Youngwood to debut Wings Across Westmoreland art installation
Wings Across Westmoreland alights in Youngwood on Saturday, with the unveiling of a new set of wings highlighting the borough’s unique history and culture.
The artwork, part of a countywide art initiative sponsored by Westmoreland Cultural Trust, will be presented to the public at 11 a.m. along the Five Star Trail at Depot Street by representatives of the trust and borough council.
Other wings locations include Art in the Alley in Greensburg, Overly’s Country Christmas in Mt. Pleasant Township, Sobel’s Obscure Brewery in Jeannette and Ligonier Town Hall. Future sites will include Vandergrift, Mt. Pleasant and others.
The Youngwood wings will feature recognizable landmarks such as the Veteran’s Memorial, Youngwood Railroad Station, Westmoreland County Community College, Youngwood Fire Department and other points of interest.
“The placement of the artwork on the Five Star Trail is an ideal location — allowing easy accessibility, not only to visitors along the trail, but also to Westmoreland County Community College students, local residents and the public,” said Cultural Trust CEO April Kopas.
The trust worked with the borough and Youngwood Cultural Committee members Chairman William L. Cowherd, Rene Hajdukiewicz, Ashley Nye and Linda Marino to conceptualize the wings.
The artwork is designed by former WCT Incubator for the Arts artist Patrick Mahoney and his daughter, Riley Mahoney.
The popularity of the first set of wings, in the Art in the Alley next to The Palace Theatre in downtown Greensburg, inspired the trust to expand the project into other communities. The aim is to highlight what makes each town unique, while uniting the county’s heritage through art.
“The wings became a popular destination photo stop, so it only made sense to expand the wings all across Westmoreland County,” Patrick Mahoney said. “The concept of my design is to incorporate landmarks for each city, or in the case with Overly’s Country Christmas, a showcase for the featured traditions, all within the wings’ interior. Then my daughter creates the stylized pattern on the feathers, which is unique for each set of wings.”
The Youngwood wings received funding from Council President Scott Palmquist and his wife, Lori, along with a grant from the county Bureau of Parks and Recreation.
“We have lived in Youngwood since 1987 and want to give back to the community,” the Palmquists said. “We love Youngwood and want to do our part in making it beautiful and a great place to raise a family.”
“It means a lot to my daughter and I to have a shared love of art and to leave a lasting creative expression to share with what we consider to be the best part of Westmoreland County, the cultural arts community,” Mahoney said.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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