Live from your public media studios wdia presents Keystone it's a public affairs program that goes beyond the headlines to address issues in NorthEastern in Central Pennsylvania This is Keystone addition Arts and now Erika Funke Welcome to Keystone Edition Arts where we celebrate painting places in a big way Paul is our primes the canvas murals have been painted for thousands of years to reflect human experiences past and present and society's ideals in the 1920s and 30s mexican artists like diego rivera hated murals on public buildings to promote a new united and forward looking country and for all to enjoy not just those who could afford to buy art these muralists inspired american george biddle a practicing artist who would want with some of the best meryl painters in mexico in 1933 he wrote a letter to newly elected president roosevelt suggesting the government create opportunities federal buildings for american mural painters to improve the quality of american life this letter influenced the development of the treasury department section of painting and sculpture which commissioned over sixteen hundred murals and sculptures for post offices between 1933 and 1943 a period when the country faced the economic challenges of the depression The commission served to help artists financially while raising awareness of american art style and boosting morale patricia rainer tells us in the national postal museums newsletter that post offices were located in virtually every community and available for viewing by all postal patrons which made post office murals a truly democratic art form in our region these historic post office murals are in hinsdale scranton ton cannick wilkes-barre saelens growth and many other communities for Keystone Edition Arts I'm paula zahn it surely have happened to many people already you around a corner in downtown wilkes barre and you catch your breath as you view whoo what three stories high and enchantress sorceress she's holding a sparkling diamond between her hands The valleys past behind her And we're compelled to ask what does she see as she faces the future this multi-storey tarot card in our midst seems to summon us to develop a vision for what we might wish for the region and call us to work to make our dreams a reality less than 20 miles do north There is a vision that seems to answer the lady of the valley It's a powerful mural of martin luther king junior whose dream of a community of love and justice blossoms on a wall in downtown scranton to remind us of that dream and of our to make it real murals in conversation stimulating communities into a dialogue within and without we have guests who will guide us along their streets and hallways to celebrate the power of public are to challenge us to make our lives richer lane madden curry is the co-founder and program director for the hazleton integration project and hazleton one community center and the chair of the hazleton advisory council of the Pennsylvania human relations commission michael lombardo is now in his fourth term as mayor of the city of pittston He is the president of the Pennsylvania municipal league and in twenty two he received the governors award for local government excellence ryan not as a mural pater who teaches art education at west scranton high school He's founder of the northeast art project a company that focuses on assisting implementing and executing public works of art Welcome to all of you it's wonderful to have you at the table elaine Tell us please What is hip hip is the hazleton integration project and the one thing I want to say before I forget his we will be 10 years old in june So with that in mind we were founded by my cousin joe maddon who's a major league baseball player major league baseball manager and who's a hazleton native and robert curry who is my husband and myself and and i'm also a hazleton native so Basically what we thought about doing was 10 years ago we thought we thought we needed a community center in our city so hip started their mission to be serve giving children cultural educational athletic programs for underserved children and families So that's basically what we do But the art initiative that started as a result of I was in san francisco in the mission district and I saw these wonderful murals in the alleys in the streets on the buildings and I thought Aha That's what I need to do at the hazleton one community center because we had always paid attention to the fact that our students loved art regardless of what their first language was so we started to do student murals we had student murals from students that attended the Arts and humanities at our high school and we also had professional artists who did murals in our building So our building was always sort of boring but now we have 17 murals and we are are a place of magic We have beautiful walls everyone who comes in their fields warm and welcome because of all the art We have on our walls were you have been kind enough to invite us into those holes and walls are w va eyes chris hendrickson paid a visit And now you're going to take us all to two on a tour Wonderful art is a huge focus for the founders for bob in the lane and it's just so important in this day and age to have a place where you can express yourself in a creative atmosphere and this is what this says enter embodies this morale that you see behind me It's like the circle of growing up here Being an educator and giving back to my community and this manner which represents these principles of education steam cache of their attention You know