As avid local artists, community members and educators within Pittsburgh, Phil Seth & Emily Paige were excited to see this opportunity and eager to get the chance to work together. They have witnessed many changes happening in Sharpsburg and are thrilled to see it turning into a hub for the creative community of Pittsburgh. Emily has even selected it as the location in which they have purchased their first home, because they believe in the transformations taking place.

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Once being selected for this project, the goal was to continue this trend of uplifting the Sharpsburg community by creating a mural that engages the whole community. Our collective goal is to provide a visual resting place from the chaos of the world in order to encourage the viewer to dream of a promising future rooted in the values of collaboration, community, inclusivity, resilience and love. Our hope was that new and existing members of Sharpsburg would feel pride in their history so that the public believes in the idea that this is a place to gain inspiration, get excited about the future and that everyone has endless potential to make their dreams become reality.

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This design began to take shape in the proposed concept of a colorful and bold typeface saying “Welcome to Sharpsburg”, with a map below of the town of Sharpsburg. Including the map is strategic in order to include and uplift businesses & community spaces that have helped to put Sharpsburg on the map, as well as to introduce new and existing members of the Sharpsburg community to these organizations and local spots. 

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From the initial design, to the final design there were a couple changes after taking into consideration the feedback from the various community members and stakeholders. Two community engagements were organized in order to gain that crucial feedback, and with that feedback the artists made changes by incorporating iconography, imagery specific to Sharpsburg, and a more defined color palette. Once the design was approved the artists began painting in early August 2024.