Oral History of Apollo Mosaic Mural

Oral History of Apollo Mosaic Mural. . , Mosaic Medallion, Recognizing the value of the individuals who shaped our community, the Education Foundation thought it only fitting that their recollections should be featured on the final piece of the Pride in Our Past, Faith in Our Future mural., Participants at the Apollo Senior Center were thrilled to be involved. Their stories of growing up in Apollo were recorded and played back to develop the design for the mosaic which recalls their memories of roller skating at the Valarena, relaxing in Owens Grove under the ancient oaks, riding the trolley to Griftlo Park, and working in the salt mines., Mural Backdrop, Apollo-Ridge High School art students created the mural backdrop that represents Jackson Falls, a '57 Chevy, the "singing" bridge with the grated decking, and an elderly couple walking along Roaring Run Trail., Oral History, Press the button on the speaker to hear President Kennedy's "We choose to go to the Moon" introduction followed by a clip about the god Apollo after which the town is reportedly named. Marlene Beck, Evelyn McGuire, Yvonne Shafer, and Kim McAfee share their memories of Apollo which were the inspiration for the mosaic's design., Many thanks to the students, educators, artists, and funders who made this final piece of the Pride in Our Past, Faith in Our Future mosaic mural possible!, Funding, ArtsPath at Indiana University of Pennsylvania Artist-in-Residency Projects, supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency., The Apollo-Ridge Education Foundation was established in 1996 to fund teacher grants for innovative classroom projects. Since 2013, the Foundation's suppport has increased ten-fold from donations received through grantwriting, special events, and participation in Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program., Education Foundation Bernie Wilke, Muralist, Spring 2019 , Laura Jean McLaughlin, Mosaic Artist, Summer 2019 , Ricardo Robinson, Sound Recordist, Summer 2019 , Daniel Barrett, Secondary Art Teacher , Apollo-Ridge High School Art Students , Participants at the Apollo Senior Center , Richard and Michelle George, Building Owners, Installation and Dedication Fall 2019, Special Thanks, Marlene Galiszewski . Megan Tipton . Al Frantik . Pastor Terry Jones, Photos-Clockwise , Left: The final piece of the mural mosaic. Top Center: The Participants of the Senior Center flanked by the artists. Front Row: June Sloan, Diane Baer, Kim McAfee, Clara Mains, Tim Grinder, Carole Harland, Laura Jean McLaughlin. Back Row: Ricardo Robinson, Elda Kostiuk, Megan Tipton, Flo Munzek, Mike Katora, and Margie Huey. Not Pictured: Marlene Beck, Betty Bier, Martha Davis, Sally Dombrowski, Shirley Gray, Beverly Kepple, Jim Morgan, Florence Munzek, Deloris Pless, Imogene Rearick, Yyonne Shaffer, June Sloan, Virginia Madison, and Ben Seevers Right: Art students: Megan Tipton and Hannah Suman; Art students Sarah Peace and Alexandra DeRusha, Mural Installation: Bernie Wilke, Megan Tipton, and Marlene Galiszewski; Mosaic Installation: Terry Jones and Al Frantik. Bottom Center: Carole Harland and the clay pot she created as part of the learning process. Bottom Left: Ricardo Robinson, Margie Huey, and Laura Jean McLaughlin grouting the finished mosaic panels.