Art project brings out hope for Tamaqua community

From inspiring letters, to beating hearts and now to raw aspirations, Tamaqua has seen its fair share of artistic endeavors all in an effort to revitalize and celebrate the now robust town.

This year’s art initiative, Raw Aspirations, is a five-piece outdoor exhibit featuring functional sculpture and furniture art with the goal of showcasing the collaborative and hopeful spirit of Tamaqua residents.

The exhibits have been at least a year in the making, but on Thursday, the artists behind the pieces stepped out around town as part of a walking tour to explore their pieces and celebrate with the community they were designed for.

The walking tour featured the five art pieces — Keystone Common bench; Tamaqua Glass Totems; “Mary’s Dream,” which is three dancing girls under the sun; a Busy Beaver wood-carved bench; and Wire Willow.

All the artists were procured through the Arts Barn Educational Center of Orwigsburg in partnership with the Tamaqua Community Arts Center.

The two entities, through the initiative, encouraged residents to not only think about, but also verbalize and bring to fruition their hopes for the future.

To begin the Raw Aspirations self-guided tour, patrons picked up a map at the Tamaqua Community Arts Center which directed them to the location of each sculpture, as well as food, music and other fun experiences along the way.

The walking path was approximately 1 mile and included some reminders from the past two projects, Dear Tamaqua and Tamaqua Has Heart.

“Raw Aspirations focuses specifically on expanding the dialogue, of our raw thoughts and ideas for the hope of our community. In the past four years since Dear Tamaqua asked these questions, many groups have developed and our community experienced a growth of volunteers taking initiative, drawing attention to a better future,” Tamaqua Art Center’s Director Leona Rega said.

“We continue to open new doors and push the envelope of individual and community creativity. In Tamaqua we not only dream of a better future, we desire to develop one around a healthy community.

“Whether it is increased local businesses, recreation, tourism, beautification and safety efforts with our neighbors, or stronger partnerships and increased resources with surrounding communities, we know that the more we draw attention and encourage others to be part of something; there is a better chance that our communities will thrive,” said Rega.

At the conclusion of the walk, patrons then could vote for their favorite work to remain a permanent fixture in town at the end of the summer. The five works will remain at their respective locations until the end of August.

The remaining four sculptures will be available for private sale.

But despite not having all exhibits around to stay, the event was a reminder of the good things coming from Tamaqua in recent years.

“It’s awesome what the artists are bringing to Tamaqua,” resident JoAnne Pilston said.

“When we moved here in 1994, the town wasn’t in the best shape, but with the arts center, it’s really turned things around for Tamaqua. Now, people are looking to us as an example they want to follow,” Pilston added.

“It’s great to see the community come together to create unforgettable events,” Kathy Odorizzi said.

“We’re lucky to have an art center so involved in our town and its well-being.”