LOCAL CRAFT
PUBLIC SPACE ART MAKES DOWNTOWN POP
A well-known, multipaneled mural on Main Street in Stroudsburg first created in May 2014 has set the stage for the amazing artwork now seen in public spaces around town. The coordinator of these colorful vignettes in the downtown area is Jody Singer. He’s the secretary of the Board of Directors at Pocono Arts Council; the director of Origins Gallery at Pocono Arts Council; and director of a public mural/ public art program called St’ART Stroudsburg (a subsidiary of Pocono Arts Council). FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.POCONOARTS.ORG, CALL (570) 476-4460 OR EMAIL MOUNTAINSIDEARTS@HOTMAIL.COM.
Local Flair: Who are the winners of this summer’s mural contest? Jody Singer: There were three winners from this juried exhibition, which is the second time St’Art has run the contest. Two will be painted in Stroudsburg, and one at the Mountain Center in Tobyhanna. One of the Stroudsburg images is titled “Celtic Heart” [pictured] and was created by Kayla O’Connor. This is a nod toward the strong Irish heritage within our townspeople. The second winning image will go on the public parking deck wall facing the Stroudsburg United Methodist Church’s parking lot on Ann Street. Called “Bugs Chillin’ in a Tree Hole” [pictured], it was created by artist Carly Kripps, one of the artistic cake decorators at Kitchen Chemistry (on Main Street). It’s a whimsical piece that portrays nature and fun. The third mural will be placed at our Mountain Center on Route 611 North near Tobyhanna. The mural is by a local artist, Jillian DeLuca. Her winning image is titled “Just One of the Trees” [pictured], reflecting our close relationship to nature and our role in the natural world. Local Flair: How did the mural contest come about? Jody: We noticed that many people commented on the murals, from the townsfolk, to the business owners who saw more business, to tourists who enjoyed our beautiful town. We also saw people were using the murals as pictorial backdrops or even for wedding photos. Something was happening, and I felt that we could and should continue creating works that would foster this kind of activity and acknowledgement for the arts in the downtown area.
26 Local Flair | October/November 2017
Local Flair: Why are murals important for the community? Jody: The murals show that we have talented artists here and gives support to their efforts. Murals and decorative images also enhance the local atmosphere and help give “image” and “feel” to the downtown area. They can attract visitors and even home-buyers, and elevate value to the area’s tourism and properties as a whole. Local Flair: Were supplies provided? Jody: Most often the supplies are donated. The paints have been donated by Sherwin Williams Paint in Stroudsburg. We are so grateful for their support in this, and we love the product, which will last for years! Those supplies were made possible because Richard Berkowitz, President and CEO of the Sherman Theater, allowed the former Project Street Art to use the Sherman Theater’s non-profit status to gather the donated supplies. We’re grateful for his help. We always welcome donations of supplies as well as advertising and promotion. We’d also like to get to the point where we can pay the artists, who have been doing this for free. After three years, we have not yet gotten to the point where we can pay them. Local Flair: Other comments about upcoming initiatives at Pocono Arts Council? Jody: We are planning more public murals and public art displays through St’ART Stroudsburg; and public gallery events, poetry readings and other exhibitions at Origins Gallery. The Pocono Arts Council will continue to sponsor fine arts exhibitions at the ARTSPACE Gallery, host special events and offer classes at the Pocono Arts Cultural Center.