Thanks to a Girl Scout Brownie Troop, Jenkintown art is getting its due

As the weather gets better (or is bound to), thoughts begin to turn to outdoor activities. One terrific way to soak up the outside is to visit one of Montgomery County’s walkable communities. While Jenkintown has always been known as one of the most idyllic walkable towns in the area, a book authored and designed by the second graders of Girl Scout Brownie Troop 73632, The Jenkintown Art Walk, guides the would-be walker through the Borough’s artistic accomplishments.

The Jenkintown Art Walk is a booklet that includes a walking map of Jenkintown Borough’s public art and interviews with the respective artists. The girls of Brownie Troop 73632 developed all the questions, and they also conducted all the interviews.

The genesis of the project began last spring, with the world still gripped by the height of the pandemic. The Troop still needed to meet, and in order to keep meeting, they held their gatherings outside. A couple of times, they met in Jenkintown Town Square and the views from that particular spot had a substantial influence.

Troop Leader Emily Wicks explained:

“We were doing a collaborative art project in Town Square, and we noticed all the artwork around…from the Town Square, you can actually see a couple pieces of art. On the side of Painting With A Twist, there’s a Butterfly Wing mural and then if you look across the street at This Little Gallery, there are mosaics on the wall.”

“My sister is on Council and she had mentioned that over the years people had said it would be nice to give more publicity to some of the art in Jenkintown because we are kind of like a hub for murals. We have quite a few of them, more than most small towns do.”

So, by combining what they saw with wanting to give more attention to the Borough, The Jenkintown Art Walk was born.

The Troop reached out and began interviewing the artists behind the art of Jenkintown. The pandemic did not really hinder the project as the artists met the Troop outside at their respective art pieces and enough space existed between the artists and the girls. After the booklet was done, it made the rounds throughout the Borough. Two members of the Troop, Vivienne Wicks and Elle Zeccardi even presented the booklet to the Jenkintown Borough Council. That was quite an experience for Vivienne:

“It was scary but also, I was happy I could share it with everybody…but I was very nervous,” she said.

There are six pieces of art included in the booklet:

  • Wings mural at Painting with a Twist, by Nicki Kohler – 209 Leedom Street
  • Politis Mosaics, by Rebecca Politis – 315 Cedar Street
  • “Flowers on Division Street” mosaic, by Rebecca Politis – 415 Division Street
  • Sidewalk and stair paintings, by Mary Jane Reilly – 410 West Avenue
  • “HopeFULL Hearts” at This Little Gallery, by Trish and John Miller – 617 West Avenue
  • “Solidarity” mural, by bbsketch – 435 East Johnson Street 

If you want to enjoy the booklet and learn more about Jenkintown’s public art, you can find printed copies at the Jenkintown Elementary School Library and the Jenkintown Library. You can print them off here as well:

Vivienne successfully summed up the project succinctly:

“There’s just a lot of cool art in the town that people didn’t know of, and now they know, and they can tell their friends.”