Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
West Chester getting new peace mural
Paul Santoleri is covering a two-story wall in West Chester with a peace mural.
the help of several new friends, muralist Paul Santoleri is covering a two-story wall at the Care Center on South Matlack Street with the mural, “Peace and Art.”
Santoleri has painted more than 100 murals in Philadelphia, “the Mural Capitol of the World,” as well as in Brazil, France, Germany and Nigeria.
For the care center mural, students at the center, their parents and community members, all had a say and even helped paint a little bit.
The students told the artist they wanted to see butterflies, birds and leaves on the wall facing east, said Claudia Brown, administrative assistant at the Care Center.
“I like to involve people on how I do it,” Santoleri said. “To get a beautiful project takes a lot of time.”
The artist talked about his larger-than-life work.
“It takes a lot of time and caring to create,” he said. “It takes different kinds of organizational habits.
“There’s something about the physicality of working on, and bringing to life, a huge piece.”
On Friday, Santoleri was gluing large pieces of art designed in the studio to the wall.
“It takes forever because everything is larger than life,” Santoleri said. “Each day you get a tiny bit done and at the end of it all these pieces go together and match up with the work you completed.”
Not everything is visible for the final product.
“There are layers and layers of paint that that go in,” Santoleri said, about bringing a blank wall to life. “Many hands work on something, but all those marks might not be seen by the public.”
“Peace and Art” will become the borough’s fourth mural. Murals already are displayed at the Melton Center, at Safe Harbor Shelter and the community gardens on Gay Street.
The Care Center Foundation has been serving children, families and the community in the southeast area of the borough for 35 years.
PreK Counts, and a new program, Early Head Start with day care support, operate during the week, with a meal outreach program on the weekends.
Resident Jimmer Breen said that this is the first mural in the borough painted by an established artist.
“For him to be involved takes West Chester art to a new level,” Breen said about Santoleri.
Breen is excited that so many residents had input.
“It’s public art so the public should be part of the process,” Breen said. “The care center did a wonderful job involving the public.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on public opinion,” Breen said.