Pennsylvania: Art Sparks

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission have formed a partnership based on their common belief that art transforms public spaces and lights up young minds. Through their Art Sparks program, students are creating public art to be displayed in all 17 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s service plazas. For each plaza, PCA and its Arts in Education Partner organizations are engaging a local school and facilitating a 20-day teaching artist residency. Teaching artists, selected from PCA’s Arts in Education Directory, guide students through the process of creating an artwork reflective of their community. Participating students determine the specific theme of their work, but they are encouraged—relative to the Art Sparks goal of strengthening relationships between the Turnpike Commission and communities bordering the highway—to inform their project planning by reaching out to municipal, business and other local leaders. All 17 of the student-created public art installations, however, will greet travelers with a common spirit: “Rest. Stop. Imagine.” To learn more, contact PCA Director of the Arts in Education Division Jamie Dunlap.

Photo: Students from Lower Dauphin High School work on a mural for the Lawn Service Plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Photo courtesy of Christine Baker, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission