April showers didn’t just bloom May flowers, they also brought dbar’s new rainbow mural overlooking the corner of Dot Ave and Hoyt Street to life.
One of Boston’s longest-running LGBTQ+ restaurants, dbar offers a new look that takes its energy from inside the building out onto the avenue. Designed by Provincetown artist Joshua Wilmoth, the mural mimics the laser beam lights that illuminate 1236 Dot Ave as it transitions from a full-service restaurant to an evening nightclub and lounge.
“Life’s too short for gray walls,” said Wilmoth. “Life is way too short to blend in. dbar is such a colorful spot that is about joy in the community, and the fact that the outside now reflects that as much as the inside brings a lot of pride and joy to my heart.”
He added, “dbar is known notoriously for its lasers. There’s really cool lighting inside the building. Inside is so colorful and so vibrant and so joyful, I wanted to bring that to the outside.”
Now, even if you can’t make it inside to enjoy the Giannone Chicken Under a Brick or a passionfruit blood orange cosmo under hundreds of disco balls, the club can still brighten your day or night.
“When we opened almost 21 years ago, Dot Ave looked nothing like it does today,” said owner Brian Piccini. “We’ve watched this neighborhood grow up around us, and we wanted the outside of the building to feel as alive as the street itself. This mural is a love letter to the community that has kept this place going for two decades.”
This isn’t the first time Piccini has welcomed artists into his space. During Covid, he was looking to enhance the restaurant’s outdoor dining experience and invited local creators to beautify the patio. Piccini’s longtime friend, Wilmoth, was one of more than 15 artists to show up.
“You’ll see there’s a big hodgepodge of all different styles, because we were all there in the height of the pandemic, creating this space when everything was just run by fear, and everyone was so nervous,” said Wilmoth, “but we created this moment of joy and color in a parking lot. I was just so invigorated by it.”
That’s why when Piccini asked Wilmoth to return to create a mural for dbar’s 21st birthday, he was quick to say yes.
“Brian wanted to invoke things that really pulled apart what we love about the queer community, and what we need and what dbar is,” Wilmoth told The Reporter. “I think we’re both very aware, dare I say, triggered by all of the other queer rainbow expressions that are being erased globally. While I was [painting], it almost felt like an act of protest. To do something so loud and so unequivocally unapologetic just felt really wonderful and almost like a call to arms.”
He continued, “We kept coming back to the word ‘flock.’ There’s the flock of us here; you come together, you are together, you’re in a tribe, you’re in a community. Instead of birds, I was like, what if the flock is just a variety of butterflies that are bringing out these lasers and joy into the world? “
The idea resonated with Piccini, who has worked to make dbar a safe space for all who enter, and five large butterflies were added to the building.
“Birds of a feather flock together. People feel comfortable around like-minded individuals, and open-minded people attract that,” he said. “In a constantly changing world, those environments have been slipping away from the Greater Boston scene.”
While Wilmoth spent over 100 hours painting, pedestrians stopped by to ask him questions and compliment his work. Just last week, community members gathered for the mural’s official unveiling, followed by a Sunday Tea Dance.
People will continue to flock together throughout the month of May with events like karaoke, drag, and Big Gay Trivia happening just about every night.
“Brian is going to lead the charge, and hopefully this will inspire other businesses to take those bolder choices, to add art and content into the neighborhood, to make it a space that does feel filled with beauty and joy,” said Wilmoth.
“That’s what dbar’s been doing for 21 years, and now the outside, even if you’re not coming in for dinner, is providing you with a little bit of a bright spot during your difficult day.”
