In celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary this weekend, CubeSmart held a ceremony unveiling a patriotic mural by the intersection of North 9th Street and Maple Street Thursday.
The mural, painted by local artist Andrew Zidik, depicts the Constitution, George Washington crossing the Delaware River, the Statue of Liberty, Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King, Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea, the Wright Brothers’ flight, the moon landing, and a bald eagle carrying the American Flag.
Zidik explained that he was hired to work on the mural mid-May, and in the sketching phase settled on the theme of “From sea to shining sea.”
“I’ve always loved certain images: Dr. Martin Luther King, that is his thinking face, I’ve always wanted to do that thinking face, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington and the eagle with the flag has always been something that I’ve wanted to do here in Lebanon,” said Zidik.
Zidik, who painted around 98 percent of the mural with spray paint, said he did much of the work behind a fence to keep it hidden. However, he said he is not used to working in such a public location, and that he is glad for the visibility of the piece.
“It makes me happy to know that people are going to drive by that might not even be from the city, and they’re going to go, ‘oh wow, that’s a nice piece of artwork, that’s a lot of color,’” said Zidik. “I just hope it inspires.”
This sentiment was echoed by Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce president Karen Groh, who led Thursday’s ceremony.
“After July 4, we will have pictures and things that have happened and memories, but this will stay,” said Groh. “This will be a constant reminder of our history and how amazing our community is as well, that we have invested in this space with this beautification… This is something that people will see tens of thousands of times a day, and it will give them that feeling about Lebanon County that we are true Americans, that we are patriotic, and that we love our country.”
Zidik thanked CubeSmart property owner Aaron Camara for giving him creative freedom during the project. During his remarks, Camara spoke about his interest in history and pride in the country, which inspired the mural.
“The idea came to me the very first time we put that flag on that flagpole,” said Camara. “So as I saw the colors rising up the pole, I just had a deep feeling within me and I could just hear my mom’s words saying to me, ‘Anything is possible in America if you’re willing to work for it.’”
“My hope here with this mural is that everyone will be able to reflect on the history and the sacrifice that has gone into creating the greatest country on earth and enjoy these freedoms that we have, but also, equally, understand that our responsibility is for preserving these freedoms for tomorrow.”…