The "The Arts Are Alive In Lancaster, Pennsylvania" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Standing in centerfield at Culliton Park taking a photo of the block-long brick building to the east that is a warehouse for Lancaster's Water Street Mission.  At one time I played baseball on this field and years later coached my youngest son on the same field.

My photo taken in July of 2019 of what
is left of the public artwork.

 At the time it was called Farnum Field and then was renamed Conlin Field at Farnum Park.  Today it bears the name of Culliton Park.  The reason for the photo is to compare it to what it looked like about a year ago.  It was back in 2018 that the building, filled with bricked-in window openings, won a national award as one of the 50 most outstanding public artworks created that year.  It was recognized by the Americans for the Arts which is a national nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.  The project was titled "This Neighborhood is ...,".  In September of 2018, artists led by city residents Salina Almanzar and Osmyn Oree painted 20 resident portraits and 25 responses on the west facade of the warehouse that faced the park.  The project broke down barriers between folks that live in the neighborhood and folks that use the park as home and folks in transition.  The park is slated for a major renovation that will include infrastructure improvements to collect and manage stormwater in and around the area of the park.  

This photo by Michelle Johnsen was taken shortly after
the artwork was completed in September, 2018.

The wall mural took about four months of community work which was meant to raise awareness of the water issues and the importance of imple- menting better practices.  The mural consisted of painted panels that filled the window openings of the building.  Two Dudes Painting Company from Lancaster donated the paint and the Stormwater Management Fund and Lancaster County Community Foundation provided funding.  A vehicle lift was donated by the Rental Zone.  Much of the mural was temporary and was removed about a month after it was painted.  Salina Almanzar is now working with the Water Street Mission and SoWe to create a permanent water-themed mural on the same wall.  Pretty neat to have been singled out by the Americans for the Arts as one of the 50 most outstanding public artworks in the nation.  The organization has been presenting public art awards for the past 18 years.  Every year there are hundreds of submissions presented for consideration.  The arts are alive in Lancaster and have been for ages.  If you are within walking or driving distance of the city, take a walk around downtown and see for yourself.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.