Mural by Ryan Gardell of Artifakt Studios. Assisted by Ivy Orth and Grhimm Xavier.

Artistic Concept:

Our concept is to illustrate the magic of books in one continuous story-like mural, depicting several themes and archetypes which appear across literary favorites and classics. Our goal is to invoke the imagination that becomes sparked when a young mind opens a new book, and transcends to a far away land inside the words and ideas of the writers. Stories have shaped the world we live in and the culture we experience everyday, by immersing our viewers into an imaginary landscape, they become the characters of their own adventures that begin when they visit the library.

About the Artist Ryan Gardell:

My artistic background began during grade school, studying fundamentals in art class and drawing skateboard graphics on school notebooks. I was formally trained in graphic design at Fitchburg State University where I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 2011. After college, I joined several artist collectives and began hosting gallery exhibitions, producing studio projects, and facilitating community murals. Explorations in graffiti art sparked an obsession with large scale public works as well as calligraphy. In 2014, I relocated to Worcester, shifted my focus to painting and traveling to events, festivals and galleries to exhibit my creations, while producing my own line of merchandising. During this time, I worked a day job as a custom frame builder and art handler for a fine art gallery. I expanded my portfolio and skills by steadily pursuing freelance projects in my spare time. In 2017, I rebranded as Artifakt Studios, a multi-service creative agency, specializing in custom murals, logos/branding, graphic design, illustration, gallery events & more. To date, Artifakt has completed over 65 projects for various clients including the Woo Sox, The Grid, GE Healthcare, American Heart Association, Columbia Tech, The Big E, POW! WOW! Worcester and many more. I’ve been fortunate enough to operate as a full-time freelance artist and designer for the past 3 years, producing the majority of my work here in Worcester.

Sponsored by the Greater Worcester Community Foundation.