"Hello Salem City!"

The mural pays tribute to the village of Salem, the traditions and institutions that shaped the village and its people, and recall how it was impacted by the Soufrière Hills volcano 1995 crisis. 

The mural is painted on the “Walkinshaw building”, constructed during the 19th century in the local “skirt and blouse” style, in Salem city center. In the 1940s, the building was Mr and Mrs Walkinshaw’s shop, where they would sell clothes but also where Montserratians could find the best bread of Montserrat for 2 pences. Still now, many Montserratians remember the memories associated with the pleasure to eat the delicious bread of Walkinshaw.  

The mural also celebrates geographical and historical benchmarks such as the first airport on island located nearby in Olveston and the foundation in Montserrat of the regional LIAT airline. The beloved Salem Primary School, and the popular Belham Valley golf course are also represented. While both have been either buried or closed due to the Soufrière Hills volcano 1995 activity and the following emigration of many Montserratians including Salemites, a new golf course is now being re-built by a local businessman and there are hopes that the school building will also soon be refurbished and used as a community center.  

During a time of uncertainty such as during the 1995 volcanic crisis, the people used various forms of arts to tell the stories and express the emotions of the Montserrat community. A tradition that still exists, with Montserrat and Salem in particular having many talented local musicians and artists (see mountainaglow.com). 

Salem has throughout history been at a key location, being close to the sea and to some of the first Amerindians and later colonial settlements in the Belham Valley, but also at the boundary between the mostly-populated and unpopulated (or evacuated) areas of Montserrat, both prior or after the 1995 volcanic crisis. During the crisis itself, many people evacuated from the Southern part of the island found refuge in the village, while pyroclastic flows and glowing dome were visible from the Walkinshaw building. In few occasions at the height of the crisis, volcanic pumice fell on the village itself, and Salem was even evacuated for few months.  

However, while the '95 volcanic crisis impacted Salem and changed the village in many ways, its original essence remains and is celebrated through the capsulation of its history and culture on the wall of the Walkinshaw Building.  

It is one of the several murals commissioned across Montserrat by the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) as part of the Curating Crises Project, geared at increasing volcanic risk awareness and promote Montserrat's rich history, culture and environment. 

The design was developed in collaboration with the Salem Community Development Group by the creative team of The Goodness Tour, and they were ably assisted by several local artists. The Salem Community Development Group also partly sponsored the mural.