Lebo Instructor Brings Out Creativity In Inmates

The black ballpoint pen sketch of Moses so impresses Ashley Hodder that she simply shakes her head.

"Danai's the kind of student that has so much natural skill, he doesn't need much instruction," said Hodder, 33, a Mt. Lebanon resident who teaches art three times a week to Allegheny County Jail inmates, including Danai Chetpatananont. "Like a lot of the guys, he just needs to have an outlet and an opportunity. They just need the materials, space and time to cultivate their natural gift."

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/today/s_593225.html

Murals Complete

Joe posted earlier about the murals being installed on the T Tunnels on Shady Drive East. The work is done. Here are some photos that I shot recently; click on each one to enlarge it. Like Joe, I think that these are great additions to Mt. Lebanon. More public art for Mt. Lebanon!

Link: Nonprofits targeting violence with $925,000 initiative

MLK Mural Comes to Mt. Lebanon

If you've driven on Shady Drive East recently, you've seen people painting the concrete walls of the Port Authority tunnel that goes underneath the road. I've seen the mural starting to take shape, but I didn't see anyone actually working on it until today so I stopped by to talk to the people that were there.

The mural is part of the MLK Community Mural Project, which according to their web site is:

The MLK Community Mural Project is for Pittsburgh the biggest and brightest art venture in the city’s history, with murals scheduled to cover 26 walls throughout the city and already engaging hundreds of Pittsburgh’s biggest and brightest residents.

I had the opportunity to speak to Bonnie, the project manager for the Mt. Lebanon mural and Karen, one of the artists that has helped to design the murals themselves. Bonnie stated that they have designed murals to be placed on multiple walls that are part of the tunnel for the T and that they have students from around Pittsburgh that come to the site to work on it. They have also contracted the work of artists from a Pittsburgh-based firm called KH Design to design the actual murals that the students will paint.

I personally think that this is an awesome project that will bring life and lots of color to otherwise dreary concrete walls that are passed by every day by tons of people traveling through Mt. Lebanon. I've posted pictures of the work in progress below this article. I'm sorry that the pictures aren't that great quality, but I took them with my cellphone camera. As you'll see, there will actually be 3 separate areas of the tunnel area that will have murals placed on them. I can't wait to see the finished work!