if you throw a book in front of a kid They're not going to be like oh i'm going to open up right away and he was within you have to like show my cover for you know they check out this cover and then they fear they got their interests and then the book will open by itself and they'll put the work in the months they know more about it It's a graphic designer I worked with him I am also really involved with the tax and having talks have meaning hope and love I know that they're too simple words but really embody what we all need to live on a daily basis the title of the piece of called together we will if an extension of the pastry near all that good And that's called together we can jobs were created here coal mining So that's what these guys represents the both sides have been digging through the bedrock of hazleton what it was and building it up for the future for their children It can be which anybody you know be any rate any culture diversity the downstairs mural was so special because it was the first mural at the center bob in the lane said we'd love to have a welcome at the bottom of the elevator I thought about what the center represents which is unity and diversity of everybody And I worked with the seventh grade after school class sixth seventh graders and again a lot of these students have no experience and ah they walk away feeling a sense of achievement and very visual parks conversation and for kids I feel like that's also a step for them to be an interesting history the irish community the polish community of telling community and then now hispanic community I came to this generation and you know the conspiracy watch I'm saying you're that person to your ears Here's a new generation of people coming in here artwork is itself was a combination of sheila's and I experience here in the u s for both immigrants so we wanted to depicts basically the journey that transpired from the minute we arrived to where we are right now And this happens Of course it's ah our expands but it also is also the mission of the experience of our family members coming into this country while they told us what it was like leaving their country behind and then arriving here well they had to do I started this painting a couple years ago I entered a like a chart chalk art what kind of thing right and literally liked it so much She's like hey come put it in You know the hip center Okay so then I guess you know pick they'll this wall and I just started going and I had no clear when I started What I didn't said it was just kind of doing what I just wanted to do it like I chose this boy as well because i'm peruvian in my culture is very important to me so I wanted to add some elements of like my life into here I may have never seen a parent over they've improved but I definitely own one of these hats and I definitely have a poncho and I wanted to add the mountains of light of lima where I grew grew up in when you're in an area where you're supposed to feel community where you're supposed to see people that look like you engage like you I have the experiences as you I feel like the environment itself especially poignant commerce who are looking for new opportunities Look at the wilson with We want them to feel like home too there's art in the community They're passing it along So each generation I'm not going to lie I was a little bit nerve wracking the fact that we're putting this out and about but as soon as we saw people's reactions and how happy they got when they recognize something they were like this is cool thank you elaine is that beyond what you could have hoped when you see this Oh it's beautiful And i'm so proud of all the people that have put their art on our walls and is there room for more Oh we have a lot of room We have a lot of why so anyone can contact me I'll give them a wall ok That's great Ryan you must have responded as a teacher to the young people there but we want to talk to you first As the mural artists that you are and we have you here at the table as a mural artist Talk to us about process gallons of paint scaffolding all of that So before I get in the hands of paying everything I have to come back to the murals in the classroom and in her space because if you go back The cave paintings campaigns were put in the world to educate the families on how the hunt survive That's what we're doing with the murals in our communities We're teaching people now how to survive or be part of this community who is a part is coming how to join in with that community That's why I like murals so much because it really does represent the people who are around that area and also or artists idea of what needs to change or move forward painting mural is the easiest part I think it's is this part It's the planning the designing talking to everybody landing those walls is kind of a harder part I have vast experience in handling different walls materials different medium and or being up in 60 foot or with Oh shit geir haarde had I got the best hardhat it looks like cowboy hat Best thing in the world and then knowing how they handle paint house paint to spray paint two handling putting a canvas and painting on canvas putting on the wall or paying onto panel There's so many different ways you could actually execute new mural for a community but it takes like a lot of time or It has taken a long time Know what I know which it has come with trial and error and there's been some doozies where some stuff has gone wrong but there's a lot of different things we've learned a long way and we just keep making more are and we