunities to participate.

About the Artists

Julia Csekö and Raquel Fornasaro are Brazilian-American visual artists and educators committed to socially engaged, community-centered public art that bridges aesthetics, education, and participation. Both are award-winning professionals with extensive exhibition histories in galleries, museums, and public spaces.

Csekö brings deep experience in public art, including her role as 2024 Salem Public Artist in Residence, multiple completed commissions, and large-scale murals currently on view in Boston and Jamaica Plain. Her work often foregrounds language, democratic participation, and co-creation.

Fornasaro’s multidisciplinary practice integrates storytelling, ecological awareness, and community engagement. Her public works include a painted piano for Newton’s Artful Pianos and a heart sculpture for Framingham’s Many Cultures, One Heart, both currently on view.

Together, Csekö and Fornasaro combine complementary strengths to create impactful, socially responsive public art rooted in collaboration and care.

Mass Save is an initiative sponsored by Massachusetts’ natural gas and electric utilities and energy efficiency service providers. Through education, incentives, and community partnerships, Mass Save helps residents and businesses save energy, reduce costs, and lower environmental impact, supporting a cleaner, more resilient energy future for the Commonwealth.