NASHUA, N.H.—For years, the Tree Streets neighborhood has been viewed through the lens of its challenges. Conversations about the area often focus on aging infrastructure, vacant and vandalized walls, or the need for investment. Yet behind those perceptions is one of Nashua's most culturally diverse neighborhoods, home to authentic cuisine, families, small businesses, entrepreneurs, artists, and residents who care deeply about where they live.
Artist, creative placemaker, and Tree Streets resident Kori Thomas, known as Artist “Quest Nine” believes the neighborhood's story deserves to be told differently.
After spending years creating murals across New England and internationally, Kori began to see public art as more than a finished painting. She saw it as a way to bring people together, support local businesses, create opportunities for artists, and inspire communities to reconnect with the places they call home. Rather than waiting for someone else to invest in that vision, she decided to invest in it herself.
ArtCity was founded on the belief that artists can play an active role in shaping their communities while creating meaningful opportunities for other creatives. What began as a grassroots mural festival has grown into a community placemaking initiative that brings together artists, residents, local businesses, nonprofit organizations, musicians, and civic leaders to activate public spaces through art and culture.
On Saturday, August 29, that vision comes to life in the Tree Streets.
From 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., the Heritage Rail Trail from Elm Street to Ash Street will become a walkable celebration of creativity and community. Throughout the day, more than 20 muralists will paint 15 permanent murals, transforming blank walls into vibrant public art that will remain long after the festival ends. Visitors will experience two live music stages, local musicians, creative vendors, neighborhood businesses, food trucks, free art classes, dance cyphers, a community salsa hour, interactive art experiences, and an indoor gallery exhibition at 809 Lounge, all designed to showcase the incredible talent and culture that already exists within Nashua.
For Kori, the murals are only one piece of the project.
The real goal is to change the way people experience the neighborhoods impacted by a project like this. Public art invites people to slow down. It encourages them to walk instead of driving through, stop inside a neighborhood business, meet an artist, strike up a conversation with a neighbor, and spend time in a place they may have otherwise overlooked.
The festival also creates meaningful opportunities for artists. Established muralists paint alongside emerging creatives, providing paid work, mentorship, professional connections, and visibility. Local businesses benefit from increased foot traffic, vendors reach new audiences, and residents gain permanent works of art that continue to strengthen the identity of the neighborhood for years to come.
This project has been built through determination, collaboration, and even personal investment. As an independent artist, Kori has invested countless hours and significant personal resources into bringing ArtCity to life because she believes every neighborhood, especially hers, deserves access to inspiring public spaces, cultural experiences, and creative investment. That vision has brought together an incredible network of artists, volunteers, businesses, sponsors, community organizations, and the City of Nashua, all working toward a shared goal.
ArtCity is not arriving to redefine the Tree Streets. The neighborhood already has a rich history, remarkable cultural diversity, and people who have been investing in their community long before this event. ArtCity exists to celebrate those strengths, amplify the voices of the people who live and work there, and help create the conditions for the neighborhood to imagine and shape its own future.
For Quest Nine, ArtCity is more than a festival. It is a way to plant seeds of inspiration for her community, she believes that art can help people see themselves, and be seen by others, in a new light.
