As Habitat for Humanity of Berks County renovations take place inside of a home on the corner of Douglass and Moss Streets in Reading, Pa. (along the city’s Innovation Corridor) artists Yenna Hill and Mike Miller are collaborating on a new mural for the outside.
A Reading resident working as an artist since 2010, Hill grew up drawing at the kitchen table under the watchful eye of her grandfather, Al, who also taught Hill’s uncle, artist Keith Haring.
“Grandpa taught me to draw with my eyes closed, to collaborate, space lines and trick the eye,” Hill told Berks County Living magazine.
For the new mural project, Al’s lessons on internal visualization and collaboration are coming to life through a new and unique process that includes brainteasers on how lines will match up when scaling her design within Miller’s temporary mural process.
And of course, new lessons are always taking shape.
“Mike is teaching me to be the lead artist on a mural project,” she says, calling him the ‘Public Art Guru.’
Although she will have a hand in painting, Hill is most excited about seeing and listening in to the experiences of the throngs of students and volunteers who are quickly making her vision come to life.
Since January, hundreds of volunteers have gathered to paint in Albright’s Public Art Studio. For the Habitat for Humanity mural project, community volunteers are painting alongside students from Albright College, Central and Northeast Middle Schools, Reading Muhlenberg Career and Technology Center.
Facing Reading’s new STEM High School, on the south end of the Innovation Corridor, the mural may have even more plans after the initial installation.
“My hope is to have future students bring this mural to life through the implementation of artificial intelligence and augmented reality technology,” says Miller.
