Juniper Creative Arts was formed in 2020 by the Brandon-based Black and Dominican family collective of Will Kasso Condry, Jennifer Herrera Condry and their daughter, Alexa. They have combined their artistic talents to create 20 colorful murals across the state. Their work focuses on Black joy and features Black and brown people with themes of Afro-futurism and a series of mythical beings called "Afro-Pollinators."

Last year, they transformed a wall at North Country Union High School in Newport with a Maya Angelou poem as part of their community residency series with schools. The collective has been visiting schools across the state for a two-week period and collaborating with students to create a mural. Eva caught up with the trio in Derby at North Country Union Junior High School on a sweltering Thursday, when they were in the first week of creating a mural. She interviewed the family and some of the students and spoke to Jayden, the reference model for a mythical being in the mural, about being one of a few students of color at the school and how it felt to be seen and represented on the wall.

Filming date: 5/12/22

Music: Rondo Brothers, “Biosphere”

This episode of Stuck in Vermont was supported by New England Federal Credit Union.