CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – Vandalism of a wall mural of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala at the corner of Fifth and Main on January 15 still has the members of the Clarion Art History Club wondering why it took place.
(Photo above shows students inspecting the damage to the panels, from left to right: Samantha Kahle, Erica Peterson, Kirsten Hegburg, Gretta Bish, and Olivia Burns.)
The mural is part of a series of Street Art displays that include the Bob’s Subs building across Main Street; the corner of Sixth and Main Streets on the side of Clarion River Brewing Company; the F.L. Crooks Building; and the side of Faller’s Furniture.
While some of the street art projects have been taken in the past, this was the first instance of vandalism of the art. Stolen items are often recovered by police in local apartments, but this incident was different.
Three panels of the mural were torn off the wall and thrown into the street sometime during the night of January 15, and authorities estimate the panels were removed around 2:15 a.m. Rod and Kara Raehscler, of Clarion, recovered the panels the following morning.
The 15 x 27 foot mural is comprised of 27 2×3 foot panels. Each panel of the mural contains 864 individual squares. Each of the 23,328 squares was hand-painted by students in the Clarion Art History Club with an intricate design to create an illusion of a mosaic. Two students worked on each panel for three weeks.
“All three panels were damaged by the violent act,” said Art Club Advisor Ray Jones. “The project was an act of devotion by the students for their hometown. The point of Street Art is to uplift a community through the display of quality work at different locales. Also included in this project were sidewalk murals using affirmational words in front of local business that was completed last spring. Presently, a display is being prepared for the side of the Mason’s Building on Main Street.”
Motivation for the vandalism remains a mystery. Perhaps the subject matter of the mural may lead to some clues. Malala Yousefzai as a young girl advocated for education for girls under Taliban rule in her hometown in Afghanistan. At the age of thirteen, she was pulled off of a bus and shot three time in the head by the Taliban. In 2014, she won the Nobel peace prize.
Included on the mural was a quote from Malala.
“’One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world’ on the mural summarized her positive message to the world,” said Jones. “It is hard to understand how anyone, outside of the Taliban, can be opposed to this concept.”
