Spotted This Week

This week, we spotted a brand-new mural in downtown West Chester!

The rain certainly didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits at the dedication ceremony for local artist Al Moretti’s patriotic mural on East Gay Street.

Coinciding with the borough’s America250 celebration and drone show, the dedication kicked off with a procession led by the Lenape Brass Ensemble. Festivities included local reenactors, guest speakers including Mayor Lillian DeBaptiste, the plaque presentation and ceremonial ribbon cutting.

The mural, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, features three notable figures in West Chester history: John Hannum, a Revolutionary War colonel and businessman who helped establish West Chester as the Chester County seat in 1786; Hannah Freeman, a farmer, healer and artisan thought to be the last surviving member of the Lenape in Chester County; and Horace Pippin, a painter and Word War I veteran who depicted American landscapes, people, service and sociohistorical subjects in his art — and lived just down the street from the mural.

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For more on the mural, check out “Hannum, Hannah and Horace” in our July issue.

To learn more about public art in West Chester, visit the Public Arts Commission’s website. And follow @AlMoretti.Artist on Instagram to see more of Moretti’s work.