Community Members Invited to Reimagine Five-Way Intersection with Asphalt Art Mural

Residents will have the opportunity to vote on designs, take part in painting & meet artists painting this expansive mural on W. Strawberry, W. Vine, and S. Mulberry Streets.

LANCASTER, Pa., June 2, 2021 – Artist Fern Dannis, along with Peter Barber of Two Dudes Painting Company, have been selected by a project team, including site neighbors, arts professionals, and a Public Art Advisory Board member to create an artful intersection at the top of Cabbage Hill. This project is part of the Bloomberg Foundation’s Asphalt Art Initiative to create street murals and other creative interventions to improve pedestrian safety and enhance public spaces. 

The City of Lancaster is one of 16 cities to receive this grant, in partnership with the SoWe Neighborhood Group and the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership (recently renamed Tenfold).  

The intersection of W. Strawberry Street, W. Vine Street, and S. Mulberry Street sits at the top of “Cabbage Hill.” This five-way intersection is a sometimes confusing space integral to the neighborhood and city-wide traffic circulation. Public engagement is beginning in June, with the artwork being designed over the summer. The final application of paint-to-asphalt is set for Sept. 11, 2021. 

Public Engagement Events & Online Survey  
The artists will work with Cabbage Hill neighbors to reimagine this space through participatory visioning sessions happening this month. The first session is this Thurs., June 3, between 5:30 – 7 p.m. at Two Dudes Painting Company, 750 Poplar St. The second session will be held on Sat., June 26, between 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. around the parking lot of the former St. Joseph’s School on S. Mulberry Street. and will offer residents a chance to vote on ideas, designs, drawings, and patterns that have been presented to the project artists. Children are welcome with the supervision of an adult family member. Masks are recommended for anyone who has not been vaccinated for COVID-19. 

Community members are encouraged to visit www.engage.cityoflancasterpa.com to complete the Artful Intersection: Cabbage Hill Survey that will provide input on pedestrian safety improvements and the artwork for the intersection and to see more information on the project timeline. Any additional ideas on the artwork can be sent to Fern Dannis (fern.dannis@gmail.com) or Yarlyn Rosario (yrosario@cityoflancasterpa.gov) by Sat., June 26.  

What is an artful intersection? 
Artful Intersections connect artists and neighbors to work together to create street murals in their neighborhood. The street murals serve as a reflection of the life and culture of the neighborhood; they expand the perceived public space to encompass the street; increase awareness and safety of alternative forms of transportation, and boost community identity and development. 

For additional information about other projects in the Asphalt Art Initiative, visit asphaltart.bloomberg.org/. Thank you to Sherwin Williams for donating paint for this project.  

###

The image is from a previous artful intersection project at Crystal and First Streets in Lancaster.