New Mural Unveiled At Newtown Square Park

NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA — A new mural highlighting young students was unveiled in Newtown Square recently.

The Drexel Lodge Park Community Mural had a ribbon cutting on Nov. 8.

Newtown Township officials joined Marple Newtown School District teachers, students and staff for the ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the project's completion.

The goal of the project was to bridge the work of elementary school students with the Newtown Township community.

The theme of the mural is "Making Everyone Feel Welcome at Our Park."

Newtown Township Parks and Recreation Committee Chairman Wade Pollock told Patch the mural started to come to fruition in 2020 when he contacted art teachers in the district about adding a mural to the exterior of the park's restroom.

The mural was inspired by the work of Brazilian artist Romero Britto, whose artistic designs make use of vibrant colors and bold patterns to visually express themes of hope, dreams, and happiness.

Work began on the mural in 2021 and while COVID made things difficult, the project persevered.

The students’ contributions to the mural included: black and white portraits, words that express belonging, kindness, and acceptance, as well as symbols and multicultural expressions that communicate these ideas.

The district’s art teachers and students put in the time and effort to make this project a reality.

Pollock wasn’t merely the idea person, he was frequently seen with his sleeves rolled up, helping to paint the mural.

In fact, what began as a project for one wall, ended up taking over the whole building.

“It was an honor for our Public Works team to help out and to watch these dedicated people give of their time and talents at our Park," Newtown Township Supervisors Chairman Leonard B. Altieri, III, Esq., said. "Wade and the teachers amazed me again and again throughout the project and I have a great respect for them and all the good they have demonstrated. They not only brought beauty and skill to the effort, but watching the teachers lead and guide their students was heartening."

"This district-wide mural project provided a wonderful opportunity for the students and teachers to showcase how talented and artistic they are," Marple Newtown School District Superintendent Dr. Tina Kane said. "Thank you to Newtown Township for giving our students lasting memories of working together to create this incredible mural."

Andrea Mogck, an art teacher at Worrall Elementary School and one of the teachers involved in this project, spoke of her experience in working with other teachers and students on this mural.

"Together, we decided that this was the children’s mural. It was our job to extract their concepts and reimagine them," she said. "We asked our students: ‘What is a community mural?’ ‘How does being welcomed make you feel?’ ‘What kind of images and colors express who you are?’ It was astounding how motivated our young artists were. Today we celebrate the presence and energy they gave to make this [mural] happen."