“Keep it Movin’” – Trader Joe’s Boylston St. Interior Mural by Ben Jundanian

Facilitated by  The Avenue Concept

“Every city tells a story. Its billboards, addresses and storefronts create the dialogue and the little details…the rooftops, bridges and back alleys create the set and setting,” Ben Jundanian.

For Keep it Movin’, Ben Jundanian magically synthesized his signature black and white cityscape style with site specific iconography to the neighborhood surrounding 500 Boylston Street, Boston, where the mural is located.  The artist customized the piece, a commission for Trader Joe’s whose newest store location is just steps from The Boston Marathon’s finish line, by incorporating playful company references sprinkled throughout the undulating, store-encompassing composition.  The entire piece brings shoppers along for a whimsical race through the streets as told through Jundanian’s unique artistic voice.

Upon arrival, shoppers are greeted by iconic red Trader Joe’s shopping carriages parked beneath Jundanian’s eye-catching depiction of nearby Copley Square.  Marathon Runners, shown as various grocery store products, stretch and get ready to race through the store and surrounding neighborhood of Boston’s tony Back Bay.  Rich with hidden stories and references, along with “I spy” opportunities for shoppers’ play, the mural offers a multitude of content from Boston Marathon history, personal references to the artist, and beloved products for the company.  

In the opening panel alone, shoppers will see recognizable buildings, a reference to Trader Joe’s founding date, runners’ bibs with numbers all of which hold meaning, and a depiction of The Hoyt team, a father/son duo who completed 32 Boston Marathons together, and much, much more.  The store’s closing panel, which shoppers encounter right before checkout, offers a Finish Line, playful puns that reimagine local landmarks like The Citgo Sign which has become the Citrus Sign.   

Ben Jundanian was born in Boston, MA in 1985 and has been creating art in one way or another since he was able to hold a crayon and began experimenting with street art as an adolescent. Ben combined his spark for large scale painting and habit of littering notebooks and napkins with itty bitty doodles into the expansive cityscape murals and drawings he loves creating today.

The evolution of his art can be almost directly traced to the time he spent working as a bike messenger in Boston while attending Mass College of Art and Design, where he received a Bachelors of Fine Arts, Printmaking in 2012. He has since established himself as an illustrator, muralist, and educator living and working in the greater Boston area. 

Ben has created original artworks for clients including Uber, Dunkin’, Sasaki Architects, Lululemon and Backlash Brewing, just to name a few. Ben is also a seasoned educator, having taught illustration as an artist in residence turned faculty at the New Art Center in Newton, MA; as artist in residence at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA; as a drawing teacher at the Francine Delany New School in Asheville, NC.  Ben also led an interactive mural residency with 120 students at the Riverbend Montessori School in Natick, MA creating a mural with students over the course of a week. Later in the year, at the ProjectME summit, Ben and students from Boston and Baltimore area high schools created a 200-foot spray paint mural in Charlestown. RI. Through the interactive project Ben taught the kids how to express themselves and their vision for a better future through art.

Hidden Stories and References

Panel 1, Shopping Carriage Corral:

• 1967 on the bus represents Trader Joe’s founding year
• #15 on the Dragon Sauce Runner’s bib represents the number of runners who participated in the first Boston Marathon
• 3333 on the bottle runner’s bib represents former Bruins player Zdeno Chara, whose Bruins jersey was 33 and whose bib for his recent participation in the 2024 Boston Marathon was 3333
• The embracing carrots have bibs with the artist and his wife’s lucky numbers
• The 143 bib on the fruit is a reference to Mr. Roger’s code for “I love you”
• The 262 bib on the other fruit is a reference to the length of the marathon, 26.2 miles.
• The Chili Onion Crunch wearing the 100 bib references marathon race director Dave McGillivray who also ran this year wearing a bib with the same number.  Chili Onion Crunch is also the artist’s favorite Trader Joe’s product!
• The father pear pushing the son pear in the wheelchair references Team Hoyt.  Dick Hoyt and his son Rick Hoyt from Holland, Massachusetts competed together in 32 Boston Marathons.

