City of Lancaster Receives Public Art Grant, Seeks Artist to Create Artful Intersection

The City of Lancaster, in partnership with the SoWe neighborhood group and the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership, has been awarded a $25,000 grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to create a street mural at the intersection of W. Strawberry St., S. Mulberry St. and W. Vine St. in the Cabbage Hill neighborhood. A call for artists has been issued to select an artist to work with the neighborhood to create an artwork that collectively reimagines the intersection.

This project is supported by a grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative, which helps cities use art and community engagement to improve street safety and revitalize public space. The focus of the initiative is visual interventions on roadways, pedestrian spaces, and vertical infrastructure. Support is also being provided by Sherwin Williams. Lancaster is one of 16 cities to receive the grant. 

“To achieve the goals and programs outlined in our Ten-Year Plan for Public Art, we rely on grants like this. The support allows us to work directly with community members to create projects in their neighborhoods,” said Joanna Davis, Public Art Manager for the City of Lancaster.  

The call for artists is open to all professional artists who live in south central Pennsylvania. Applicants must be 18 years or older and have proven experience with mural painting and public engagement. Submissions will be judged based on examples of relevant work, experience, and recommendations. Experience making large-scale paintings and working collaboratively to complete projects is preferred, but not required.

The project is in its early stages and set to progress through the summer of 2021 with a goal of installation in early fall. A steering committee including Cabbage Hill residents, arts professionals and a member of the Public Art Advisory Board has been established. The steering committee will help to move the project along by assisting in community outreach efforts, artist selection and design review.   

“An exciting part of this project is how it puts artists and neighbors together to solve design problems while working together with planners and engineers in our Department of Public Works,” Davis said.

“Public art has many useful definitions, but for our Lancaster community it needs to involve the public. This intersection [project] at Vine, Mulberry and Strawberry is about the decisions and process through which the art will come to be,” said Mimi Shapiro, a member of the steering committee.

Interested artists can apply here. Submissions will be accepted through March 22.

The community can send feedback or questions about this project to the project manager, Yarlyn Rosario, at yrosario@cityoflancasterpa.gov.  

For additional information about other projects in the Asphalt Art Initiative, visit asphaltart.bloomberg.org.