In January 2020, I was welcomed back to Bobtown Elementary, part of the Southeastern Greene School District in rural Greene County, Pennsylvania. Bobtown is located along the southern branch of the Monongahela River, just above the West Virginia border.

Working with the 6th grade (about 50 students in total), we created a massive 8’ x 12’ aluminum can mural highlighting local wildlife and to be installed outside the school, as a greeting to community members. (Our final two in-person sessions were cancelled as a result of pandemic school closures, so I completed the mural on two socially-distant outdoor work days in August 2020). Then in August 2022, the district finally had the staff/facilities capacity to undertake the massive installation and I traveled down to add final touches so that the finished mural could greet the students as they returned for the school year. In this installation, I beta tested a new process of adding subtle overlay of matte spray paint colors as well as a UV sealer to protect the aluminum cans and to keep colors on the mural looking vibrant even as the cans’ ink fades in the sun . Great thanks to the dedicated students who worked to create this mural with me and to my administrative collaborators: 6th grade teacher Ashley Yelenick, principal Rick Menear, maintenance tech (and art installer extraordinaire) Scott Rugola, and assistant to the superintendent Scott Sinn, a true champion of art in education.

This work was created as an Artist Residency Project, facilitated by Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media, an Art in Education partner of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Learn more about PCA&M and this program through the link above. I love working with schools, communities, and students. Contact me for me information about this process!