Published July 30. 2026 02:45PM<\/p>\n
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and representatives of the Pennsylvania Art Education Association gathered Tuesday in the Capitol Rotunda to unveil a student-created artwork titled \u201cMany Communities, One Commonwealth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following the event, Gov. Josh Shapiro also met with the students to discuss their artwork and what it means to celebrate America250.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always believed that art has a way of bringing people together and creating opportunities for kindness,\u201d Shapiro said. \u201cWe have to find more ways to come together and not see the differences, but the similarities in our commonwealth \u2014 and this project is a very important piece of that, especially as we celebrate America\u2019s 250th anniversary.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, the piece captures the creative voice of Pennsylvania\u2019s next generation as a 6-foot by 8-foot three-panel collage in the shape of the commonwealth, composed entirely of original artwork from more than 180 K-12 students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis beautiful artwork gives viewers the opportunity to see and appreciate Pennsylvania through the eyes of some of our commonwealth\u2019s youngest residents,\u201d said PCA Chair Susan S. Cohen. \u201cThe piece is heartfelt and whimsical and will stand as a visual testament to Pennsylvania\u2019s history and future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Using their artistry, students responded to the prompt: \u201cWhat makes your hometown, neighborhood, or personal story meaningful?\u201d The final collage showcases personal identities, cultural traditions and the history of communities, including whitetail deer, historical markers, beloved sports teams and iconic cities and landmarks.<\/p>\n
The creation of \u201cMany Communities, One Commonwealth\u201d was coordinated by Pennsylvania Art Education Association, on behalf of the PCA. PAEA collected artwork from educators through their regional members, the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units, and with assistance from the PA Department of Education.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis project is a powerful reminder that young people have important stories to tell about place, identity and belonging,\u201d said PAEA President-Elect Dr. MaryJo Rosania Harvie. \u201cThrough the visual arts, students across Pennsylvania are helping us see the commonwealth not as one single story, but as a collection of many communities, perspectives and lived experiences. I am especially proud that Moravian could contribute to a project that centers student voice on a statewide stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moravian University student Caroline Melillo designed the final collage of student art pieces, and Lehigh Valley-based artist Matt Halm served as a consultant in assembling and adhering the collage to large panels.<\/p>\n
The completed artwork will be on display in the Capitol Rotunda through Friday,<\/p>\n
State officials, educators, students and community partners gather in the Capitol Rotunda to unveil \u201cMany Communities, One Commonwealth,\u201d a student-created America 250 artwork composed of contributions from more than 180 K-12 students across Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
Moravian University student Caroline Melillo, designer of the final collage, speaks at the unveiling ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda.<\/p>\n
The \u201cMany Communities, One Commonwealth\u201d mural, created from artwork by more than 180 K-12 students, is displayed in the Capitol Rotunda. COMMONWEALTH MEDIA SERVICES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published July 30. 2026 02:45PM The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and representatives of the Pennsylvania Art Education…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255730,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-255729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255729"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255729\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}