Back in June, The Lancaster Newspaper released a bonus magazine showcasing wonderful "community-minded" murals around Lancaster City. Jake and I didn't complete the entire 30-something mural tour, mostly because of the heat. We will definitely have to visit the rest another time, because urban artwork is worth it!
Here is a link to Murals of Lancaster City.
Eastern Market
308 E. King St.
This mural was painted in 2007 and captures real market standholders selling produce in their neighborhood. The mural is on the exterior of Speed's Sandwich Shop on East King Street.
La Academia
30 N Ann St
This vibrant piece is found on Ann Street on the side of La Academia, a small charter school for students from 6th to 12th grade. I wish I could find more information about this mural. I couldn't even find a title, but this is probably one of my favorites in my area of Lancaster.
Unity
402 E. King Street
Unity, found on the corner of King and Plum, was created and painted by artist Carol Frances Lung and students originally from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Haiti. The mural was inspired by the students' native countries mixed with a traditional Amish stitch border. Unity was designed to appeal to many cultures and promote diversity.
Grant Street Mural
100 block E. Grant Street
This was my favorite mural. I think it was Jake's favorite too, which you can't tell from this photo (his ginger skin was sizzling.)
This mural, painted by Karen Hunt, reaches 20 feet high and 80 feet long. It is a tribute to Charles Demuth, a Lancaster artist known for his style of painting known as Precisionism. Demuth often depicted Lancaster architecture, becoming a pioneer of the American Modernist movement.
You can find more about Demuth at his former house which is now The Demuth Museum!
Behind the Scenes
225 W. Orange St.
"Behind the Scenes" covers the wall outside of Fulton Elementary School. Ophelia Chambliss created this work for the school in 2013. Chambliss is a public artist and muralist who creates with intentions of representing Black American Art while also providing art that reaches beyond racial distinction.
Cityscape in Prince Street Garage
111 North Prince Street
This mural helps the parking garage welcome people from Orange Street and brings a bright touch to an otherwise dark place. The cityscape is nice and simple, but it features buildings from all around Lancaster City.
Exploring new and old places with Jake is one of my favorite things in this life. We still have more murals to see, restaurants to try, and festivals to take part in.
Never stop adventuring! Thanks for reading!
-KB
Sources:
Chambliss, Ophelia M. “Ophelia M. Chambliss.” Ophelia M. Chambliss, Weebly, May 2016, www.opheliachambliss.com/.
“La Academia: The Partnership Charter School.” La Academia Charter School of Lancaster, West Corporation, 2017, www.lapcs.org/.
“Public Art.” Visit Lancaster City, The Infantree, 2014, visitlancastercity.com/business-directory/category/arts-culture.
“The Demuth Museum.” The Demuth Museum - Collections, The Demuth Museum, 2009, www.demuth.org/?pID=8.