The stories of Atlantic City’s past won’t be found only in history books. Soon, they’ll be painted on a public wall by the people who lived them.
Create48 AC recently received a $7,500 community grant from Mosaic that will fund Atlantic City’s first public mural designed, painted and installed by senior citizens. The project is part of Mosaic’s new Community Grants initiative, which supports innovative programs that improve quality of life for older adults and their caregivers throughout South Jersey.
For Mosaic Director of Philanthropy Erin Luurtsema, the project stood out because it approaches aging from a fresh perspective while celebrating Atlantic City’s rich history.
“They looked at the whole experience of aging in such a different way,” Luurtsema said of Create48’s proposal. “When they said they wanted to look through the scope of what it was like in old Atlantic City with seniors who may have grown up in the area, it really sparked something for us because our history is rooted in Atlantic City.”
The mural will be developed through conversations and workshops with Atlantic City seniors, who will share memories and experiences that will ultimately inspire the artwork. Lead artist Susan E. Daly will help guide the process, creating a mural that Luurtsema said will even feature a mosaic-inspired design (in reference to the organization’s name).
The grant marks the first funding cycle of Mosaic’s new Community Grants program. The nonprofit, formerly known as the Seashore Gardens Living Center Foundation, recently rebranded and expanded its mission to support seniors throughout the region.
“We were really looking at ways to maximize our impact in the community,” Luurtsema said. “Being a smaller nonprofit, we felt grantmaking would be the best way to reach as many people in the community as possible, including organizations we may not have otherwise known about.”
Create48 was one of three organizations selected during the inaugural grant cycle. Additional awards went to the Board of Jewish Education for a social engagement program that helps seniors visit community destinations and to the Katz JCC for equipment supporting its Parkinson’s disease program. More details on these awards will be forthcoming from Mosaic in the coming weeks.
Mosaic plans to award grants quarterly, with four funding cycles each year. According to Luurtsema, interest has already exceeded expectations.
Lead artists Susan E. Daly and Glenn Taylor will work with participants through Atlantic City’s senior services program, along with a few other local organizations. Once a final design is selected, organizers estimate the mural could be completed within about eight weeks, potentially making its public debut later this year.
The planning phase will begin in early July and complete in late August. The installment will take six weeks, and will be placed near the former Seashore House in Atlantic City (previously housed by Mosaic).
Create48 Executive Director Zachary Katzen told Shore Local News that this opportunity fits perfectly within the mission and vision of Create 48. “We have created almost a hundred murals, but we really wanted the community to get more involved,” he said. “This mural is all about senior visibility – art by seniors, for seniors.”
As the mural begins to take shape, Luurtsema believes its greatest contribution may be preserving a side of Atlantic City’s history that only its longtime residents can tell.
“Part of history is the social element of it,” she said. “While we might think of certain things as what should be remembered about Atlantic City, they may remember something completely different. I think that’s really beautiful.”
Zachary Katzen noted that this opportunity will allow seniors to share how active they are in the community, proving to their families and neighbors that aging doesn’t always mean slowing down. “We sometimes take our grandparents for granted, but these people are the backbone of our neighborhood,” he said. “And they have stories to tell.”
