Near the exit of our parking lot is a line of formerly plain concrete "jersey" barriers. They now mark the property line with style thanks to the efforts of painters from our community! Throughout the month of May, the artists painted their colorful designs onto the barriers, each interpreting the Summer Learning Program theme, "Adventure Begins at Your Library," in a unique way. Enjoy the barriers as you exit the library each time you visit, and learn more about the artists and their designs on this page.

This is the fifth year we have done this project. Take a look at the designs from 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024!

The designs, images, and ideas reflected in this art are solely those of the individual artists. 

Barrier 1 (next to the stop sign): Leah Yeh
Biography: Biography: Leah Yeh has been painting since 6th grade, and works mostly in acrylic paint, though she still enjoys a variety of other mediums such as watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil. She has always been very involved in art, and she is now an officer for the National Art Honors Society at Cumberland Valley High School. Design: Her design depicts a girl painting a series of colorful landscaping paintings, each a different color. It is meant to match the Summer Learning Program Theme, “Color Our World,” by showing how artists make the world more colorful while also showing how our world is already filled with color.

Barrier 2: Katlyn Baer and Green Ridge Elementary School Fifth Grade Students
Biography: With a passion for working with young artists, Ms. Baer fosters a hands-on approach in the classroom, encouraging students to explore various mediums and embrace the artistic process. Ms. Baer is dedicated to community-based projects, particularly mural work, as a means of showcasing her students’ talents to the wider community and providing enriching opportunities to work collaboratively. Her belief in the power of working together drives her enthusiasm for creating shared canvases that reflect the unique imagination and expression of each student. It is her belief that an artistic outlet is vital to the overall well-being of our lives. Through engaging in creation, students not only develop artistic skills but also universal qualities that help them in all areas of life including persistence, leadership, collaboration, creative thinking and problem-solving, as well as agency, self-discovery, and self-expression. Beyond the classroom walls, Ms. Baer explores her own creativity with clay, stained glass, and mural work. Design: Green Ridge Elementary fifth-grade students will collaborate to bring the proposed mural design to life, aligning with Simpson Library’s 2025 Summer Learning Program theme “Color Our World.” Inspired by Flashlight by Lizi Boyd and her distinctive illustration style, this design captures the magic of discovery through reading. A child, immersed in a book, shines a flashlight into the darkness, revealing the vibrant world hidden within the forest. The contrast between the illuminated colors and the shadowy surrounding symbolizes how reading can unlock mysteries, expand our imagination, and add bright new colors to our world. As viewers explore the mural, they can look for the Green Ridge Gator mascot, Gilligan, hidden within the scene. This mural will be created utilizing the “parachute cloth” method of installation.

Barrier 3: Claire Bailets
Biography: Claire Bailets is a Mechanicsburg native and a graduate of Gettysburg College. In high school, she took classes in film photography and won several awards with her work featured in art shows within the school district. Though she didn’t continue film photography in college, she often used her digital camera to capture moments with friends on campus, and when she studied abroad for a semester in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. She considers her German Studies degree from Gettysburg as one of her biggest achievements, having written her senior thesis in German and become fluent in the language. It gave her not only treasured friends and mentors, but also exposure to the art, literature, and cultural history of the country she has grown to love after her time living there. Through her studies and travels around the world since graduation, she has taken up watercolor painting, and still delights in capturing memories photographing friends and family. Design: Her idea was to do something colorful to go along with the theme. She depicted some colorful books and some cacti to give the impression of life thriving amongst the stories. She thought it would be fun to make the titles of the books in the stacks some of her favorites over the years, to show how they have colored her life. She hopes this design reflects some of the fun that can be found when one dives into a new story or returns to an old favorite.

