Student -led Murals of HIP (Hazleton Integration Project)

Address: 225 E. 4th Street, Hazleton, PA 18201. Phone: (570) 861-8081. Free parking is available on street and in the adjacent lot.

The Hazleton One Community Center is home to The Hazleton Integration Project, a community-based effort that seeks to unite the people of many different cultures who call Hazleton home. The project is the brainchild of Hazleton native and California Angels Manager, Joe Maddon. The Center and its art program were recently featured in The Boston Globe. Read more about it here: http://apps.bostonglobe.com/nation/politics/2019/10/voters-2020-election/pennsylvania/hazleton

Since 2017, the children of HIP (Kindergarten through 8th grade) created four murals in the basement of Hazleton One Community Center with the help of artist-in-residence, Deb Telatovich.

Mural-making is an imaginative and attractive alternative to the written word, particularly for those who have difficulty articulating their experiences. HIP’s mural-making strategy seeks to authentically document the students’ perceptions and lived experiences.

Three of the murals: 1) Under the Banyan Tree, 2) Joy of Belonging to HIP and Our Imagination are located in the cafeteria, and 3) Our HIP Game Board (in process), were all made by the students of the After-School Scholars Program. The fourth mural, 4) “Butterflies, Bugs, and Me” was made by the Junior muralists of HIP Summer Camp 2019. Gina Correll and a number of high school artist/ volunteers also assisted in the murals.

Our HIP Summer Camp senior muralists under the direction of muralist Mary Veronica Sweeny created a whimsical, Joe Maddon Mural, located on the 2nd floor.

Two additional Murals in the basement were done by recent graduates of the Hazleton Arts and Humanities Academy. A floral Mural was done by Mariluz Rodriquez and a Faeries Mural was done by Isabel Colon.

On the first floor,(near the elevator), there is exquisite portrait of artist Freda Khalo done by local artist Alba Gisselle (Gigi) Perez . When the elevator doors open on the basement, there is a Diversity Mural capturing the words of Maya Angelou on the” beauty and strength of diversity.” This mural was designed by local artist Christina Galbiati with our older students from the Afterschool scholars Program.