The Martin Luther King Jr. Busway has a colorful, new mural stretching from the side of the overpass bridge on Ellsworth Avenue, onto Shady Avenue and wrapping around Penn Avenue. Each of the 200 colorful panels contains a monochromatic or negative-space outline photograph of an East Liberty community member. The faces represent men, women and children of different ages and ethnicities.
The mural is part of a city-wide art project to paint 24 different murals in eight neighborhoods this summer. Kyle Holbrook, owner of KH Design, coordinated the project and sought funding from a number of local foundations. The concept was designed by Kelly Blevins, a graphic design student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and painted by youths commissioned for the extensive summer art project.
The crew of 30 artists, site managers and 100 youth workers should have finished the first 14 murals by last Saturday. They will begin on the next 10 soon. Read more about this in the Post Gazette article.