Bellefonte’s first mural is set to arrive soon. How to check it out, hear from the artists

By the end of this month, historic Bellefonte Borough will have its first large-scale mural, and residents are invited to watch it all happen and hear from the artists.

Downtown Bellefonte Inc. has worked with community members over the last two years to bring the mural project downtown. Now, work on the 1,000-square-foot mural is ready to begin at 123 S. Allegheny St.

Community and Programming Manager Kathleen Ammon has details about what the mural will look like when it’s finished, but is keeping that under wraps until the project’s completion.

“This mural is going to highlight Bellefonte’s rich historical involvement with the evolution of airmail in the United States,” Ammon said. “We’re bringing in a duo that runs a company called Key Detail to paint the mural — these two are some of the best, so we’re really excited to get to work with them.”

The mural is also being completely funded by a Pennsylvania Wilds Center for Entrepreneurs grant.

Key Detail is a New York City-based mural-painting company that is run by husband and wife duo Andrey and Julia Yu-Baba. According to a press release from the Bellefonte Art Museum of Centre County, what sets Key Detail’s murals apart from other artists is their “distinctive style,” that makes their work ”ideal for story-telling and highlighting community assets.”

The duo have traveled the country painting murals in various places, including New York City, Salt Lake City, Utah, Nashville, Tenn., Bridgeport, Conn., Meridian, Idaho, and many more.

Key Detail will install the mural from May 21-28, and community members are invited to watch the process. (Viewers are asked to respect the artists while they’re at work and avoid disturbing them.) On May 23, Key Detail will join an Artist Talk event from 6-9 p.m. at the Bellefonte Art Museum, where residents can learn more about National Air Mail, Bellefonte’s role in that history and to hear from the artists.

Given that the installation of this first mural goes well, Ammon has said that more murals could be coming to Bellefonte in the future.

“This is a project that we’ve wanted to get underway for nearly two years and we’re excited to finally get going with it,” Ammon said. “While we don’t have any plans for more mural installations in the immediate future ... we definitely like the idea of doing more given that this installation goes smoothly.”

A core belief of DBI is that history and art go hand in hand, Ammon said, and murals are a great way to display history in a town like Bellefonte.

Perry Lane will undergo intermittent closures while the mural is being painted. These closures could occur any time starting May 13 to May 29.

The mural will be formally dedicated in a public ceremony on June 28, during Friday in the ‘Fonte.