Cal U art students designing mural
BROWNSVILLE – Two California University of Pennsylvania art students are designing a mural for the South Side Renaissance project. Mike Fulton, a senior from Connellsville, and Jody Perigo, a senior from Boswell, Somerset County, presented their individual ideas for the mural to about a half-dozen borough residents who attended a public input session on the mural project. Fulton and Perigo were selected by the faculty at California University of Pennsylvania to participate in the project.
“I was asked to identify some of our students who might want to help Brownsville put some pizzazz into the downtown area,” said Scott Lloyd of the Cal U art department.
Both students researched the history of the community in coming up with their design ideas.
“I found that the bridge we are going to paint this on is an historic landmark. I did some research and decided on something involving a view from the bridge,” Perigo said.
Her concept drawing included views of the bridge under construction as well as local residents engaged in various activities around the bridge.
Fulton presented several concept pieces, one based on Ernest Hemingway’s “The Killers,” with two men entering a diner and forever changing the routine in the community.
The mural will be painted on the abutment of the Inter-County Bridge near Fiddle’s Confectionary. Lou Orslene, the executive director of the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp., which is sponsoring the project, said the mural is meant to beautify the area and offer a surprise to people visiting the South Side.
Another of Fulton’s pieces places the viewer at one of the tables at an outdoor caf? looking into the painting. His third drawing is a sketch of Robert Fulton painting a picture of Henry Shreve, with the Inter-County Bridge and Monongahela River in the background. Robert Fulton was a painter as well as an early pioneer in developing steamboats. Shreve was the man who captained the steamboat Enterprise on her journey from Louisiana to Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. Mike Fulton is a direct descendant of Robert Fulton.
“This is the first time I’ve seen this idea and I really like this concept. It has the historic element,” Perigo said.
At the suggestion of residents, Perigo’s community activity concept will be combined with Fulton’s idea of Robert Fulton painting Henry Shreve. The two artists are now working on the combined design.
Fred Lapisardi, the owner of Geezer’s Book Store and a member of the South Side Renaissance Committee, said he liked the collaborative effort going into the mural project.
“We’re getting another element of the arts, with a blending of the two minds, the two concepts,” Lapisardi said.
The two artists will now develop the combined idea for final approval.
“We’re both ready to get started. We have three and a half months left to do this. Once we have an approved design, we can get started,” Fulton said.
Orslene suggested that the final study be exhibited at several public locations, including Fiddle’s, since it is closest to the actual mural site, to get more public reaction to the design.
The project is being funded through a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. The mural will be painted on panels attached to the bridge abutment, with a total size of 8 feet by 32 feet.