I’ve slowly realized the last couple of articles that I’ve written have all essentially been the same thing, an exercise in finding creative ways to say “and then I…”. So for this one, I’ve decided to switch it up and write about an awesome event that has just finished in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the first, hopefully annual, HBG Mural Festival organized by Sprocket Mural Works.
Originally the plan was to have 10 artists paint 10 murals in 10 days at 10 different spots within the city, but all said and done it was more like 16* murals and 18* artists. The start of the festival was plagued with rain, so many of the murals weren’t finished until later in the week. When I walked around midtown on Friday the 8th, both sr81 & Jacintha Clark were still in the process of painting their murals, while Vera Primavera’s mural was already complete.
The event culminated in a block party held right in front of the Capitol building on State Street, which was closed to traffic between 2nd & 3rd. A stage next to 3rd Street provided the space for local musicians to play, while vendors, organized by the HBG Flea, and food trucks flanked the supportive public on both sides of State Street. Sprocket Mural Works even had a shuttle available to provide mural tours through the city. It was great to see people in Harrisburg on an occasion that wasn’t a Summer holiday. Plus I ran into 2 talented photographers, Gabe Spangler, who I haven’t seen in almost 6 months, and I met Justin Ward for the first time.
Although, I do have one regret. I regret not offering to photograph one, some or all of the muralists during their respective processes. Hopefully, there will be another one next year and I’ll be able to redeem myself.
– ‘Til the next one –