BEN STONE: “We are also looking just to increase investment in the area. That could be people wanting to buy homes here, rent homes here; open businesses here.”

Station North artist Gaia is organizing the Open Walls project.

GAIA: “I wanted to choose people that weren’t necessarily the brightest stars, but were doing remarkable work throughout the world.”

Like the two person art team Interesni Kazki. Individually, they are known as Oleksii Bordusov and Vladimir Manzhos.

VLADIMIR MANZHOS: “We started from traditional graffiti, letters, and we understand it is not interesting to paint just letters because you cannot tell more than your name.”

Gaia painted one mural that uses two walls of a building. It shows a huge hand holding a pretty white bird. The mural got the attention of William, who grew up in Station North.

WILLIAM: “I love it. It also has a sense of peace. And if you look at the other side it has a sense of giving.”

In all, artists will create more than twenty murals for Open Walls Baltimore. The government and a private bank are providing the money for the project. Station North will hold a celebration for the artists and their work on May twenty-fifth. And the neighborhood of Station North looks even farther ahead to a brighter future.

JUNE SIMMS: Some women’s prisons in the United States offer classes for college credit. But when the women gain freedom, they do not have much chance to continue their education. Often, they must follow the terms of a parole period. They live outside prison during that time, but still are under some restrictions. They usually have to find work and a place to live.