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    Bedford County High School Students’ Artwork Installed at the North Midway Turnpike Service Plaza

    April 17, 2023

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    Bedford – Today, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) unveiled newly installed student artwork at the North Midway Turnpike Service Plaza. Students from Everett Area High School developed the installation, which is a glazed ceramic mosaic depicting the history and landmarks of Bedford County. The installed piece is the tenth artwork created in conjunction with Art Sparks, a PCA and PTC partnership to bring student-created, locally relevant artwork to service plazas across the PTC's 564-mile system.

    "Development of a vision, creative problem solving, and the ability to work on a team are just some of the opportunities that Art Sparks brings to our Commonwealth's students," said Karl Blischke, PCA Executive Director. "This art installation will brighten and enrich the North Midway service plaza for years to come, and these talented students have new skills and perspectives that will help them personally and professionally in the years ahead."

    "Learning by doing is nowhere better exemplified than in art," said Mark Compton, PTC CEO. "This new outdoor installation showcases something that did not exist before these imaginative students came together, under the direction of talented teachers, to create something beautiful that celebrates this region."

    Coordinated through the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, the PCA's regional Arts in Education partner organization, students worked with resident teaching artist, Robert Zabrosky, and Everett Area High School art teacher, Rebecca Grassi, to design and create the glazed ceramic mosaic. The students' artwork is now permanently on view at the North Midway Turnpike Service Plaza.

    Art Sparks pairs K-12 art students and teaching artists from the PCA's Arts in Education roster with the goal of installing a local, student-created artwork in every service plaza, system-wide, over the next five to eight years. Schools near each respective service plaza host 20-day teaching artist residencies led by a local PCA teaching artist. Students work with the artist and members of the community to create artwork that reflects the region.

    For more information on the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, please visit the website or follow PCA on Facebook.