Faces of Greenbelt: Jenn Houle – Artist, Educator, Environmentalist

Jenn Houle describes herself as a painter at heart — a sensibility that shapes all her work, no matter the medium. In recent years, however, she has come to embrace the idea of being a creative placemaker, blending her painting with sculpture, public art, and site-specific installations to create immersive environments focused on the natural world and how it can be protected.

The Glow Mural Project, currently on display at four Greenbelt locations through October, brings this concept to life in striking fashion. Each glow-in-the-dark mural — composed of hand-painted concrete tiles depicting caterpillars, bats, moths, birds, and moons — is designed to raise awareness about the impact of light pollution on native pollinators and the vital role they play in our ecosystem.

Visitors to the four mural locations are also invited to use their phones to take part in Globe at Night, an online community-science campaign that raises awareness about light pollution. The initiative encourages people to measure and submit their night sky brightness observations, providing valuable data to help researchers study how light pollution affects a variety of pollinators. 

In the spring, each mural site — now covered with the heavy tiles — will be planted with native flowering species, creating lasting habitat for pollinators. In the future, the murals will be relocated to other Greenbelt properties, furthering their impact on pollinator habitat as well as public education.

“I’m really excited about incorporating natural, living elements into my work — building habitats that can move and grow on different properties, transforming spaces in a way that feels alive,” says Jenn. “I’ve always wanted my art to do more than just exist visually; I want it to nurture life. This project allows me to do that while also raising awareness about the importance of pollinators and dark skies.”

A Merrimac resident, environmental advocate, and Greenbelt supporter, Jenn says the inspiration for the Glow Mural Project came from Greenbelt’s “Nature at Night” film and lecture series last year. “After learning about the series, I reached out to Jane Rumrill, who oversees events, and we brainstormed ways to collaborate,” she recalls.

The Greenbelt project expands on a concept Jenn first explored while serving as artist-in-residence in the Great Marsh Artists Program, where she collaborated with Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport to create a permanent glowing mural at the visitor center last year.

“The natural world has always been the main subject of my work, even when I was creating more traditional paintings,” says Jenn, who holds a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art, an MFA from Cornell University, and teaches fine art and design at Northern Essex Community College. “It’s also about continual learning — there’s always something new to discover about nature and the environmental challenges we face. I hope to play some small part in creating positive change.”

The Glow Mural Project is made possible with support from a Creative County Initiative grant from the Essex County Community Foundation. It is on view at Donovan Reservation (Hamilton), Ordway Reservation (West Newbury) Seine Field (Gloucester), and Vineyard Hill Reservation (Hamilton/Topsfield) with visiting hours from 8–10pm through October.