Last week, Olde Town Grove City and George Junior Republic students revealed two unique sign sculptures that will be located downtown Grove City, PA. These sign sculptures are functional art pieces designed to enhance Olde Town Grove City while indicating designated parking areas. After many years of planning and months of designing, the sculptures were finally brought to life thanks to Glen Sanders, Fine Arts Director at George Junior Republic. “Wow. After all the planning and work, they’re finally done,” Sanders exclaimed after gazing at the sculptures erected near the Guthrie Theatre. “These sculptures are fantastic! I think they turned out better than any one of us ever imagined.”
A couple of years ago, Sanders and other members of Olde Town Grove City’s Design Committee, tried to find new ways to merge sculptures with local parking signage, which happened to be a growing need for most downtown business districts. With this new idea in mind, Sanders brought to life the Olde Town Grove City Sculpture Signage Project. The main goal of the project was to allow George Junior students the opportunity to participate in designing and creating the functional art sculptures for Olde Town. After deciding on the exact locations of the signage, George Junior then continued to work on a grant for an artist-in-residence, Ron Bayuzick, who would then guide them through the project from beginning to end. This grant was then submitted to ArtsErie for $15,000 with matching partners from the community including Midwestern Arts & Humanities Foundation, Grow Grove City, EITC PA, and the Grove City Area School District, along with George Junior Republic.
The process began with 35 George Junior students, who learned skills in welding, sculpting, and design. Although many students were positively impacted throughout the Signage Project, one student in particular, Alex Tagliaferro, expressed his gratitude at the final unveiling on February 16th. Tagliaferro articulated how the process has impacted his decision to choose welding as a career, stating “Just from all the excitement and the way everyone was working together, made me feel comfortable in my decision to pursue welding as a career.” He goes on to state, “When I first started welding, it was all about repetition and practice, so when we finally got started working on the art project, I felt so relieved. I was really happy to apply what I’ve learned in the shop to something so important to all of us.”
Through each individual student’s hard work and dedication, along with the participation from ArtsErie and artist-in-residence Ron Bayuzick, both signage sculptures are available to view in downtown Grove City, PA. For more information about the Olde Town Grove City Sculpture Signage Project, you can visit their website at www.oldetowngrovecity.com. For more information regarding our Arts in Education program, click here. If you’re an artist interested in doing a residency, you can contact Holly Nowak, Arts in Education Program Manager at holly@artserie.org or by phone at (814) 452-3427.
Olde Town Grove City. Olde Town Celebrates Two Unique Sculptures: A Tale of Two Organizations. Grove City, 2011. Print
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