Barrier 4: Sarah Adams and Heritage Christian Academy Third Grade Students 
Biography: Throughout the year, Mrs. Adams’ 3rd Grade Art Class has been learning the Elements of Art. They have enjoyed creating fun works of art using various media like clay, acrylic paint, markers, and watercolors. New opportunities for these young artists to boost their creative ideas and advance their skills presented themselves this year in the form of having their drawings published and auctioning off their art to raise money for their school. Throughout the process, they learned to collaborate, problem solve, and be selfless, while still leaving their mark and lending their own unique ideas. Not only did they exhibit artistic talent and a positive attitude, they also displayed kindness. Design: Heritage Christian Academy 3rd Grade students worked together to create a mural design reflecting the Summer Learning Program theme, “Color Our World.” The result is a culmination of their ideas and a coordination of cooperative effort. The design was inspired by the theme “Color Our World” and a video they watched on coloring the world with kindness, where they witnessed how one small act of kindness can lead to another. As the crayon-shaped rocket ship is blasting off, the three primary colors at the base of the ship mix to create an array of colors and hearts that color the world with kindness. The book satellites represent how reading is out of this world and reading books can transport you to another place. On one of the book satellites, the artists signed their names, and on the other is a reminder to be kind to everyone, inspired by the verse Ephesians 4:32.

Barrier 5: Jennifer Alex
Biography: Jennifer Alex's favorite mediums of art are watercolors and colored pencils. She loves to draw things in nature, because that is where she feels most inspired. She likes to learn new drawing techniques to help her become a better artist, and she likes to try out her own techniques as well. Design: For her design for the theme “Color Our World,” she drew the world — one half in black and white and the other in color. She wanted to illustrate that our world is better with color, so she added a lot of rainbow swirls into the colored half of the world.

Barrier 6: Spencer Davis
Biography: Spencer studied art and graphic design in high school and now continues it as a hobby. While he specializes in digital art, he is also no stranger to paints as he paints gifts for holidays and special occasions. Understanding how perspective and natural light play into outdoor mural arts, he is prepared to paint a mural which will look spectacular this year. Design: Throughout his life, Spencer has realized how much every little thing he does leaves an impact on those around him. Even when we don’t realize it, we add color to a world which, without each one of us, would be bleak and cruel. He chose to express this idea with a minimalist piece involving multiple colorful people leaving their own unique mark on an otherwise devoid world. Our lives are contingent upon human interaction. We become acquaintances and friends with one another, understanding each other as they color our world and we color their worlds. Growing and facing the future together, this piece serves as an invitation for all of us to connect and love one another as we color our world.

Barrier 7: Julia Gottlieb
Biography: Art has been a lifelong passion for Julia Gottlieb, beginning in childhood when she eagerly explored every medium she could find. From painting to drawing to mixed media, creating has always been her way of bringing light and color into peoples’ lives. Some of her earlier and fondest memories are at the Simpson Library, where she discovered a love for storytelling and creativity, making this opportunity especially meaningful. She graduated from Elizabethtown College in 2024 with a degree in Public Health and is now pursuing her Master’s while working as a Research Analyst for the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council. Her professional path reflects her passion for serving her community, and she volunteers locally to further that mission. Art remains a cherished outlet that allows her to connect with others through creativity. She is honored to contribute to the library, a space that inspired her so profoundly. Design: This mural is a celebration of unity, diversity, and connection. The vibrant design features people, all intertwined with flowing colors and natural elements. The mural represents the idea that each of us, with our unique stories and experiences, contributes to a larger, more beautiful whole. The natural motifs, such as blooming plants and interconnected roots, symbolize growth, resilience, and the strength found in our shared humanity. The vibrant palette conveys energy, hope, and optimism for a harmonious future. Through this artwork, the intention is to inspire viewers to reflect on the beauty of our differences and the importance of coming together. It serves as a powerful reminder that, together, we “color the world,” creating something extraordinary when we embrace and celebrate one another.

Barrier 8: Julie Rodgers
Bio: Julie Rodgers retired after 37 years in education. Twelve of those years were spent developing a program for and teaching elementary art at Heritage Christian Academy in Mechanicsburg. She is still occasionally asked to substitute. Julie has always enjoyed using creativity in a variety of mediums, especially sewing and crafting for family and friends. Painting is a relatively new medium for Julie. When not crafting, gardening, or painting, Julie enjoys spending time with her husband and two young grandchildren. Design: Because she loves working outdoors, especially in her flower gardens, it was almost an immediate thought to choose a design that reflected the outdoors and what the world might be like without color versus what color would add. Using blacks and grays symbolizes the world without color, in stark contrast to how much beauty is added by the addition of the spectrum of colors. The spectrum is displayed through the use of handprints of various sizes representing the youngest (her grandchildren’s prints) to the eldest (her husband’s and her own prints) as well as those ages in between (her daughter with special needs and her typical daughter's nurse handprints). What these individuals and those they represent have and/or will bring to our world are colors so very, very beautiful.

