Photo by Alyse Horn
The moment before the ribbon was cut, christening the completed Deutschtown Mural Project.

By Alexandria Stryker

With residents, government officials and community leaders gathered in excitement, Deutschtown’s new mural was unveiled on Wednesday, creating a new landmark and sign of community for the neighborhood.

Located on the side of the Allegheny City Brewing building on Foreland Street, the mural depicts the neighborhood’s name in 8-foot-tall letters and several life-size silhouettes of people engaged in various activities with the message “Picture Yourself Here.”

The mural also includes several small pictures of objects and places indicative of the area, including the National Aviary Dome, Randyland and, of course, a German flag.

Matt Hannigan from the Sprout Fund, the organization that helped fund the Deutschtown mural, called it a “lasting piece of art” and said he was sure that residents will “enjoy this as an asset for years to come.”

A parade of other officials also gave comments on the mural’s importance and meaning. The lineup included Councilwoman Darlene Harris, owners of Allegheny City Brewing Al Grasso and Matt Yurkovich, and Guy Costa, a representative of the mayor’s office who said the city would “like to see more murals in Pittsburgh.”

Amy Novelli, the artist hired for the project, spoke about the mural lovingly and praised Pittsburgh for its unique character and charm. All emphasized the strong community effort that went into the planning and execution of the project and drove the effort.

Mark Fatla, the executive director of the Northside Leadership Conference, used his comments to make an observation about the mural’s deeper meaning. The large “Deutschtown” text of the mural is difficult to miss, but “between the lines” of these painted letters, he commented, “it says something” about the community.

“Between the lines, it says ‘we love this neighborhood,’” Fatla said.