See more on the efforts to save the mural at the presentation at the June 6, 2002 Stoneham School Building Committee. There was a detailed powerpoint presentation given. It is the first item on the agenda.

What's Going On?

The Society is undertaking the rescue and preservation of the Richard Gibney Stoneham: Yesterday and Today mural removed in January of 2022 from the now-closed Bank of America branch on Stoneham's Main St. and now deeded to the Stoneham Historical Society.  

The Mural was installed in the then Middlesex Bank in 1968.

Pocobene Studio carefully removed the mural in January 2022, and it is now safely stored until it can be restored and rehung.

What are the Next Steps?

We are actively pursuing a location to rehang the mural.  It is 45 feet long, in 3 separate sections, so there are not many locations open to the public where it will be viewable.

Once a new site for re-installation is finalized, we'll undertake a more dedicated fundraising campaign.  "This mural is our heritage," said SHSM President Steve Rotondi.  "We want it to here for generations to come."

If you have questions, concerns, and ideas, contact us at email historystoneham@gmail.com.

Check back for updates.

About the Artist

Richard M. Gibney (1922-2000) grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York, and graduated from Syracuse University before being drafted into the Marines at the start of the war. Originally trained as a demolitions engineer and later part of the Marine Art Program, Gibney saw and painted combat in many battles in the South Pacific. He took part in multiple landings, including Tarawa and Saipan, and was a survivor of the "Westlock Tragedy" in which the ship he was on was heavily damaged in an explosion. He returned to the U.S. after the war and continued his art studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and then in Europe as part of a travel scholarship. Moved by his European study of stained glass and frescoes, Givney designed and created the stunning stained glass windows for the Marines Parris Island chapel. He also created 20 public murals in the United States, including several on the North Shore and Cape Ann, where he resided after the war.  During the early 1960s Gibney worked at Boston's The Museum of Fine Arts, performing restorative/educational work in the care of incoming fine arts and the showing / treatment and care of such art.  He was one of the featured artists in the PBS documentary They Drew Fire: Combat Artists of World War II.

About the Conservators

The Gianfranco Pocobene Studio in Malden, established in 2004, specializes in the conservation and restoration of paintings, murals, and historic paint decorations. The studio undertakes treatments of the highest quality for museums, religious institutions, universities, private galleries & collectors across the country. Gianfranco received his Master of Arts in Conservation (M.A.C.) from Queen’s University, Kingston Canada in 1984 and a Certificate of Advanced Training from the Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard Art Museums in 1989. In addition to directing the studio, his conservation experience includes fifteen years at the Straus Center for Conservation, Harvard Art Museums and sixteen years as Chief Conservator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.