a better bethlehem

In October of 2019, Touchstone Theatre put on Festival Unbound in Bethlehem, PA. It was a 10 day festival full of performances, community conversations and public art. I was selected to create a public art installation with the goal of engaging the community in the creation of the piece. During the previous spring, fourth grade students from the Bethlehem Area School District participated in a community art project that involved drawing their idea for a better Bethlehem onto a flag that would then be hung with all of the others at the festival. This woven mural is an amalgamation of some of the students flags, drawing on their color choices, their hopes for the future and some of the symbolism they used to illustrate them. The entire mural was woven during the festival, outside of the Public Library, with help from members of the community that came to the festival and wanted to take a moment in their day to do a little weaving. The entire piece was made using recycled t-shirts from the end of year sale that Lehigh University puts on in South Side bethlehem.