NEW SOUTHSIDE MURAL DESIGNED TO CELEBRATE MENTAL HEALTH RECOVERY

43-foot wide by 35-foot tall painting by Pau Quintanajornet to be Created at Café The Lodge Starting April 26
BETHLEHEM, PA—Café The Lodge, internationally renowned mural artist Pau Quintanajornet and ArtsQuest are collaborating on an interactive art experience and mural designed to raise awareness of the challenges people face when dealing with mental health issues when Quintanajornet creates a large-scale mural on the exterior of Café The Lodge, 427 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem, April 26-May 5. The project, which is part of the SouthSide Arts & Music Festival presented by Capital BlueCross, will begin when Quintanajornet arrives at Café The Lodge April 26, 8 a.m.-noon, to share her preliminary sketches of her mural, part of her “Project Wallflowers,” with the community. The open house is designed to get public feedback and suggestions for the 43-foot wide by 35-foot tall painting, which will be created on the west wall of Café The Lodge, adjacent to the City of Bethlehem fire station. Born in Chile, Quintanajornet moved to Germany in 1985 with her parents as political refugees. When she was 15-years old she moved to Berlin to finish her school and studies, and to broaden her horizons and find a creative outlet. Inspired by Pablo Neruda’s words, “The murals are the books of the people,” she started a long-term ‘artivist’ project in 2013 called “Project Wallflowers.” Today, her work is found on walls in Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Germany, United States, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Patagonia. She has also appeared in festivals, exhibitions and events around the globe including the METROPOLINK Festival in Heidelberg, Germany; WarmiPaint in Quito, Ecuador; 40 Degree Urban Art Festival in Dusseldorf, Germany; and TEDx Santiago de Chile.