Panel 2, First Refrigerator Section:

• Beers is rendered in the iconic “Cheers” font, a reference to the iconic neighborhood bar and television show
• Bacon Hill references the adjacent Beacon Hill neighborhood
• Bananas Taqueria references the beloved local Mexican food chain Ana’s Taqueria (which Ben enjoyed several times for lunch over the mural’s creation)
• “Catch up” on the race tank of the ketchup bottle building

Panel 3, Second Refrigerator Section:

• S and P stands for Salt and Pepper and the buildings look like shakers, one of several amalgamations of product and architecture
• Fearless storefront sign references the Fearless Flyer
• Pronto Market billboard is a reference to the original convenience store that ultimately became Trader Joe’s

Panel 4, Restroom Corner Section:

• Tiki Building as a hidden TJ’s T in the brow/nose part of the face
• Bib 1 runner is a reference to “Marathon Man” Bill Rodgers
• Bib 101 runner is a reference to Hellen Obiri, the 2023 and 2024 Women’s winner
• Frank from the 899 Boylston TJs is shown in the lower section
• Boston Strong on the street signs obviously reference the slogan created after the 2013 bombing 

Panel 5, Third Refrigerator Section:

• Everything and Bagels as storefront signs is a nod to the beloved “Everything but the Bagel” spice mix and additional products 

Panel 6, Corner Dry Goods Section:

 

• Blueberry Comics references Newbury Comics and the blueberries evoke their face logo
• Prune references the nearby Prudential Center
• Mochi is presently above the puffed mochi and is a personal reference to the artist’s Boston Terrier of the same name

Center Store Column Art, Coffee Bean Station:

• The coffee beans lined up to get into Machine references the the formerly beloved Machine nightclub, which was in operation on Boylston Street near Fenway from 1998 until its closure during COVID and a staple of the local queer nightlife scene. 

Panel 7, Fourth Refrigerator Section:

• Red Sauce is of course an homage to the Red Sox

Panel 8, Fifth Refrigerator Section:

• Hancock building is shown with windows popping out, a reference to the storied beginnings of the famous tower’s construction woes

Niche Art between Panels 8 & 9:

• Chips at work and Big Dip references Boston’s infamous “Big Dig”

Panel 9, Beginning of Dry Goods Shelving:

• “JOE WAS HERE” is a playful nod to TJ’s founder and reference to Boston’s graffiti community, as does the tagged delivery truck shown approaching 899
• 899 Trader Joe’s depicts the 899 Boylston Store

Panel 10, Final Dry Goods Shelving Section:

 

• The RR 50 bib runner references the Rosie Ruiz who infamously took the train and then claimed to finish first for the 84th 1980 Boston Marathon
• Bib runner 13 is an intentionally erroneous bib, as the Boston Marathon does not have anyone run under that bib number for superstitious reasons, but is coincidentally 500 Boylston’s store manager’s favorite number and a hidden message thank you to Paul for his support and encouragement during production
• Bib runner 261 was Kathrine Switzer’s bib number, and she was the first woman to run as an officially registered participant of The Boston Marathon in 1967
• The Lentil references nearby iconic hotel The Lenox
• Citrus is a play on the iconic triangular Citgo Sign
• Sailboats numbered 500 and 510 art Trader Joe’s internal store numbers for the Boylston Street stores

Front Store Column Art:

• Depicts Boston’s “T” transit system with the T rendered in the TJ’s font

Game Prompts and Answers:

Q1:  How many satellite dishes can you find in the mural?

Answer 1: 7

Q2:  How many cans of corn can you find in the mural?

Answer 2: 6

Q3A:  How many times does the artist use the hibiscus flower pattern on buildings and vehicles?  

Q3B:  Can you spot any other hibiscus flowers in the store on other things?

Answer 3A: 4

Answer 3B: Hibiscus tea, perhaps on crewmember shirts..?

Q4: How many smiley faces can you find in the mural?

Answer 4: 3

Q5: How many characters are wearing sunglasses in the mural?

Answer 5: 2