The public is invited to attend a community painting day for the new Welcoming Mural at Ganse Apothocary, 355 W. King St., on Saturday, October 8 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The final mural design, a group of neighbors working together on a quilt, will include blank quilt squares to be filled in by members of the community.
The City of Lancaster Department of Neighborhood Engagement, in partnership with Church World Service (CWS) Lancaster and Landis Homes, were awarded funding from the National Endowment for the Arts to create a community-informed mural that captures Lancaster’s spirit of welcome and inclusiveness. For its entire history, Lancaster has provided haven to immigrants fleeing persecution and disasters across the world.
From the Amish in the 18th century to Afghans this past summer, Lancaster has consistently heeded the call for welcome. During the height of the Syrian refugee crisis, the British Broadcasting Corporation named Lancaster “the Refugee Capital of the US,” and the New York Times published a feature article about the ways immigrants have revitalized the social, cultural, and economic life of our area.
Three years ago, Lancaster became the first city in Pennsylvania and the 12th city in the country to become a Certified Welcoming City.
Project manager Shauna Yorty and artist Claudia Rojas have spent three months engaging with the community through surveys, art making and conversation to identify themes, images, colors and phrases that Lancaster feels represents “welcome.”
The results from both the surveys and the community engagement events had three popular themes: diverse people working together to achieve a common goal, people sharing food, and people hugging or holding hands. Regarding color palette, bright colors were strongly preferred, with mentions of rainbows and yellow taking the lead.
Funding for the mural was generously provided by the City of Lancaster, Lancaster County Community Foundation, Landis Homes and Penn Square Rotary Club. Two Dudes Painting will provide materials.
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Author: Amaury Abreu
