Lackawanna County is inviting amateur and professional artists alike to submit designs for a “Bells Across PA” initiative commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary this year.
The selected artist will then execute their design on a county-sponsored fiberglass bell that will be displayed on Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton. It will complement other artistically adorned bells across the county, region and state, county Deputy Chief of Staff Traci Harte said.
Among other examples, a bell designed by artist Allison LaRussa and sponsored by the Wright Center is currently on display at Carbondale City Hall. Officials also unveiled last year a Luzerne County bell designed by Nanticoke native Kyle Stratton and sponsored by Visit Luzerne County.
Lackawanna County officials recently issued a call for artists on behalf of America250PA, the Pennsylvania Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial, which will review submissions advanced by the county and ultimately approve a design for the county-sponsored bell. Artists whose designs are chosen here and elsewhere will be provided with a 3-foot-tall blank bell to paint or otherwise decorate and be paid $1,250 — half upon delivery and half upon confirmation that the final product matches the approved design.
“Bells Across PA is open to all Pennsylvania artists, preferably from Lackawanna County, and groups from the acclaimed to the amateur,” the county’s call for artists notes. “Painters, sculptors, craftsmen, multi-media artists, and other wildly creative people are all encouraged to apply.”
As a sponsor, the county prefers that designs embrace one or more of the following themes: trolleys/trains, coal mining, ironworks or silk factories. Other potential themes to consider, from agriculture and nature to government, history, tourism and the military, are enumerated in the county-published call for artists/request for proposals that’s available online at lackawannacounty.org.
“The backbone of America started in our community,” Commissioner Thom Welby said in a press release. “The Bell will capture that spirit and serve as a monument to the sacrifices made by our ancestors who forged steel for the railroads, mined coal that was shipped across the country, harvested the land, and wove tapestry for the garment industry.”
Commissioners Bill Gaughan and Chris Chermak expressed similar sentiments in the release.
“Pennsylvania played a significant role in the formation of our country with the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the first Continental Congress held in Philadelphia,” Gaughan said. “Our own area served as America’s industrial and rail backbone and that story should be incorporated in the Bell project.”
Chermak said “America started here,” noting the bell “will capture that essence along with how our community’s outstanding art, education, sports venues, and festivals honor our heritage.”
“The artist that captures these elements will leave a special gift for generations to come to enjoy, learn from and celebrate,” he said.
The county website includes the application and related documents that must be returned with the proposed designs by 4 p.m. on April 10. They’re available by clicking the “RFP/RFQ” link under the “Public Records” tab at the top of the site.
All submissions should be emailed to Harte at hartet@lackawannacounty.org with the subject line “Bells Across PA.”