Mural project moves kids to create
Many children in the Pittsburgh area come from backgrounds and neighborhoods that one might not expect to foster creativity, a local nonprofit official said.
But foster creativity they have done every summer for seven years.
Since 2004, the Moving Lives of Kids Community Mural Project has been enrolling local youth in five-week summer projects in which they paint indoor and outdoor murals, depicting images that reflect the history of communities, as well as what children expect to see in their futures.
The Homewood-based program partners with professional artists and teachers to mentor youth and teach art and local history.
"Our main goal is to provide the kids with an educational and cultural, but also professional, experience," said Joy Taylor, MLK operations director.
This year, 64 murals were painted in 13 Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Since artist and Penn Hills resident Kyle Holbrook founded the program in 2004, 200 murals have been painted locally. Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams Co. donated the paint.
"And we work with local artists and international artists. And we work with primarily murals, but we also do fashion, photography, video. We've done mosaics," Taylor said.
The murals' themes are selected through input from community groups and residents.
One mural painted this summer at the former Swanson's Pharmacy in Penn Hills illustrates some of the municipality's history by depicting local celebrities, politicians, mascots, fallen officers and landmarks.
Youngsters from Auberle, a McKeesport-based agency that provides social services to at-risk youth and families, created a mural that depicts the history of McKeesport and Westmoreland County and its courthouse. It includes the themes of family, peace, growth and community. That mural will be installed at the Westmoreland County Courthouse.
Wilkins resident Hope McCullough, 17, has participated in the program for the last three summers, and her sisters have gotten involved, too, she said.
"Our family has always been interested in art, so we tried it out and we really liked it," said McCullough, who is Taylor's niece.
McCullough worked with a group that created a mural showing the changing seasons; the artwork will be displayed at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Downtown.
MLK enrollees range in age from 5 to 21, Taylor said.
Many children involved in the projects have had behavioral problems or come from disadvantaged homes, Taylor said. Their participation allows them to make a positive impact on communities, she said.