hope do more and you'rcommitted to involving the counity membs in the ocess Yes we're moving Itependt We're dng a largeproject at tt ctory that wcan't sh yet That is a prate oject thatrgeproject at tt we're actual using some vinge ads fro the leasto incorpora thhistory of t peopleeren't there ist screen a then weThis is grts mber who ce ly airserwer is re e fi and then invite l ese artehers from Penylnia frirserwer is re e the northet in Cenal a and anydyant tocome Was le r and guy ha paintin about our rs d finishinthmural d actual it's on t reen rightow which was a fanstic prect thate got evybody to wk warely beneficial to communy ere and the our tehers will en presumab take it back ansomehow work with their students on new les in or out Perhaps whats give us an example if y would Of something atou've witnessed your own I suspect murain terms have been thinking that ey could be togetherot a difference in there project be their in their world so a lot times when your opinion mul it consumes at that time it takes time the paind so muraespecially whenour then you leading the ush the brush dries out and everything like that but when you're sitting on t wall next to somebody else that you really don't know No matter what 's at how the paint tripped on themselves or I'm not sure how to do this an you help me and then or I usually come over if peopleg and trto get them talking about what's happening what's going on What has to ppen next And everybody sees at process to move's forward and it becom slowly a team effort as opposed to individual effort The mural that we did in turbeville I ended up designing but reallyt's not my mural at the end its everybody who s involves mural which and the community that allowed us the pain because they were verydy receptive usually we get like can you do this change Can you do that change and igets tough for us They were l about the two fish and we painted large mouth bass and rainbow trout both native Pennsylvania and it was fun and we have no competition between ic and me who who id the bear better fish eric was winning but en I went to school and g all my students to vote for me and I I'm leading right now but anybodcan vote out there right now northeast art projt on instagram and just tell us what dorothy starch art project is that how does What is that designed to do Can people come to you and say help Yes northeast our project is we try to partner with nonprofits we'd like to consult explain what's the right materials how to do this What price you might be looking at for this We don't do fundraising but And we have a sue artists that we like to work with or other artists that we call locally if something comes our way that we could pass off another group debts in the audience is the street art society of npa and we actually went and worked with them before we painted concrete truck a bus at one point And we hope do some other prects are fun like that in the future too And that's where we got to learn and meet more artists that can actually do large large scale murals Thank you Ryan so much welcome marilyn bardo you are known far and wide for the work you've been doing in the revitalization of the city of pittston and the Arts are an integral part of your vision and i've read even that you have a painting in your office That reminds you of that intangible of the quality that you're hoping to bring about through the Arts in pittston How is it that you say you formed the come to understand literally and believe in the power of the Arts Well I think 25 years ago when we set out on the mission to revitalize the city You know we the group that I put together my team had a discussion about what we call the pillars of progress and they were the ideas that there would be the certain important things that you would set progress moving forward on and one of them was education and there's a couple other ones but obviously one was the Arts and I believe that the Arts are one of those pillars the beauty of the Arts is that they can celebrate as both the people of spoke before me talked about They celebrate who we are they celebrate our past they remind us right but I think the other thing they do is they energizes and I think they they feel the possibilities and that's what i've always liked about the Arts those possibilities so we you know we form the downtown pittston partnership More recently to sort of be the you know the catchment group that really takes in that process and sort of filters out where we're going You know the other thing is that government is known for propaganda so I figure You know what better propaganda than art well there How has Did you have to convince large parts of the community or did they come along Is it like kansas kansas Show me missouri Yeah no I think you know I think it was very strategic We are first mural we call the heritage morale and I met with the artist white kirkland from lewistown and I said to him I'm not going to tell you what to do I have this idea in mind but I would like you to think about the following statement in we need to stand on the strong shoulders of the past and I figured he would come back with something that was emotional and sort of tight and he did You know it's a cpa that looks It reflects on the coal mining and also the garment industry and then the train It's up its up on the screen now and that was the first piece that we did after we did that First of all we couldn't get the artists to leave because they had such a good time doing it and they were being fed by our residents so there was by progressively I think a