To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, art teacher Kathryn Curry’s third, fourth, and eighth period art classes have been working on designing and coming together to create a mural to be installed downtown, representing the history of the city. Artist-in-residence Deb Bunnell is also helping students with the project as she has done in previous years, as well as support from a regional arts organization.
“The idea originally came from SAMA, the Southern Allegheny Museum of Art and their education director, and they wanted to do something in Altoona,” Bunnell said. “Then they talked to Mrs. Curry and said, ‘Can you fit us in in the spring?’ and she said, ‘Yeah, okay.’ Then we applied for a grant from the foundation, because they pay for half of the cost.”
Rather than working independently, students followed a structured, collaborative approach that encouraged participation at every stage, from brainstorming to final revisions.
“Deb comes in, and she gives the brief of what the mural is about and what could potentially be included in that,” Curry said. “Then the students come up with individual designs, and we brainstorm a huge list of items and subjects for the mural, and then she takes all of that back into consideration and comes up with a final digital design that then the students critique and give feedback on before a final design is decided on.”
With students exploring a wide variety of concepts inspired by different aspects of the community, the process of deciding what to include required careful discussion and thoughtful consideration.
“We have a million ideas from students,” Curry said. “So narrowing down what we think is important and part of Altoona’s history and what makes Altoona.”
The finished mural will be placed in a highly visible downtown location, where it is expected to become a noticeable part of the streetscape.
“It’s going to be on 11th Avenue, down a little from the clay cup, across from the Heritage Plaza, it’s a vacant lot that most people are aware of,” Bunnell said. “If you go up and down 11th Avenue, the wall we’re putting it on is the wall you will see as you’re driving down.”
The mural seeks to highlight the city’s identity through student-created public art. Throughout the process, students have contributed ideas, sketches, and feedback, ultimately helping shape a final design that reflects a wide range of perspectives and influences.
“As a whole, we went with somewhere where the community can see it in the spotlight,” Curry said. “11th Ave is such a highly trafficked street, and it’s a one way, so people are always going to be seeing it when they’re downtown.”
To prepare the mural for future installation, students are completing the artwork on a separate surface before it is mounted onto the wall, allowing for a smoother finish despite the uneven brick.
“We will first get the mural sketched, drawn on, using a tracing method of the original drawing, and then we’ll start painting it,” Bunnell said. “After we paint it, we have some people who are generously going to install it for us on the wall with scaffolding, because it’s a really rough brick wall that we can’t put polytab on or paint directly on, so it will look really nice.”
The imagery within the mural is intended to reflect both well-known and lesser-known aspects of Altoona, giving viewers different ways to relate to the piece. Old and new aspects of Altoona will also be included, encouraging different generations.
“I hope they feel connected to it in one way or another,” Curry said. “We kept things that people might not know about, that they can connect to, or at least they can recognize buildings like the Mishler or Sheetz and how it has progressed since then in history.”
Enthusiasm for the mural comes not only from advisors, but some art students, too. Some of them have expressed their excitement to engage in the creation of another mural.
“I’m definitely excited to help with the new mural this year,” senior Lexi Balliet said. “I’ve seen the process before, and it’s a lot of fun.”
While some art students are feeling confident about their approach, some aren’t so sure. The pressure that comes with the creation of the mural can be a bit overwhelming for some students.
“I’m kind of nervous,” sophomore Brendan Miller said. “I’ve never really done anything like that before, but I’m looking forward to seeing how it looks when it’s all over.”
With many different ideas proposed, selecting what to include required careful consideration and discussion. The mural is expected to be completed in the coming weeks and installed by the end of May, adding a new visual element to the downtown area and showcasing the work of local students.
