Local Artist Honored with Certificate of Appreciation

A well-known sculptor was recognized for her significant contributions to the arts in the Saucon Valley at Hellertown Borough Council's Sept. 19 meeting.

Jeanne Schrader, who created a piece of art that's permanently on display in Hellertown Borough Hall's lobby, received a certificate of appreciation from Borough Council President Phil Weber.

The sculpture on display is called "The Recital," and was created to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Hellertown's founding, Schrader explained.

Nine local residents were immortalized in the work, and Schrader remarked that "they were absolutely wonderful and delightful, and I think I captured every one of them the way they were."

"They're all gone now, but they're here," she said wistfully.

Identical to the sculpture in Borough Hall is one that Schrader created for the residents of Pfeddersheim, Germany, some of whom were visiting Hellertown as part of an exchange around the time of the anniversary.

"They have it in their town hall," Schrader said. "So there's one here, and one there."

She observed that the ties that bind the two towns are more than skin-deep, since many residents of Hellertown can trace their ancestry back to Germany.

Schrader also noted that the arts are very important in European communities, both large and small.

When a group of Saucon Valley residents visited Pfeddersheim, she said the first things townspeople wanted to show them were pieces of art.

"Every little...hamlet in Europe shows you their art first," she said.

Hellertown Borough Manager Cathy Kichline thanked Schrader on behalf of borough council and Mayor Richard Fluck, who was not at the meeting.

"We're certainly honored to have your piece in a prominent place in our municipality," Kichline said.