Pennsylvania artist Nancy Shill took scraps of paper from Princeton, be they pieces of newspaper or other items, and made them into a collage mural in honor of the merged community.
By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Pennsylvania artist Nancy Shill took scraps of paper from Princeton, be they pieces of newspaper or other items, and made them into a collage mural in honor of the merged community.
”The Princeton Mix,” the fruit of her labors that started in April and ended a few weeks ago, hangs on a wall in Witherspoon Hall, the main municipal government building.
”I think it’s beautiful. I’m really proud of it,” said Ms. Shill prior to a dedication ceremony June 6 at the building.
Ms. Shill, an abstract expressionist from Bucks County, got the opportunity through the artist in residence program at the Princeton Arts Council.
”Each year, we select two or three artists who work on a project,” said Maria Evans, artistic director at the Arts Council, an organization to which Ms. Shill belongs. An Arts Council committee is responsible for reviewing proposals.
As part of being selected, Ms.Shill also taught adult students on how they can make collages during a four-week workshop. Her students, whose work also was displayed at the dedication ceremony, helped collect some of the materials that she would use.
”We went to kiosks . . . we went to the some of the businesses, we asked them for something that we could work into the collage,” Ms. Shill said.
The mural includes no photos but rather papers from things recognizable to people who live or work in town. A plaque next to the collage includes quotes from Ms. Shill in which she said, “it was a challenge to uncover the numerous characteristics of this unique place.”
Yet she was “inspired to construct a bold and energetic expression of this inspirational town.”
The artwork got warm reviews from Mayor Liz Lempert, who was at last week’s dedication.