little more creative in risky and dangerous You know we did a piece on the side of the open space building called 63 sense which is a celebration of again mining and it's based on the picasso's square annika and it's a spray paint piece by a street artists from florida called franks ugly art That's what the artist goes by and oddly You know I wasn't sure what the reception was going to be but all of our residents keep saying you know can we have more of that I think you know it's a little more I think like bound less and it makes people think and they ask questions and they start to aren't sure what it's about and I think that provokes great discussion in really in a time I think where there's a lot of fragile as to where we are is as a society I think art is a good opportunity to really stand back and reflect and we don't have to like everything but I think the discretion of what you like and what I don't like is still a productive discussion right right right and you have talked about main street in pittston as kind of a stage set So the murals act beautifully as kind of a background and a scene center Sure Yeah I mean I think that's definitely the case I mean you know obviously are downtowns in all of our cities in our small communities those streets have what I call the operational purpose but but i've always thought they were stage is doing that we need to program those things and there's nothing more welcoming and visual then you know the Arts particularly the murals that you know some of our fun and silly You know the one that just flashed on the screen is I said the city of pittston is the center of the universe and that's why the tomato there in the solar system and that was done by john borkowski who is is a very well recognized local artists who actually did we were talking about having a drink earlier did one of the absolute but get bottles So you know I think think that's the cool thing about art I mean you can really do a lot with it and you can be bound but it also can be very free form but it also the best artists in the world to fill in one of the pieces I think both of you So adequately demonstrate that yeah yeah so Ryan when you have to think about about starting a mural Do you have to deal with mayors like lombardo or city council's I mean ah ah ahead we had not not mayor lobato but we did have some mayors and knocked down some projects large projects that at the witching hour to and those things happen they they occur and the only way we can do that is by just keep hitting the streets trying to get more out artwork more projects happening so we're always trying to have three or four projects juggling at one time and we're npa we only have three four months a year that we could really get things done So the rest say years all about planning and like a little vacation in there and that that planning and getting ready to execute more projects and working with community we have some projects it took maybe three weeks and we had a whole neuro done other projects we worked on year and a half I believe Gus fahy's an audience from value emotion we worked on a project and for city almost a year and a half until we actually put pain on the wall and then they have a very large maryland for a city by our esteemed jeff george and we were the only ones working together had that project come and happen and jeff george was ours execute so our project also worked in that regard with nonprofit as a consultant to make a make a project happen Well I believe in democracy except for when it comes to art and then I believe in a benevolent dictator Ooh yeah all right everybody pittston That's right And are there enough walls and pittston there are lots of walls and we were wheeling and dealing with table so we have lots of walls and we have doors and there are lots of opportunities The best the best community projects are the ones where we don't have to have people on ladders or anything because no matter what you're doing Dealing with you also have liability insurance issues there So the third bonneville mural that we did was eight feet tall it was just really long walls like that We get community really involved anything taller That's where we just have to keep it mainly the professionals at that point All right well safe We want to thank you We've just beginning to scratch the surface or coat the surface and we thank our guests marilyn bardo elaine ryan Those of you in the audience Thank you for coming and being with us Thanks for the viewers for information on this show Please visit wdia dot or Keystone and click on Keystone Edition Arts and remember you can watch this episode or any previous episode on demand anytime online or on the wdia app and so for Keystone Edition I'm Erika Funke Thank you for watching Now inspiration like humming from 2007 is a mural by michael parlato in williamsport that celebrates the history of that region with hundreds of portraits of people like carlstadt so little league fame a process of making the mural and the results have had a real impact in drawing that community together so we close with a segment of the mural the big three wall mural with even three days images dedicated now here this portion to the students and chaperones who died on t w a flight 800 making the plane making playing the power of public murals but every store even know that it is a sad story it's a beautiful image it's a beautiful story of how the community came together so it's not taking something sad and making you upset or vengeful or whatever is taking something sad and trying to put a sad