In December 2019, I began creating a trio of aluminum can murals with Pittsburgh Concord fifth graders and their amazing art teacher Christopher Basel. Students created their own mini aluminum can collages to take home and to learn the process and then we began work on a trio of panels featuring hilly neighborhoods modeled on the surrounding Carrick/South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh and featuring a giant tree, and a nighttime scene featuring a comet, the school’s mascot.

We were lucky to have completed this project just in time before the pandemic closed schools during the 2019-2020 school year, but as a result, the mural’s final installation into the school atrium has been delayed. Thanks to the wonderful, kind, hilarious, dedicated students of Pittsburgh Concord, their classroom teachers for juggling altered school-day schedules, and principal Jamie Kinzel Nath for welcoming me and PCA&M back into the school. Extra special thanks to Christopher Basel, a truly wonderful artist (the mural design was based on his lovely drawing), a thoughtful educator, and dedicated collaborator. I was nursing a back injury for a month of this project, and he went above and beyond in helping me move materials, facilitating can collection from Concord teachers, and cutting so many cans at home for us to use. THANK YOU

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!