Tamaqua Raw Aspirations art initiative gets underway
Deborah Powell Kramer, a stained glass and mosaic artist from Kempton, is creating Glass Tamaqua Totem Garden from donated glass from the community. KYLE WHITLEY/CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
Joanne Minnick, metal art with steel and copper artist from New Ringgold, is seeking to create a focal point around our youth. Her brass and steel bridge will host children dancing and singing.
Tamaqua’s Raw Aspirations is officially underway.
The Tamaqua Community Art Center and the Arts Barn Educational Center hosted an artist/partner reception on Thursday at the Arts Barn in Schuylkill Haven.
The project is the follow-up of two successful public initiatives: Dear Tamaqua and the Heart project.
Raw Aspirations involves the partnership of The Arts Barn Educational Center, Director Deborah Cooper, five artists who display and the Tamaqua Community Art Center.
Five artists will create the large sculptures for public display in Tamaqua from April 9 through Aug. 21.
Sculptures will be placed along Route 309 north and south from the Depot Square Park to the American Hose fire company to SS. Peter and Paul’s church and South Railroad Street.
An artist meet-and-greet will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. June 7. At the end of the summer one of the sculptures will be chosen by the public to remain in Tamaqua.
The public will be invited to vote on their favorite. The remaining sculptures will be available to purchase directly from the artists.
Artists and projects include:
• Deborah Powell Kramer, a stained glass and mosaic artist from Kempton, is creating Glass Tamaqua Totem Garden from donated glass from the community and will be asking children to donate a small personal spirit animal to fill several containers.
• Todd Gladfelter, chain saw, welding and furniture artist from New Ringgold, will be carving large logs to form a Bench of Beavers. During the meet and greet, Gladfelter will be hosting live woodcarving demonstrations, an interactive station for children and the ability for personal carvings of individual aspirations for Tamaqua’s future.
• Mark Golomb, metal wire tree art and illustrator from Bloomsburg, will be creating a 7-foot wire tree with wind chimes and solar lights. The public will be invited to create a leaf for the tree, leaving a note for the future.
• Joanne Minnick, metal art with steel and copper artist from New Ringgold, is seeking to create a focal point around our youth. Her brass and steel bridge will host children dancing and singing. Wind chimes, cymbals and a triangle will be an interactive component of her piece seeking the imaginative minds of children to create, share and inspire their future development of our town.
• Barry Middleton, wood panel and furniture artist from Pottsville, is working together with Joanne Minnick to create a circular bench pulling the natural flow of our community together. Her hope is that the bench will become a photo spot for people to document how they have grown over the years. The sunrise in the design symbolizes the optimism we have for the future of Tamaqua.
