‘Arts Alley’ mural highlights Butler’s heritage
Pieces, places and people of Butler history are featured in a new mural on the side of the Butler Area Public Library. The image includes the George Washington Trail; Brooklyn Bridge designers and founders of Saxonburg John And Emily Roebling; Moraine State Park; and the Little Red Schoolhouse.
The “Arts Alley” mural came to fruition Saturday, July 11, with the unveiling of the image, coinciding with the Butler Cultural District’s Steeples and Stacks event and America 250 PA. Both events celebrate Butler’s heritage.
The mural, which sits in the recently established Butler arts and cultural district, is the culmination of collaboration between rotary members, the school district and city officials. About 20 Butler Area School District students took on the project to celebrate the city and county’s history through the beauty of art.
Al Vavro, president of the Butler PM Rotary Club, said the project began with a simple question: “what stories should we tell about Butler County?“
“The project is part of the Rotary’s goal to establish an arts and cultural district in the city of Butler, where arts and culture can grow and be celebrated,” Vavro said. “We do this within the context of the rotary’s four-way test: is it the truth, is it fair all concerned, will it build good will and better friendships, and will it be beneficial for all concerned.”
The Underground Railroad’s presence in Butler is featured in the mural. Covenant United Presbyterian Church, located by East Jefferson Street, contains three hidden chambers where enslaved people who escaped the South were sheltered.
Amelia Earhart visited Butler several times and is also depicted in the mural.
The mural also honors the Carnegie Medal of Extraordinary Acts of Heroism, which has been awarded to multiple Butler County natives.
The participating students started out with a big list of ideas and narrowed them down through research and exploring local communities’ histories. They selected people, places and achievements that “best represent Butler County” said Erin Snyder, an intermediate school teacher who helped lead the project.
“Initially, it was looking at the entire alleyway, and what can we do, what can our students do, to contribute to the American 250 celebration,” Snyder said. “We pulled in some art students, and they met with some historians, met with the mayor, did research on their own, and wanted to figure out what is important in Butler’s history and what contributed to Butler, and what was notable.”
Students did initial drawings for the mural, with the final grand design done by Erich Campbell, an art teacher at Butler Senior High School.
The Butler students that contributed to the mural are Brinley Baird, Natalie Baldauf, Grady Beck, Kendra Buckshire, Jordan Carey-Munoz, Carly Cousins, Haley Crouch, Drew Diamond, Carlee Dietz, Charlotte Doverspike, Easton Flores, Sylvester Geibel, Finley McChesney, Isaac Paraska, Grace Roberts, Braelyn Sasse, Paige Schandelmeier, Bryce Schreffler and Lucas Szul.
“What you see here is more than a mural,” Vavro said. “It is a celebration of our community, created through the curiosity and creativity of our students, and made possible through the collaboration of educators, artists and many community partners.”
