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, "Unearth a Story," 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 sixth year we have done this project. Take a look at the designs from 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025!

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

Barrier 1 (next to the stop sign): Marissa Harrison
Biography: Marissa Harrison has a degree in fine art from the University of New Mexico. She has lived in Mechanicsburg for 5 years with her husband, Kevin; three daughters, Emma, Haley, and Mari; their dog, Timber, and lots of chickens. She and her daughters love going to the library and have admired the changing murals on the Jersey barriers. When her daughters learned that the family could be part of the Beautify the Barriers Art Project, they donned their creative thinking caps. As they brainstormed ideas for art that represents "Unearth a Story" to them, they made sure to include some of their favorite library books. Design: Storybooks are growing from the earth/soil. The books are underground, like roots, with each “plant” representing a story. To avoid any copyright infringements issues, the plants illustrate the book's subject without spelling out the title or characters. For example, Charlotte's Web is depicted by a pig's tail and spiderweb images. 

Barrier 2: Julie Rodgers
Biography: Julie Rodgers lives in the Mechanicsburg area but originally hails from Port Royal, Juniata County, where she grew up. She is a graduate of Lancaster Bible College and worked in Christian education as well as public education for 37 years. She retired a couple years ago and now enjoys reading, gardening (both veggies and flowers), substituting on occasion, and visiting local libraries, but mostly enjoys spending time with family, especially her two grandchildren, and friends. Design: Various dinosaurs are finding ways to enjoy the treasures found in books. From plucking a book from the book mountain, to fishing for a good book, to digging "buried book treasures," these dinosaurs are sure to find opportunities for adventure through imagination, learning new facts, and being challenged to learn new things. What fun for these treasure hunters! Her graddaughters also drew dinosaurs to contribute to the design, and two of their creations have been incorporated into the dinosaurs depicted.
 

Barrier 3: Julia Gottlieb
Biography: Julia Gottlieb’s artwork is inspired by curiosity, storytelling, and the spaces that shape us in life. Some of her fondest memories growing up were spent at Simpson Library, where imagination, learning, and creativity first took root. After painting a mural for the library last year, she was excited and honored to contribute again this year. In addition to her creative work, Julia works in clinical research and is on track to complete her Master of Public Health (MPH) this fall. Her academic and professional path reflects a deep commitment to learning and community well-being. Beyond this work, Julia looks forward to continuing to give back to and support the community that raised her and is proud to remain connected to it through both art and service. Design: This design uses a volcano as a symbol of imagination, learning, and possibility. Rather than erupting with lava alone, the volcano releases books, tools, and creative elements that represent the many academic and artistic paths people take to uncover their stories. The swirling motion across the mural reflects how ideas grow, overlap, and evolve over time. The piece is grounded in the idea that each person carries a powerful source of potential within them, something waiting to be discovered, shaped, and shared. With curiosity, courage, and support, that potential can rise to the surface and take form in countless ways. While every story is unique, the mural emphasizes a shared foundation: the same ground beneath our feet, the same place where knowledge, creativity, and history are unearthed. By blending science, art, and storytelling, the design celebrates discovery as a collective experience — one that connects us to the past while inspiring what is still possible.
 

Barrier 4: Jennifer Alex
Biography: Jennifer Alex is a ninth grade student at Commonwealth Charter Academy, where she is also a staff writer and a photographer for the school’s newspaper. In her free time, Jennifer loves making art, singing, watching football (the Buffalo Bills), and hanging out with her family. Her favorite art medium is colored pencils, and she loves to draw clothing designs and things she finds in nature. Design: The open book lying in the forest shows the story waiting to be found, or “unearthed’. The book’s dark purple cover and pale tan pages contrast against the green of the forest. 
 

Barrier 5: Gabrielle Sheibley, Tara Sheibley, and Sriya D.
Biographies: Gabrielle Sheibley just finished seventh grade at PA Cyber School. She enjoys riding horses and volunteering at the horse barn. She likes to learn guitar riffs and listen to classic Rock and Roll, especially Ozzy Osbourne.

Sriya D. just finished seventh grade at Saint Joseph School. She likes to spend time with her friends. Some of her favorite activities are drawing, reading, and 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 painting of someone at an archeological dig site, reading a book and imagining real dinosaurs. Books can take us on any adventure, near and far away.

