Catherine Strong Park—“It Takes a Village”

PAINTED IN 2021 BY ANTHONY HERNANDEZ

n the I-95 sound walls at Catherine Strong Park, two benevolent faces can be seen surveying the playground, keeping vigil and protecting the children who play. When Anthony Her nandez was commissioned for the project, he knew that it should be the community that decided what would beautify the park. “The ultimate inheritance of that wall will be the residents of that area,” says Hernandez.

He talked to residents, and heard the story from a young mother about the Tysons, an elderly couple that would sit on their porch and watch over the children as they played. This resident told Hernandez that the Tysons gave her a sense of security, knowing they would make sure no harm would come to her kids.

“I wanted to recognize these people for being the unsung heroes for the community and the parents,” says Hernandez. And so the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Tyson are immortalized in paint, forever keeping watch over the community’s children.

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