Barrier 9: Janie Shuey
Biography: Janie Shuey is an artist, mom, and direct support professional. She considers herself primarily a portrait artist. She loves capturing moments in time. Design: She was an avid reader as a child, and her kids are avid readers now. She believes books can bring color on even the darkest days.

 

Barrier 10: Cora Gulde
Biography: Cora Gulde, age 10, is a fifth grader at Elmwood Academy in Mechanicsburg. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano and violin, as well as creating artwork, reading, drawing, ballet, acro, and basketball. She also loves gardening and animals, often drawing inspiration from nature. This is her third year participating in the Beautify the Barriers project, where she continues to explore new ways to express her ideas. Design: This picture represents the theme “Color Our World” by showcasing a variety of scenes, each brought to life through vibrant colors. The work features diverse environments: dark, towering mountains under an iridescent sky; an icy landscape with an igloo contrasting the bold blue of the water with the clean brightness of the white snow; a warm, cozy cottage created with earth tones; and a lush garden adorned with blooming flowers in springtime hues. Each section reflects how color transforms and enhances our experience in the natural world, from the warm sun to the cool water to the happy spring. Together, the elements symbolize the beauty and diversity of nature and how color plays a central role in our perception of and experience in the natural world.

Barrier 11: Erica Hardy-Abreu
Biography: Erica Hardy-Abreu wears many hats, one of which is an artist's beret. She believes art and narrative are best when paired together and is always looking to tell stories with her work. Erica has an animation background and illustrated Magic Hair by Raquel Hudson. When she is not drafting cardboard structures for birthday parties or doing Elmo impressions, she works as a Project Manager. Design: This year, she was inspired by her own memories of walking around school with her face buried in a book. She was always trying to cram in just a few more pages before her next class. In this piece, she hopes to convey how stories turn our plain, flat everyday into a colorful world full of characters, both strange and familiar.

Barrier 12: Gabrielle Sheibley, Tara Sheibley, and Sriya Dhandapani
Biography: Gabrielle Sheibley just finished sixth grade at PA Cyber School. She enjoys spending her time creating art of all types including hand-made hobby horses and drawing. She also loves spending time learning about all types of animals. In the future, she plans to study to become a veterinarian.
 
Sriya D. just finished sixth grade at Saint Joseph School. She likes to spend time with her friends. Some of her favorite activities are drawing, reading, and writing stories. She also enjoys learning to play the clarinet, violin, and piano.
 
Tara Sheibley is the Orchestra instructor at Saint Joseph School. She also teaches violin, viola, cello and piano at her private studio in Mechanicsburg. When she is not teaching music, she spends her time with Gabrielle and her husband, Michael. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, spending time with their dogs and volunteering at a local horse barn. Design: Our barrier is a paint by number of a garden scene which garden gnomes are painting. The garden gnomes that live in the garden are painting their world. This painting shows us that we should stop and look at nature and the colors of our whole world.

Barrier 13: Amy Gish
Biography: Amy Gish has been painting, drawing, and creating since she was tiny. By day, she is an IT and management consultant to a government client. She’s also an attorney and she has sung professionally for more than 30 years. She has been a voice teacher, a mentor for women in IT, and a volunteer for various local organizations. She loves reading, collects cookbooks, but her secret passion has always been art. Design: Her design features a colorful rainbow depicting the curve of the earth. Along the arch are some of the world’s most famous landmarks interspaced with examples of dwelling places from various lands. The landmarks include the Egyptian pyramids, a Dutch windmill, a Russian palace, the Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower, Pisa’s Leaning Tower, the Empire State Building, a Japanese Temple, and Big Ben. Below the arch are the words “Color Our World With Love.” Above the arch is a sky with clouds. The main message is the beauty in diversity found around the world.

Special Thanks to:
Brian Edmondson, owner of Art Depot in Mechanicsburg, for sponsoring this project and offering a discount to the painters.

Additional Thanks to:
Andrew Hayter for taking photos of the painted barriers and the artists to display in the library.

Brian Gross for allowing his jersey barriers to be painted and straightening one of the barriers so that it could be used.

Boy Scout Troop 55, Lemoyne for cleaning up weeds around the barriers in Spring 2025.

Trent Mellott for painting the white base coat on the barriers.