Sunday, August 22, 1999
MainStrasse youths brighten neighborhood
BY KRISTINA GOETZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — One side of a dull, brick tavern in MainStrasse was alive with sunshiny yellows and brilliant blues on Saturday as a dozen or so kids waved their brushes and dribbled paint on a giant mural.
The roots of an abstract tree turn into hands that hold up the rest of the painting, a symbol that shows roots help hold a community together. Large, vivid flowers line the brick path toward a gate while a lazy cat paws at a set of open drapes.
"The good stuff'
These images are a little part of a neighborhood mural that members of the MainStrasse community are painting on the side of Tracy's Big Bar Cafe on the corner of Seventh and Bakewell.
“I think what the mural will mean for visitors is that we care about our community and we want to make it look better,” said 12-year-old Stephanie Hayden, who lives in west Covington.
The MainStrasse Neighbors, a civic group, and local youths are completing the mural, which organizers say is an expression of the residents' vision of the community.
It is a community arts project of the Covington Community Center, a United Way agency, and is funded in part by the Kentucky Arts Council, Cinergy and Back on the Block.
“It sort of represents a lot of the good stuff that's been happening in the neighborhood,” said Tom DiBello, executive director of the community center.
“When they talk about their vision, it shows more optimism.”
Students ages 12 to 16 have been painting the mural for the past month and will be paid a stipend from the Back on the Block funding.
Amazing to watch
They are part of the new community school initiative at Holmes Junior High School and were chosen from the MainStrasse neighborhood. They had to be either entering or already attending the junior high school.
The program is modeled after Chicago's Gallery 37 program, in which youths are paid to work on public art projects that teach life skills and promote self-esteem.
“It's been amazing for me to watch,” said Rachel DeLugish, a community development specialist for the community center. “Most of these kids had never picked up a paint brush or a roller before. ... It's not explicitly for them to learn art skills, but they just picked it up along the way.”
A mural dedication cookout is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at the mural site.
“It's a symbol that good things are going on here,” Ms. DeLugish said.
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