Worcester Unveils New Wall of Women Mural

The 120-foot art installation honors 40 local women who made lasting civic contributions to the city.

Updated on Oct. 24, 2026 in African-American

Worcester Unveils New Wall of Women Mural

Live Poll

Do you believe public art murals effectively capture the history and spirit of your local community?

Worcester has debuted the Wall of Women, a 120-foot mural located at the intersection of Franklin Street and Francis J. McGrath Boulevard. The project honors 40 women who made significant positive impacts in the city throughout its history.

Why it matters

The mural serves to preserve the legacies of influential women while providing inspiration for young girls in the community. It replaces the previous Mother Maiden Crone installation on the YWCA of Central Massachusetts building.

The mural project carries a total budget of $65,000, with $63,000 currently raised. The 120-foot long artwork, which required 40 gallons of paint, features integrated QR codes for digital biographies.

The players

Hazel Berry

She served as the first Black detective in the Worcester Police Department from 1980 until 2016.

Elizabeth Price

She became the first Black woman elected to the Worcester School Committee in 1973.

The details

Artists utilized virtual reality goggles to map the design onto the wall before executing the painting this summer. Clark University students curated the biographical information for the 40 women featured, which visitors can access through a QR code painted onto the mural.

Elizabeth Price was elected to the Worcester School Committee in 1973.
Hazel Berry served as a police detective in Worcester from 1980 to 2016.
Artists completed the painting of the mural during the summer of 2026.
The official unveiling ceremony took place on October 24, 2026.

Culture Shift

The installation of the Wall of Women follows the removal of the Mother Maiden Crone mural at the same site. This shift reflects a broader trend of cities curating public art to better highlight specific local history and community representation.

Residents can visit the intersection of Franklin Street and Francis J. McGrath Boulevard to view the new mural on the YWCA building. Visitors can use their smartphones to scan the painted QR codes to read biographies of the 40 featured women.

The takeaway

This mural transforms a prominent city wall into an interactive educational resource for the public. Local organizers are continuing to solicit donations to bridge the final gap in the project's $65,000 budget.