BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Shoppers heading into Ideal Food Basket now have a colorful reminder to eat their fruits and vegetables.
On Friday, a vibrant mural, created by art teacher Carla Majczan and her current and former students from East Hills Middle School, was unveiled across from the store.
The mural project is a partnership of ArtsQuest, Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission and the SouthSide Arts District.
It was made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, developed in partnership with the SouthSide Arts District.
"It was very intentional in the design to focus on the importance of access to healthy foods in our community."Lisa Harms, senior director of visual arts and education at ArtsQuest
The mural, dubbed "Harmony within Health," was created to raise awareness about food insecurity within Bethlehem's South Side, which is designated a food desert by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Along with Mjaczan's students, budding artists of all ages — the youngest was 3 years old — helped her paint the mural during a community day held in June.
In the center of the mural are two hands holding a bountiful amount of fruits and vegetables — blueberries, purple grapes, tomatoes, strawberries, oranges and more.
"It was very intentional in the design to focus on the importance of access to healthy foods in our community," Lisa Harms, senior director of visual arts and education at ArtsQuest, said.
"The South Side of Bethlehem is a designated food desert, and one of the things we wanted to draw attention to, particularly with this location across from the Ideal Food Basket, how important it is to provide healthy food."
Addressing food insecurity
USDA defines a food desert is defined as a geographic area where residents have limited access to affordable and nutritious food, particularly fresh produce.
The classification involves areas of low-income as determined by U.S. Census data, "where a significant number or share of residents is more than 1 mile [urban] or 10 miles [rural] from the nearest supermarket."
Typically, it involves areas with 500 or more residents — roughly 33% of the population.
Ideal Food Basket opened in April 2023 and sells fresh and organic produce.
"The fact that this area is considered a food desert, I think it's important for people to pay attention to what other people are struggling with," Majczan said.
"And that's something that specifically hits home for me."
Majczan, who was joined by her adorable pooch Violet at Friday's unveiling, said she was diagnosed with diabetes in childhood.
"It came with a lot of struggles, but I feel like I'm the healthiest version of myself," she said.
"But it wasn't without the support from the people around me, like my mom changing the way our entire family ate food, and then my family agreeing to eat food the way that I had to eat food.
"There's a lot that's involved in health, but if you have a good support system, it makes all the difference. This mural is an example of the same effect."
'Meaningful to have an impact'
Along with Violet, Majczan was joined by her parents and some of her former middle school students.
For Ivy Johns, now a sophomore at Freedom High School, it was her second time assisting her teacher with a mural project.
In 2023, Majczan and her students also created a mural on the stairs that connect Hobart Street to South Bethlehem Greenway to raise awareness for mental health.
"If I come back in 20 years and look at this, I will feel proud, especially if I see little kids admiring it."Natalie Alves, a Freedom High School student who worked on the mosaic
"It's so meaningful for me to be able to have an impact on people," Johns said. "If I can give a little. to help the community, I will gladly do it."
Natalie Alves, also a Freedom High School student, worked on the mosaic steps with Majczan and Johns.
The teens agreed the public art projects taught them about teamwork and a sense of community.
"If I come back in 20 years and look at this, I will feel proud, especially if I see little kids admiring it," Alves said.
For Majczan, the project is just one way she can spread positivity.
"As an art teacher, it's important to pay forward," she said. "I always say that what we do as teachers is extremely important, but opportunities like this are what make it worth it to me to be a teacher.
"Because you actually can give your students an example of something more powerful than what we provide in a classroom.
"Showing them a real-world experience of how art that we make can make it in that vein."
