Aug 9, 2002 2 min read

CALIFORNIA – Laura DeFazio, California University’s assistant professor of art and design, has been selected to create an outdoor sculpture for the Uniontown Public Library. The artwork will be unveiled during a special ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday at the library, which is located at 24 Jefferson St. DeFazio’s creations will also be among those included in an exhibition at the State Theatre Center for the Arts on that day.

DeFazio has won numerous awards for her work, including the Vivian Lehman Portraiture Award at the Pittsburgh Society of Sculptors’ 64th Open Annual Juried Exhibition, an honorable mention at the 2002 Art Nationals, as well as accolades from The Women in Art Exhibition at Seton Hill College in Greensburg.

DeFazio of the Greenfield section of Pittsburgh formerly resided in Charleroi. She joined California University’s art and design department in March 1997.

DeFazio, who grew up in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, said she was approached about two years ago and asked to create the work by Madelyn Cindric, past president of the Uniontown Art Club.

“I have family in the Uniontown area, including a brother, sister-in-law, a nephew and three nieces, and they all use the library weekly,” DeFazio said.

Her idea was to create more than just a sculpture, but an area where children and adults alike would want to sit and admire the art and read a good book in the shady area in front of the library.

She proposed an area with benches and a sculpture of a woman on one of the benches reading a book. The model for the sculpture was Cal U art graduate Alyson Coccari Longanecker.

“I envisioned the idea of children having story hour outdoors on the benches on sunny days and my nieces and nephew getting the opportunity to enjoy it too,” she added.

Funding for the project came from a grant through the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance and the library’s “Buy-A-Brick” campaign. Supporters may purchase a brick, which will be engraved and installed in the area around the benches.

For more information, contact the California University office of public affairs at 724-938-4155.