Huge raccoon mural on South Side promotes wildlife advocacy
May 21—A Pittsburgh nonprofit is using art to educate the public about wildlife.
A mega-sized mural depicting a raccoon amid colorful flowers and butterflies, gazing over East Carson Street in Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood, is the most recent creation of street artist and muralist Jeremy M. Raymer.
The mural was commissioned by nonprofit Humane Action Pittsburgh's "Love Your Wild Neighbor" campaign to promote advocacy for wildlife.
Raymer created the vibrant four-story, 42-by-65-feet mural in 120 hours using three kinds of acrylic spray paint.
He has more than 35,000 hours of street art showcased throughout 80 murals painted around Pittsburgh and other cities such as Los Angeles and New York.
He's self-taught and works full-time painting despite earning two engineering (biomechanical and electrical) degrees from the University of Pittsburgh.
"I'm just driven to make things, especially big things," Raymer said of the mural he designed in partnership with HAP. "The size of it was a challenge and I had days of rain but HAP was great to work with and open-minded about the design."
HAP executive director Natalie Ahwesh personally selected Raymer for the mural, which was created to educate the public on ways to coexist with all of the wild critters that call the Western Pennsylvania region home.
"I loved his work and we had a conversation with him and he was so nice. We'll find a wall and do it," said Ahwesh during the official mural unveiling and dedication hosted by HAP in the parking lot next to the mural on May 11.
HAP the raccoon serves as the visual reminder to the public to "Love Your Wild Neighbor."
Raymer said the once-bare brick side of Garvey Electric at 2728 E. Carson St. is now quite the sight for motorists and passersby.
"The overall response has been pretty dramatic," Raymer said. "People seem to have an affection for raccoons."
Raymer's custom artwork fetches anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000 per piece.
HAP director of operations Shannon Dickerson said the campaign will run indefinitely as the nonprofit aims to educate on alternatives to trapping and harassment of wildlife.
"Raccoons are misunderstood. Some people are afraid of them and some people have a misconception that if you see raccoons out during the day, they must have rabies, and that's not true," Dickerson said.
In Pittsburgh city limits, any nuisance raccoon, skunk or groundhog that is trapped and collected by the county's Animal Care and Control department must be killed, Dickerson said.
"The heart of everything we do is education. We want people to have more compassion and empathy toward our wild neighbors."
According to HAP's website, hundreds of animals are euthanized annually by Pittsburgh's Animal Care and Control at the taxpayer's expense.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
