Billboard art project to highlight strength of diversity in Westmoreland County

County highways will take on a new look this fall as the Westmoreland Diversity Coalition’s Diversity Billboard Art Project begins to blossom.

The Heinz Endowment’s new Just Arts program, a grant initiative designed to support communities that harness the power of arts to address social issues, recently awarded the coalition a $150,000 grant to underwrite its proposal, coalition co-founder Carlotta Paige said.

“We believe a major billboard campaign with a simple, consistent and candid message such as our theme, ‘Make Our Differences Our Strengths,’ is an excellent way to remind people that diversity, difference and inclusion can be strength and have a positive impact on our community,” Paige said.

The coalition was chosen from among 83 applicants.

“We’re very thankful to the Heinz Endowments for funding our proposal and giving us the opportunity to send, in such a unique way, a positive message to our community,” she said.

The call for artists around the region to submit work for consideration in the Billboard Arts Project will be going out soon. Submissions will be accepted Feb. 1 through April 1. Artists will be required to submit images of prior work as well as visions for the work they propose for the Billboard Project. Information will be posted at wdcoalition.org/dbap.

Sheila Cuellar-Shaffer, a Westmoreland County artist and member of the Diversity Coalition board, has been named lead artist for the project. The Westmoreland Museum of American Art will curate the project with an advisory team of community members. Ultimately, they hope to settle on 10 new works of art that will be displayed on billboards this fall. Paige said the works also will be displayed on digital screens at the Westmoreland Mall.

The project also calls for the coalition, in partnership with local universities and organizations, to host five to seven exhibitions featuring the billboard art at various sites throughout the county, with a kickoff exhibition and reception at the museum.

The museum is committed to reflecting the diversity and complexity of the county, said Anne Kraybill, director/CEO,

“The goal of this project is to expand perspectives within our region in aim of creating stronger and more connected communities,” Kraybill said in a statement.