Feb 3, 2012 3 min read

Residents and friends are invited to meet the artist who has been selected to create downtown Point Marion’s first public art project.

A reception will be held at the Riverside Diner, Penn Street, at 7 p.m. Wednesday to introduce Debora Palmer of Morgantown, W.Va., to the local community.

A committee of civic leaders selected Palmer from among several artists who submitted designs. Her vision to integrate the industrial heritage of the glass industry in Point Marion with the conservation and natural beauty of the Cheat and Monongahela rivers most clearly met the project’s goals.

Following a short presentation, Palmer will be available to talk with residents and answer questions.

Palmer’s proposal shows a glass and ceramic mosaic mural featuring a central superimposed tree against a river landscape background. Both of Point Marion’s bridges are featured in the design.

The colorful images will use glass shards left from the L.J. Houze Convex Glass Co., which at one time employed hundreds of area workers. Palmer emphasized that the current design is a starting point and will continue to evolve.

Palmer believes that public art should involve community residents in every phase of the project. She plans to engage townspeople of all ages in the design, creation and installation of the mosaic, which will be located on the Sadler Building, facing the Centra Bank parking lot.

Committee member Lisa Jordan has worked with Palmer in the past and applauds her visionary approach to public art. As a step toward community involvement, Jordan has offered studio space in the former Klein Department Store building in Point Marion.

A former art teacher, Palmer has worked extensively with the Board of Parks and Recreation in Morgantown, where she currently serves as arts coordinator.

She founded Morgantown’s Arts in the Park program, directed several day camps, which were dedicated to children’s public art, and created many murals and mosaics in Monongalia County.

She has a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University, a bachelor of fine arts degree from Syracuse University, and a master of fine arts degree from West Virginia University.

In addition to Jordan, committee members include Mayor Carl Ables, Victoria Evans, Beth Reseter, borough manager Art Strimel and Katherine Wyda.

This project is supported in part by a Seed Award from The Sprout Fund, a Pittsburgh based agency. Founded in 2001, Sprout facilitates community-led solutions to regional challenges and supports efforts to create a thriving, progressive, and culturally diverse region.

With strong working relationships to many community organizations and regional stakeholders, the Sprout Fund is one of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s leading agencies on issues related to civic engagement, talent attraction and retention, public art and catalytic small-scale funding.

For more information on the Point Marion project, call Reseter, committee chairwoman, at 304-379-2569 or email bethreseter@yahoo.com or Strimel at the Point Marion Borough office, 724-725-9560.