Denver, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike) unveiled a new mural at the Bowmansville Service Plaza on the PA Turnpike – with artwork created by Cocalico High School art students. This is the sixteenth piece created in conjunction with Art Sparks, a PCA and PA Turnpike partnership to bring student-created, locally relevant artwork to service plazas across the PA Turnpike’s 565-mile system.
“Problem solving, thinking creatively, and working collaboratively are just a few skills students develop when working in the arts,” said Susan S. Cohen, PCA Council Chair. “This sizable mural is an impressive reflection of these students’ abilities and I applaud each and every one of them.”
“Art Sparks provides the opportunity to showcase the local communities surrounding the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I can’t imagine a better way to showcase our neighbors than through the eyes of students who live in these communities,” said Mark Compton, CEO of the PA Turnpike. “Kudos to Cocalico High School students and all who were involved in this beautiful new addition to the Bowmansville Service Plaza. We are excited for those travelling through Pennsylvania to see what makes our Commonwealth so special."
Entitled Scenes of Our Neighborhood, the students’ mural incorporates themes and symbols of the Southeastern PA region—from wildlife and agricultural, to historical and industrial—and utilizes carefully crafted colors, geometric forms and screen printed images.
This project was coordinated through South Central PaARTners at Millersville University, PCA’s regional Arts in Education partner organization. Students worked with rostered teaching artist, Michael Miller, Cocalico High School art teachers, Caleb Smith and Sandra McCarthy, and student assistant Liahna Fox, to design and create the mosaic. The artwork is now permanently on view at the Bowmansville Service Plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Arts Sparks pairs K-12 art students and teaching artists from the PCA’s Arts in Education roster. Schools near each respective service plaza host 20-day teaching artist residencies, underwritten by the PA Turnpike and led by a local PCA teaching artist. Working with the teaching artist and members of the community, students create artwork that reflects their region of Pennsylvania.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, please visit the website or follow PCA on LinkedIn and Facebook.
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