28 September 2016

Tree Mural by Mark Panza

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Never intended to be more than temporary, this piece is already gone. The Dinette Place in Millvale was closed, the building empty and forlorn. We came across some people sprucing up the area one afternoon, and some of them were decorating the boarded over windows on this building. Instead of leaving the plain, drab boards with the sole function of protecting the glass from vandals – a bit of an eyesore – they chose to wrap this building in artwork.

It was a simple design of bare trees, with a pattern that made it easy to extend as needed. The colors and design did a very nice job of urban camouflage. They hid the unused building with the sad, blank facade, behind a spash of color. It was a very good example of how art can help maintain a feeling of vitality. The presence of the mural eliminated the impression of neglect, or abandonment. The art showed that the community was invested in this business district.

The good news is that the reason the artwork was removed was because renovations began on the old building, breathing new life into the structure as well as the business district.

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