Bellevue mural project hopes to add art to business district

&emsp;&emsp;Over the past few years, Bellevue has seen the gradual arrival of several new businesses, as part of a seemingly ongoing revitalization for the borough. To keep that going, however, some residents are looking beyond the commercial enterprises and hoping to develop a unique and creative atmosphere throughout the town.&emsp;&emsp;Enter the Bellevue Mural Arts Program.&emsp;&emsp;R.J. Thompson is a 34-year-old Bellevue resident who is leading the effort to help "enliven" the borough with something other than more business. &emsp;&emsp;"There is a lot of revitalization — and a steady flow of it, happening now, and well into our future," said Thompson. "In order to sustain [the revitalization], we need to keep tapping into our resources — our human capital — and to develop relationships with people to help keep those things going. When momentum hits, it hits everyone."&emsp;&emsp;Thompson, who has lived in Bellevue since 2012, is a representative of the Bellevue Mural Arts Program (BMAP) — a branch of Bonafide Bellevue — to help establish and sponsor art-based successes, not just for the organization itself, but for Bellevue as a whole. Thompson said he wanted to bring creative placemaking to Bellevue, something for which he said he has been recognized for in the past by the National Endowment for the Arts.&emsp;&emsp;"I am very passionate about art and community engagement," said Thompson, who graduated with a degree in graphic design from California University (PA). "I believe Bellevue could use a 'splash of color,' especially on [Lincoln Avenue]. But I am just as passionate about how art can be used to stimulate community and economic development, in particular the latter of the two." &emsp;&emsp;The plan is to create murals on the sides of buildings, with two locations already identified and funding in place to move ahead with the projects in the spring.&emsp;&emsp;Thompson said he encourages everyone to have a hand in creating the murals around Bellevue. &emsp;&emsp;"It's centered around particular designs, but it's inspired by the community," Thompson explained. "When we're able to apply everything together to the walls that were donated to the program, it will truly be a community effort." &emsp;&emsp;The initial designs for the murals are in the works, according to the program's lead artist, Jennie Denton. Denton, 38 and a resident of Bellevue since 2007, said she hopes that, in one year's time, there will be two completed murals in Bellevue.&emsp;&emsp;"The goal is to not just have the murals done, but to have a positive reaction from the community at large," said Denton, who received a degree in graphic design from the former La Roche College (now university). "I really want to bring many different types of people from many different backgrounds to help contribute to the murals— especially local artists. Art gives everybody something to be excited about; not everybody has the money to go have a nice dinner at Revival but everyone can walk down the street and gather around and appreciate a mural and the work that went into creating it."&emsp;&emsp;Denton mentioned that she and Thompson would like to establish murals at Northgate High School and both Bellevue and Avalon elementary schools.&emsp;&emsp;"We'd also like to get [a mural] up somewhere in the middle of Bellevue and possibly on the side of the YMCA," Thompson said. "Frankly, anywhere within Bellevue's Lincoln corridor and its 'arteries,' where folks would be willing to donate wall space."&emsp;&emsp;At the moment, the BMAP primarily consists of being led by Thompson and inspired by Denton's artistic designs while also having a select few members from Bonafide Bellevue's board of directors, Thompson explained. &emsp;&emsp;"We're hoping that, by creating the first two murals, we will enable and inspire other local artists in Bellevue to also provide designs," Thompson said. &emsp;&emsp;The BMAP isn't the first time that Thompson has hoped to use creative placemaking to help revitalize a community. For seven years, Thompson was a professor of graphic design at Youngstown State University (YSU), where placemaking was used in the college and city community. &emsp;&emsp;"Murals in Youngstown are used as a means of 'blight remediation,' community engagement and property investment," Thompson said. "The work I did [in Youngstown] was, ironically, not mural based. We utilized different technologies to create art for the community." &emsp;&emsp;One example that Thompson highlighted of the art-technology he and his committee funded was called the "solar screen." Essentially, the solar screen was a three-dimensional cement sculpture that had solar lights attached to it, Thompson said. &emsp;&emsp;"It worked as a sculpture during the day and it worked as a sculpture at night," Thompson said. &emsp;&emsp;Thompson explained that the sculpture was perfect for YSU due to its investment in three-dimensional printing technology. &emsp;&emsp;"We had several related projects that were popular among the community members," Thompson said. "We gave $20,000 to a group of seventh graders to throw light projections onto the side of Youngstown's city hall. All of the things we developed in Youngstown, I would love to be able to bring to Bellevue and, really, Pittsburgh in general." &emsp;&emsp;To raise money for the BMAP, Thompson established a fund-raiser through a nonprofit called IOBY – an acronym for "In Our Backyards" – that was looking to raise $2,098 from crowd-sourcing. Once the monetary goal was met, IOBY would match the total and donate $2,098 to the BMAP. Thompson said they have surpassed their goal and have raised a total of $4,085. With the match from IOBY, the program has raised $6,183. &emsp;&emsp;"I am hoping that we can get closer to $7,000," Thompson said. "We have a fund-raiser at Revival on Dec. 10, where a portion of the money raised will go to the BMAP." &emsp;&emsp;Thompson explained that the BMAP is currently accepting grassroots donations, starting at $1, but there are sponsorship levels with prizes for the donor. &emsp;&emsp;"For example, at the $10 level, myself and my daughter Amelia will call you and sing to you, an original Bellevue song," said Thompson, as Amelia can be heard singing and playing in the background. "Totally impromptu and totally improvised. But for the higher levels, like at a $250 donation, your name will go on the murals as a 'founding' supporter and you'll get high resolution PDF versions of the artwork."&emsp;&emsp;To donate or volunteer, visit the Bellevue Mural Arts Program at ioby.org. &emsp;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;