Scott Elliott stands by the wall slated for a PHFA mural project.
Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians have found a place to call home over the past 50 years, thanks to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA).
Now, the state-affiliated agency wants to celebrate its milestone anniversary year by commissioning a mural for its Harrisburg home office.
PHFA invites all Pennsylvania-based artists to apply and submit their concepts for a mural to be created in celebration of the agency’s 50th anniversary. The mural will grace one entire wall in the agency’s lobby, just inside their N. Front Street office.
“Even better if a central Pennsylvania artist is selected,” said Scott Elliott, PHFA’s communications director. “We want to be part of Harrisburg’s mural scene because we view ourselves as a community partner with the city—and what better way to express that by becoming part of the mural scene that’s so vibrant?”
Currently, a timeline of the organization’s history occupies the wall, but Elliott said that will be removed to give the selected artist a blank canvas from which to work.
“We want the mural to add a ‘wow factor’ to our lobby, to tell our message in a powerful visual way of who we are and how we help people. Our agency is colloquially known as an agency with a heart—and we would like the public to know how much we care about Pennsylvanians and their housing needs,” Elliott said.
The exterior of PHFA’s building in downtown Harrisburg
Interested artists are invited to email Elliott at selliott@phfa.org to obtain specific guidelines such as dimensions and possible themes. Artists are encouraged to explore the agency’s website at phfa.org for inspiration—via countless stories of successful home ownership. And artists are also welcome to stop by PHFA’s office at 211 N. Front St., to see the wall in person.
Overall, Elliott said that the agency is “very open-minded” about the mural’s artistic style. Potential designs could depict PHFA’s diversity in customers as well as diversity in housing, since the agency assists renters and homeowners alike—even helping some residents stay in their homes through a foreclosure prevention program.
“We want the mural to share the message of what we’ve done for the last 50 years, and continue to do—and that’s providing people with housing they can afford,” Elliott said, “because when they have a home, it gives them stability in their lives.”
Ultimately, “home” is a beautiful concept that Elliott and PHFA would like every visitor, customer and employee to be reminded of, when they enter the organization’s Harrisburg office.
The project timeline includes the following dates:
- Deadline for artists to apply: April 4.
- An artist will be selected and announced during PHFA’s anniversary celebration on May 3 at Whitaker Center.
- PHFA would like the mural to be completed by Labor Day, Sept. 4.
All interested Pennsylvania-based artists are invited to contact Scott Elliott for the Mural Request for Proposals (RFP) via email at selliott@phfa.org. For more information on the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), see phfa.org.
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