Artist Ralphie Seguinot stands next to his new mural, painted at Recycle Bicycle on Allison Hill.
Two community-focused murals—one in Penbrook and another in Steelton—are slated to be created in August, as the summer-long 2021 Harrisburg Mural Festival by Sprocket Mural Works stretches into neighboring communities.
“While much of our work over the past seven years has focused on uplifting Harrisburg through art, it’s exciting to have the opportunity to spread the joy—through murals—to our city’s neighbors,” said Megan Caruso, Sprocket co-founder and president. “Our partners in Penbrook and Steelton could not be more positive and welcoming, recognizing the value murals will add to their vibrant communities and daily lives.”
Penbrook Borough Building: A montage of children’s faces will comprise a mural, to be created beginning Aug. 12, on the borough’s administrative building, 150 S. 28th St, Harrisburg. The mural, funded by a generous community donor, will face Elm Street Station Park, a small neighborhood park featuring playground equipment for young children.
“This mural is like a cherry on the top of our park rehab project,” said Ben Stokes, chair of Penbrook’s Parks Committee. “The park rehab finished in 2019 thanks to a number of grants, and this mural is the perfect ending. Every time I bring it up at our Penbrook borough meetings, everybody is excited about it.”
First-time muralist Sarah Fogg of Harrisburg is basing the mural design on photographs of actual Penbrook children who attended the borough’s summer camp. The mural’s theme—children—was the top choice of local residents surveyed.
“My approach is to use bright colors, so that the mural looks happy,” says Fogg. “I want to do these kids justice and make sure they’re proud of seeing their faces up on the wall. These kids represent the future of their community.”
Fogg has close ties to Penbrook. As a child, she attended the elementary school serving Penbrook, South Side Elementary, in the Central Dauphin School District. Seven years ago, Fogg returned to the school district as an elementary school art teacher—including a stint at South Side.
Mid Penn Bank, Steelton: Sprocket will create its first mural in the borough of Steelton, beginning Aug. 23. Sponsored by and located at Mid Penn Bank, 51 S. Front St, Steelton, a giant mural wall (124 feet in length, standing 10 feet high) will pay homage to themes chosen by surveyed residents—history, diversity and the people of Steelton.
“We are looking forward to showcasing a beautiful piece of public art at our facility,” said Heather Hall, Mid Penn Bank executive vice president and market president. “As the only bank in Steelton, we are dedicated to providing support to the community in many different ways. We see this mural as a way to honor Steelton’s history and inspire its bright future.”
The artist selected by this project, Matt Halm, hails from another town made famous by its steel production—Allentown. Halm, who has experience creating community murals, invites the public to come help paint the mural on Aug. 28 and 29.
Upcoming 2021 Harrisburg Mural Festival projects include:
Mulberry Street Bridge: Murals will soon span one side of the bridge, in this apprenticeship-type project led by prominent New York City muralist and Harrisburg native Ian Potter, working in collaboration with up-and-coming local artists. One of the largest projects Sprocket has ever undertaken, the bridge project is sponsored by M&T Bank, The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) and The Pennsylvania College of Art & Design.
Pocket park: Harrisburg’s Patrick Alley, already transformed by native pollinator-friendly plants donated by Manada Conservancy and planted by community volunteers including Friends of Midtown, will soon be graced by a large-scale floral and honeybee mural, thanks to grant funding by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Furry Friends: The importance and joy of pet adoption will be highlighted in a mural funded by corporate sponsor Chewy, located at Anastacia’s Restaurant, 1535 N. 6th St, in close proximity to the Friends of Midtown Community Dog Park. This mural is also being produced in collaboration with—and to raise awareness of—the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area.
Strawberry Square: Two new murals will brighten the Strawberry Square shopping district, thanks to development organization and longtime Sprocket supporter Harristown Enterprises.
Celebrating Black Lives: A steering committee of community members is developing a “Celebrating Black Lives” mural theme, identifying a location, and evaluating artist portfolios, from those who identified themselves as local Black artists during Sprocket’s call for artists.
Welcome back, Brandon Spicer-Crawley: One of the 2019 Harrisburg Mural Festival artists, Brandon Spicer-Crawley of the Philadelphia area returns to extend his mural on the Millworks Lumber Storage Building off 4th Street. Sprocket is proud to provide a platform for this both talented and intellectually disabled artist.
Completed 2021 Harrisburg Mural Festival projects include:
Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg: Joyful children on bikes are depicted in a blue and purple-toned mural encompassing two sides of the nonprofit Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg facility, 1722 Chestnut St., in the Allison Hill neighborhood. The mural was completed by Harrisburg artist Ralphie Seguinot in July.
Planter project: Twenty Harrisburg artists completed 20 giant planters placed along Market and Derry streets in the Allison Hill neighborhood to launch the 2021 Harrisburg Mural Festival by showcasing Harrisburg-based artists. The beautification project was in partnership with Tri County Community Action.
Background: The 2021 Harrisburg Mural Festival is Sprocket’s third biennial summer festival. The majority of Sprocket’s 45 murals were created during the 2017 and 2019 Harrisburg Mural Festivals by local, regional, national and international artists. This year, rather than planning a concentrated 10-day mural festival taking place simultaneously at multiple locations, Sprocket is organizing continuous, summer-long mural projects popping up throughout the city.
The mission of Sprocket Mural Works is to uplift Harrisburg through art. Sprocket Mural Works is a citywide mural project that works with neighborhoods, artists and organizations to create vibrant community murals across Harrisburg, with creative action serving as a catalyst for increased community pride and civic engagement in Harrisburg. The organization’s roots go back to 2014, and Sprocket Mural Works became a nonprofit organization in 2019.
Sprocket welcomes additional partner organizations, volunteers, and corporate sponsors of all sizes to become involved in the 2021 festival. The best way to contact Sprocket is via email at hello@sprocketmuralworks.com. For more information: sprocketmuralworks.com; @sprocketmuralworks on Instagram and Facebook; @SprocketMurals on Twitter.
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