I recently received an interesting phone call from a world-renowned artist, Michael Pilato, who was working on a mural for Bellefonte. His art includes inspring stories from all over the world. You’ve likely parked or walked by one of his murals on Pennsylvania streetscapes in Williamsport, Emporium, or Pittston or on Hiester Street in his hometown of State College. I was thrilled to discover one of his murals was coming to my hometown of Bellefonte!
Michael Pilato grew up in downtown State College and has been painting murals there since he was a kid. He’s a proud alumnus of the Delta Program (State College Area School District) and comes from a family of artists. His mother was one of the founders of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and his father was a professor at Penn State. Michael and his painting partner for the past thirty years, Yuriy Karabash, have been musing about Bellefonte in their downtown State College studio on East Calder Way. I was flattered that Michael reached out to me—“the history guy,” in his kind words—for some input. We had a nice chat about Bellefonte’s inspiring local history. That’s what his murals are all about, inspiration and community. The mural is titled Inspiration Bellefonte, just like Inspiration State College and many others.
One focus of the Inspiration Bellefonte mural will be a celebration of the town’s Black history, including such notables as the Mills Brothers vocal quartet and the Underground Railroad. Michael has always wanted to paint the Mills Brothers, so I sent him a photograph of Grandfather William H. Mills to use as one of his subjects. Grandfather Mills had a barber shop in Bellefonte from 1871 to 1931. His grandchildren, the famous Mills Brothers, overcame racial barriers to achieve worldwide music success. Grandfather Mills also wrote a history about the Underground Railroad in Bellefonte, knew Frederick Douglass and cut his hair, and helped get Bellefonte’s schools desegregated in 1885. His father and uncle fought for “Freedom for All” in the Sixth U.S. “Colored” Troops during the Civil War.
The mural will feature Frederick Douglass getting his hair cut by Grandfather Mills. The iconic exchange happened in March of 1872 when Douglass came through Bellefonte on a nationwide speaking series. One can only imagine Grandfather Mills with the great American orator in the barber’s chair discussing the Underground Railroad, the Equal Rights League, or Abraham Lincoln.
The mural will also include inspiring women, including Amelia Earhart, who flew into Bellefonte at least three times between 1928 and 1930. She stayed overnight at the Bush House (Penne Belle Hotel) in 1929. On that same visit, she dropped into Bellefonte High School and showed up at the Amelia Earhart Club of Girls Reserves meeting. The mural includes more individuals, but you will have to see it for yourself.
In our most recent FaceTime conversation, Michael was in New York City at the Church of the Covenant, founded 1866, where he is the artist in residence. Reverend Cornell Edmonds and the congregation are hosting Michael and his World Mural project. Actually, the Bellefonte mural was there too, being used to educate and inspire other artists so they too can honor people, stories, and history from their communities. The project aims to educate artists of all ages from around the world and paint the sanctuary with global inspirations.
Michael and Yuriy describe their work as “living murals” because they can be changed and added to over time. These murals are all about inspiration, community, and love. Subjects range from famous figures to everyday locals who made a big impact on their community. Sometimes the stories are more difficult, honoring those lost in tragedies like 9/11, or the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, or featuring activists who help fight against human trafficking. Michael and Yuriy use public art to spread a message that “we all love the same.” These shared visual stories uniquely connect local history with global citizenship.
The planned location for the Bellefonte mural is the back of the Waffle Shop building, which faces Perry Lane (off historic West Bishop Street). The owner of the Waffle Shop, Duane Reese, collaborated with Michael and Yuriy to bring the mural to Bellefonte. It will be on the same alley where you can see the Airmail Service mural recently installed by Key Detail.
It’s exciting to see such world-class public art in Bellefonte. At this point in the process, the Waffle Shop mural is approved by the Historic Architectural Review Board and will likely be installed this summer, pending Bellefonte Borough Council approval. In addition to the Airmail mural, I look forward to leading walking tours along Bellefonte’s “mural lane” to honor, share, and be inspired by our community’s history. T&G
Local Historia is a passion for local history, community, and preservation. Its mission is to connect you with local history through engaging content and walking tours. Local Historia is owned by public historians Matt Maris and Dustin Elder, who co-author this column. For more, visit localhistoria.com.
Sources:
“Miss Amelia Earhart Here For A Night.” Democratic Watchman (Bellefonte, PA). April 12, 1929. https://panewsarchive.psu.edu/lccn/sn83031981/1929-04-12/ed-1/seq-8/
