Pumpkins and fall leaves, a swimmer and a skier, and artistic depictions of historical buildings come together in a new mural to greet people heading into Scranton on the President Biden Expressway.
John Park, co-creator of “The Four Seasons of Lackawanna County," found inspiration in the life stories of his wife and artistic collaborator, Julie Hunter, a native of the region.
“A lot of the her childhood experiences kind of informed what this mural became," Park said.
The couple, who are based in Los Angeles, were joined by county and city representatives Tuesday in the parking lot of Boccardo's Jewelers, across Jefferson Avenue from the mural, to celebrate the artwork's completion.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan said it sets the tone for those visiting the city and the county.
"This mural isn't just a piece of art, it's a message, a message that speaks to who we are, where we come from, and where we are going as a city and as a county," he said.
Hunter reflected on driving along the expressway thousands of times.
"I've always kind of noticed the wall, but never, obviously could project myself painting it, until a couple of years ago," she said. "We were driving through and said 'wouldn't it be amazing to paint this wall?' And we didn't think about it again for years.”
In 2023, Lackawanna County put out a call for mural artists to come up with a new concept to replace the nearly 20-year-old Electric City-themed mural on the expressway’s two large concrete retaining walls.
Park and Hunter were selected and began painting in August 2023. In total, they spent four months and up to 10 hours a day on the mural, sometimes painting under an umbrella to block out the hot sun while on a cherry picker.
They created two marathon runners to honor the Steamtown Marathon, a bagpiper for the Scranton St. Patrick's Day Parade, and shadowy outlines of the Iron Furnaces, the Electric City building and The Scranton Times building set amidst a vibrant, geometric background. They used exterior house paint and a special spray paint from Spain.
"We are firm believers in the power that public art, especially large scale, public art, has, to spark conversations, to foster a sense of community and to create new experiences for visitors and residents alike," Park said.
County Arts and Culture Director Maureen McGuigan, said mural tourism is on the rise.
"Scranton is certainly becoming part of that," she said. "So I think this will be just a phenomenal addition.”
Using the leftover paint, Park also painted a mural on the side of Tequila Mexican Pub on Biden Street.
Updated design
Last year the city’s historical architecture review board voted against the expressway mural’s design. The artists went through a redesign process. Gaughan and Matt McGloin, both newly elected county commissioners, and other county representatives gave input.
There's a bridge over the expressway and two walls on either side. There, the artists painted "Welcome to Scranton" on a burgundy backdrop, a throwback to the original Welcome to Scranton sign that can be seen in the opening credits of "The Office." That was also added in the redesign phase.
"The suggestions that the new commissioners gave for the redesign were so pivotal in, I think, the large wall kind of shaping up into what it is. So I'm actually really grateful to them for that," Park said.
Hunter said mural art isn't always about what's happening now.
"It could be what could happen in the future," she said. "So we hope that people can maybe just extract their own meaning from it and inspire their own creativity in different ways."
