Middletown Art Committee

The Middletown Art Committee is embarking on a Mural initiative for the Municipal Center. The project has been funded by the Artists & Communities grant and the Middletown community. Artists & Communities, a program of Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, is made possible by major funding from The Vira I. Heinz Endowment, The William Penn Foundation and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

Over the course of a five-month artist residency, David McShane and Eurhi Jones will work with the Middletown Art Committee and the community of Middletown to develop a wall mural for the Middletown Municipal Center. The Municipal Center is a public building and the space for the mural is an interior wall facing the building's entryway.

The mural project's goals are:

  • To use the arts as a motivational tool to develop intergenerational relationships and bridge a growing generational divide.
  • To create a voice and spirit unique to the community through information exchange, dialogue and workshops.
  • To move art into the public space in a community that is underserved in the arts

The mural project's mission is to engage children, young adults, families and seniors in activities that support the arts locally. Middletown, known for its homogenized population, will use the mural to serve a growing commitment to the arts and provide the basis for residents to share community values, reflect on the past, and explore the belief in a common future of peace and prosperity.

EVENTS

  • Mural Dedication
    November 20, 2004
    2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
    • 2:00 pm unveiling and dedication of mural
    • view the project time line and the creativity from the workshops
    • meet the artists david mcshane & eurhi jones
    • enjoy refreshments and music

The design and photos from the dedication will be posted after November 20th!

The Middletown Art Committee was formed in October 2002 to promote public awareness of - and interest in - fine arts and cultural properties. The committee encourages the integration of art into the architecture of municipal structures, and is committed to supporting projects that move art from museums and galleries into the public spaces we live in and move through daily, thereby enhancing the quality of life in the community. It is the goal of the committee to use the mural project as a stepping-stone to engage the residents as stakeholders in their community through the arts.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

David McShane and Eurhi Jones, accomplished artists in the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, will work over a five month period to engage the residents of the Middletown community first by hosting an organized tour of Philadelphia murals. The tour is intended to spark interest in the mural project's creative process, develop awareness of how communities are portrayed through murals and introduce residents to their role in the creative process. Because of the resident artists' accomplishments in the renowned Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia, they have demonstrated abilities to understand the needs of a community and have been able to build dialogue and participation that has resulted in art for and by the community.

As part of a theme-development for the mural, the resident artists--in conjunction with the Art Committee--will hold a public meeting of key community leaders, elected officials, senior citizen associations and students. The meeting will initiate the critical dialogue needed to engage the public. It will also begin to chart the course of action for further workshop construction over the next few months. The Art Committee and Park & Recreation Board have already identified established programs and spaces that will provide forums for workshops through summer camps, youth activities and the Senior Citizen's Association. Integration of these workshops will be support an effort to develop intergenerational participation. Families and the community-at-large will also have the opportunity to become engaged with the mural development at the Middletown Arts Weekend, when the resident artists will be on hand to discuss the project and residents will be able to contribute their ideas through the creation of a mock mural based on the theme.


The Middletown Art Committee was formed in October 2002 to promote public awareness of - and interest in - fine arts and cultural properties in Middletown Township Bucks County.