Art the Focus in River Town
Washington PA Observer Reporter
27 September 2012
GREENSBORO – This summer, the little river town of Greensboro was
buzzing with creativity as it readied itself for its annual Art
Blast on the Mon festival over Labor Day weekend.
Artist Jamie Rinehart of Dilliner was hard at work building the
rebar and wire substructure for the big, cement Greensboro crock
that would eventually emerge from the lawn in front of the log
cabin on Front Street, resplendent in the blue floral swirls and
chunky lettering that the very collectable Greensboro pottery of
the 18th and early 19th centuries is famous for. Now the crock is
finished and Greensboro is having an unveiling at 2 p.m. Saturday
of not one, but three works of public art that might just be the
beginning of Greensboro’s new role as an almost forgotten river
town worth visiting for its art, history and fun things to do on
the Monongahela River.
“We are grateful for Jamie Rinehart’s beautiful creation and are
proud to display it in the center of our historic town,” borough
council member Mary Shine said. “We are pleased to be part of the
River Town Program, welcoming visitors to enjoy the river and
learn about our glass and pottery- making heritage.”
The River Town Project is an initative by the Pennsylvania
Environmental Council to help the health of the river by
empowering six towns along its banks to become places to visit.
Point Marion, Greensboro, Rices Landing, Fredericktown,
Brownsville, and California are all part of this project.
“The Mon River is a tremendous asset. If a community cares, the
people will protect it and visitors will benefit when river access
is provided by these towns. I’m proud to say all these towns now
have public access to launch boats, to go kayaking or fishing,”
program director Cathy Mc-Collom said.
Rinehart’s project was funded with seed money from the River Town
Project, along with some extra dollars from Greensboro’s Elm
Street Project and the Pittsburgh-based Sprout Fund’s creative
communities initative.
Rinehart’s project planted its own seeds with a fellow artist.
“When I saw Jamie’s work, I decided to donate one of my pieces. I
want to help Greensboro in its mission to support the arts, and
hopefully other artists will become involved in what we’ve begun,”
noted Waynesburg sculptor Steve Murdoch said.
His impressive, industrial-strength sculpture, aptly titled, “The
Burgh,” was last shown in the 2000 International Sculptors
Conference in Pittsburgh. Now it will be anchored in place beside
Greensboro’s new gazebo, its long metal lines evoking the
patterning of the suspension bridges that once spanned the rivers
of this steel-producing region.
During Art Blast, funding from the Nathanael Greene Society made
it possible for assemblage artist Kyle Hallam of Jefferson to put
together the third piece of public art to be unveiled Saturday, a
richly textured wall hanging made from recycled cardboard that Art
Blast visitors helped design, square by square. Hallam’s piece
will have a permanent spot on an inside wall of the log cabin that
is used by the community for events and public meetings.
Saturday is also a good time to meet McCollum over refreshments
and learn more about the events the River Town Project has lined
up. “We have a kayak sojourn planned for October 20 from Point
Marion to Greensboro, and on Saturday two of our River Program
people will be paddling to Greensboro from Point Marion to try out
the course,” McCollom said.
For more information, call 724-603-3151, or to register for the
sojourn, go online at pecpa.org/event/fall-paddlemon- river.