About 50 people attended a dedication of mural panels painted for the main entrance of ACLAMO Family Centers in Norristown.
The collaborative project was directed by Amy Grebe, artistic director of ACPPA Community Art Center, in partnership with Bryn Mawr College's Graduate School of Social Work and ACLAMO.
Those who attended the dedication on January 14 included representatives from local government, education and the media.
"We are so pleased to be a part of this partnership," said Darlyne Bailey, Dean of the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. "It is the power of partnership, the power of focused, committed people. When we come together like this...all is possible."
The 14 mural panels, which work together to create a lush landscape and depiction of small-town life in Latin America, now fill the entrance to ACLAMO's stately building on West Marshall Street.
“We are so thrilled with this project,” said Juan Guerra, Executive Director of ACLAMO Family Centers. “It seemed like an impossibility three to four months ago, but now it is actually happening. This mural represents a true collaboration between the arts, education, and the local community.”
Grebe spoke about the process of designing and creating the murals, working with students from Bryn Mawr, families from ACLAMO and the art center, and volunteers from the community. The effort culminated when 75 people came together on a Saturday in October to paint the murals.
“We’re here to celebrate partnership,” Grebe said at the dedication.
The lively crowd who braved the cold to attend the dedication included many representatives from Bryn Mawr College in addition to Bailey, including Nell Anderson, Co-Director of the Civic Engagement Office, and Diane Frankel, Director of Field Instruction. Also attending were PA State Representative Matthew Bradford, Norristown Municipal Administrator David Forrest and Gotwals Elementary School Principal Jeanette Fernandez.
Several representatives from the local press covered the event, including a group of students from Norristown High School, who produced news shows both in Spanish and English that were shown on the school district’s local cable access stations.