Arts

Put Malden on the map: A growing city takes pride in its up-and-coming art scene

By Nia Harmon Since 2016, husband and wife duo Ose and Marcel Schwab have been amplifying the work of local creatives in Malden. As the outgrowth of an initiative by Ose Schwab, owner of Malden Creates LLC, The Gallery@57 and non-profit Creative Malden strive to enhance the culturally rich city through its support of local artists, writers, and musicians. “Malden has been lucky to have many art groups and initiatives throughout the years that highlight and connect its many fine artists,” writes Marcel Schwab in an email interview. “The Gallery@57 seeks to continue that work and nurture an inclusive and active artist community that is connected and informed about the opportunities available.” What originally started off as “Malden Pops Up,” a pop-up shop in an abandoned space at 480 Main St. that ran for about a year, is now the inviting storefront located at 57 Pleasant Street. “The purpose of Malden Creates LLC was to initiate opportunities for artists and performers to bring their work to Malden for money,” said Ose Schwab. “[In 2016], the […]

Featured

Habitat for Humanity provides affordable homes for a select group of Malden residents

By Jack Drees Habitat for Humanity has a presence here in Malden. As you stroll down Main Street near the Melrose line, you’ll come across two new townhouses next to a construction site. Several Malden families have new affordable homes thanks to Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston. An independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, the Massachusetts non-profit has given housing to people with low to moderate incomes since 1987. The group, which has thousands of volunteers, buys land or restores existing buildings and then passes the houses on to people in need. Habitat Greater Boston’s coverage area includes Boston and 25 surrounding communities. To date, the organization has built homes in Boston, Belmont, Malden, Needham, and Newton. Upcoming projects include plans for affordable homes in Dorchester, Roslindale, and Weston. With the city’s first project completed in 2022, Malden is officially a part of the Habitat family. The project resulted in two single-family homes on Main Street. Each one is complete with three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, one full, and one-half bathroom. Also in […]

Arts

Meet the five “Wonder Women” decorating Malden’s bike path AND the women behind them

By Samantha Deras In the midst of bright colors and bold outlines, you can see five of Malden’s famous women looking back at you. A new Malden Arts mural by artist Amanda Hill highlighting five local “wonder women” was recently installed along the bike path this October (off Main St. between Charles and Madison St.). Malden Arts is a community organization that was founded in 2006 by former Maldonian Naomi Brave who is on its board of directors along with four other women: Candace Julyan, Robin Inman, Naomi Kahn, and Sharon Santillo. The group’s mission is to bring art to the Malden community and put the spotlight on local artists. “As much as we want to support local artists and all that they do, we felt that not everyone goes to galleries, not everyone goes to museums, but public art is truly for everyone involved in this very diverse community,” Malden Arts historian Sharon Santillo said. “And we wanted to put art out there that everybody could enjoy, just in their daily life or as […]