Special Meetup Tour for Athenaeum Members
Enjoy a springtime stroll through Salem’s Punto Urban Art Museum (PUAM) guided by Saniego Sanchez, PUAM Director (and Salem Athenaeum member)! Located in “El Punto” Neighborhood in Salem, PUAM features over 75 large scale outdoor
murals by 30 world-renowned and 25 local artists within a 4 block radius. Through its public art, PUAM aims to increase pride of place within the neighborhood and raise consciousness about social justice topics. Learn about the artists, their inspirations, techniques, and more, while enjoying vibrant murals in a bustling neighborhood. The tour lasts roughly 75 minutes and covers 4 city blocks.
A Mural Tour consists of 13 stops, including:
- El Patio and Casa de Abuela
- Si Se Puede Mural
- Tormenta en la cancha / Ward St Pocket Park
- Proyectos Punto (community art space)
- The Alley Gallery (btw Ward St and Peabody St)
- Anacoana Mural
- Local Artist Wall
- Generations Community Mural (Harbor St and Congress St)
Please dress for the weather, as this meetup is outdoors. We recommend wearing comfortable shoes andbringing a water bottle. Not all areas in the neighborhood are ADA-accessible, but we can adapt the route to meet your needs! Please email us with accessibility questions: staff@salemathenaeum.net.
Saniego Sanchez was born in Albuquerque, NM, and raised in Denver, CO, where he previously served as the Director of the Dikeou Contemporary Art Collection, as the Operations Coordinator at the Museo de las Americas, and sat on the board for the La Alma-Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association and High Plains Society for Applied Anthropology. Between 2016-2023, he lived in Pátzcuaro, México where he focused his graduate program research in the arts and cultural sector using the methodology community-centered praxis to integrate into the broader Mexican arts community. His thesis research’s primary question “How do community museums practice sustainability?” reflects his continual effort to develop a holistic practice dedicated to supporting museums through an anthropological lens. In 2023, he moved to Salem, MA to become the Director of the Punto Urban Art Museum. Since then, he was invited to participate in the Barr Foundation’s Engage Public Imagination Xchange or EPIX Cohort program and joined the CCI Steering Committee organized by the Essex County Community Foundation. When not at the computer or roaming the Point neighborhood, he can be found eating at cocinas tradicionales or traditional kitchens in the Lake Pátzcuaro region, taking weekend trips to art museums in New England, and walking through local tianguis or flea markets.
Tickets: $12
Limited to 20 Athenaeum members