Wolfe Street Academy (WSA), a Baltimore Curriculum Project charter school, held a dedication ceremony for its new mural titled Memoria y Esperanza (Memory and Hope) on July 15, 2025. The event, held on the WSA playground, brought together students, families, community members, and local leaders to celebrate the powerful new public artwork.
Spanning an impressive 30 feet high by 83 feet wide, Memoria y Esperanza was created by Baltimore-based artist Jessy DeSantis. The mural is a vibrant celebration of WSA’s rich cultural diversity, particularly honoring the school’s predominantly Hispanic and multilingual learner population, which includes 86% Hispanic students, 74.2% multilingual learners, and 11% African American students.
At the heart of the mural are symbolic birds from African, Mesoamerican, and North American cultures, each representing themes of migration, resilience, and hope. These images are woven together with likenesses of students and cultural motifs to create a visual narrative that affirms identity, celebrates heritage, and fosters unity.
Public art is much more than just paint on a wall. It transforms a blank space into something meaningful—a reflection of the people, cultures, and history that make this community special. This mural accomplishes exactly that.
During the ceremony, WSA expressed deep gratitude to the Maryland State Arts Council, whose generous grant made the mural possible. The mural was completed in fall 2024, following a family art night hosted by the school. During that event, students, families, and members of the community painted the hummingbird together—an experience that brought the mural’s message of collaboration and belonging to life. The school community also played a role in naming the mural, choosing Memoria y Esperanza to reflect the themes of honoring the past while looking toward the future.
The celebration included student speakers and performers and served as a reminder of the power of public art to bring people together and lift up community voices.
About the Muralist
Jessy DeSantis (they/them), the artist behind the mural, is more than just a contributor—they are also a Wolfe Street parent, with two daughters currently attending the school. Their deep connection to the community shines through in the mural’s themes and imagery. A self-taught artist raised in a Nicaraguan household in Miami, DeSantis creates work rooted in identity, ancestry, and resilience. In 2020, their painting Cintli, Corn, Maíz was acquired by the Walters Art Museum.
Read more about the Wolfe Street Mural.
Check out the news coverage of the dedication:
