HONORING A LOCAL LEGEND: CITY HOLDS DEDICATION CEREMONY FOR MURAL HONORING FRANK GILYARD

The City of Reading recently held a dedication ceremony for a mural depicting Frank Gilyard, one of the most prominent and respected members of the African American community in the history of Reading.  The new mural is at the corner of 3^rd and Walnut Streets in the 6^th Ward, which has a deep history as primarily an African-American neighborhood.

Mr. Gilyard, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 82, was the founder and President of the Central Pennsylvania African American Museum.  He spent a lifetime researching, documenting, and cataloging African-American history in Berks County.  He helped to keep history alive, and it is only fitting that his legacy is kept alive with this mural to inspire and teach future generations about the history of our nation and our community.

“This is a fitting honor for such a great man,” said Mayor Spencer.  “Frank Gilyard is one of the most important men in the history of Berks County, and this mural will help us all to remember the contribution he has made to preserving and teaching history.  It is a great visual representation of the City’s admiration for one of our City’s most visible leaders.”

The 6^th Ward residents were involved in every step of the process, from the design to the creation of the mural. The artwork was primarily done by the students of the Mentoring and The Arts Program under the direction of Berks County artist, Jessica Alexander. The City of Reading and its partners chose to help fund the project because it met the community’s desire to have artwork that is reflective of the 6^th Ward’s history, culture, and pride.

The mural has been partially funded by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) as part of the 6^th Ward Public Art Initiative. The 6^th Ward Public Art Initiative is funded by the NEA and is a collaboration between The City of Reading, the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Greater Berks, and the 6^th Ward Community Association.

PIECING OUR WORLD BACK TOGETHER: ANOTHER WORK OF ART IN THE 6th WARD

The 6^th Ward Public Art Initiative recently unveiled the second project in the neighborhood with a recent dedication ceremony for “Piecing Our World Back Together,” a three-panel mural created by Juan Carlos Ruiz, Jr. and Mike Miller.  The work of art, painted on the side of the NHS Community Center located at Schuylkill Avenue and Buttonwood Street, conveys the message that our youth have the potential and ability to build and repair a somewhat broken world and build a better future.

Ruiz, a Reading native, worked with student artists and area residents throughout each phase of the project.  During two community art nights held in August at Goggleworks, residents helped to create the vibrant work of art which captures themes of peace, respect and love.

“These works of art go a long way to improving the aesthetics of neighborhood,” said Mayor Spencer. “They are a great addition to the 6^th Ward, and the fact that local residents help to create it, makes it a true community project.”

This is the second project to be undertaken as part of the 6^th Ward Public Art Initiative, which was created in an effort to promote interaction among local residents, youth and artists to create public works of art for the community.  Funding for the Initiative comes from a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town program that the City of Reading received in 2012.

The 6^th Ward Art Initiative is a collaboration between the City of Reading, The Googleworks Center for the Arts, Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Greater Berks, and the 6^th Ward Community Association.  The goal is to engage residents in developing a vibrant creative community while improving blighted public spaces in a way that reflects the social character and culture of the neighborhood.

“My hope is that this mural will just give off vibes to all who view it,” says Ruiz.  “I want to inspire youth to do great things, promote positivity, build self-esteem, and uplift the community while adding beauty to it.”

A request for artist proposals was issued in April of 2014.  After receiving and reviewing the proposals, a panel of community members selected Ruiz’s submission as the winner.  Work on the project began in July, and the project came together as a true community effort.

Godiva Chocolatier, Inc. also contributed funding and volunteers for the mural.

For more information on the 6^th Ward Public Art Initiative, please contact Crystal Edwards, Community Development Manager, at 610.655.6392, or crystal.edwards@readingpa.org.