Barrier 6: Erica Hardy-Abreu
Biography: With a background in traditional art and film, Erica Hardy-Abreu likes to explore the relationship between art and story in her work. She believes that stories and art connect us to our communities, our cultures, and each other. Erica is the illustrator of Magic Hair by Raquel Hudson. She is currently an officer on the Mechanicsburg Area PTO and works as a project manager. Design: The word unearth walks hand in hand with the words discovery, mystery, curiosity, and of course digging. Inspired by her kid’s love of Minecraft and her own soft spot for ‘90s cartoons where mine carts almost always became rollercoasters, Erica’s design depicts two adventurous book miners careening through a cave of literature. 
 

Barrier 7: Emilee Mehr
Biography: Emilee Mehr just finished her junior year at Cumberland Valley High School and was enrolled in an art class this year. She loves drawing and painting every day and is excited to share her new talents with the community. Emilee painted barriers in 2023 and 2024 and was eager to be able to particiapte again this year. She believes that art in any of its forms is a beautiful way to express thought and feelings. She also plays an instrument, sings, dances, writes, dreams, colors, draws, and imagines in her free time. She has recently become interested in digital art and AI generating art methods. Design: Archeologists are digging and discovering dinosaur bones, footprints, and...BOOKS?! That's right, all these years that the dinosaurs have been underground, they've been reading! One dinosaur on is reading a children's book of dinosaur nursery rhymes called "Yi Olde Tails". The Yi is a species of dinosaur that was discovered in China and has the shortest name of all dino species, and it makes for a great pun as a spin-off of “Ye Olde Tales”. Another dinosaur is reading the book "How to Age Gracefully," which must contain good advice as it still looks good, even 65 million years later! Another dinosaur is reading "Meteors: Faith or Fiction" in gasping amazement as it can't believe that meteors are real or that it was likely a meteor that ended its own life millions of years ago. Overall, the piece is meant to get children excited about the Summer Learning Program by seeing that dinosaurs are also reading books and to give adults a good laugh with some of the book titles.
 

Barrier 8: Claire Bailets
Biography: Claire Bailets is a Mechanicsburg native and a graduate of Gettysburg College. In high school, she took classes in film photography, won several awards, and had 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 Germany. Through her studies and travels around the world since graduation, she has taken up watercolor painting and still delights in capturing memories by photographing friends and family. Design: When Claire learned that this year’s Summer Learning Program theme is “Unearth a Story,” she thought that it would be really fun to do a design that included a dinosaur. Her idea was to show a dinosaur sharing a story with a little snail friend and the two of them going on a reading adventure together — perfect for summer!
 

Barrier 9: Minnie Gonzalez
Biography: Minnie Gonzalez loves to paint and be creative anyway she can. She is the mother of two amazing autistic kids who also helped with the barrier. After being inspired by last year’s beautiful barriers, she was determined to participate this year. Dinosaurs sparked her creativity! Design: Minnie’s design features a paleontologist and dinosaur reading together under a tree, blending her love of both dinosaurs and reading. She imagined a world where learning and curiosity unite, showing that anyone can read and explore. The color scheme adds a playful touch. She hopes to convey that reading is for everyone, and that it is a gateway to endless possibilities

 

Barrier 10: 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 2026 Summer Learning Program theme “Unearth a Story.” The mural illustrates the earliest forms of storytelling and connects them to the role of the modern library. A child sits at the entrance of a cave reading a book, while inside, early humans paint symbols, animals, and handprints onto the cave walls. The child’s light reveals these images, representing the first recorded stories long before written language existed. Today, books and libraries preserve those stories and continue the tradition of sharing knowledge. The design communicates that humans have always told stories, and the library protects and preserves them so they can live on for future generations. The mural was created utilizing acrylic paint on parachute cloth, which allows Green Ridge Elementary students to collaborate on the artwork. 

Barrier 11: Caroline Baxley
Biography: Caroline Baxley lives in Mechanicsburg with her husband, two kids, and two cats. Her favorite art to create is with watercolors and gouache, and her favorite books to read are mystery and fantasy. You can find her on any given day at her antique booth or volunteering as a Cub Scout and Girl Scout leader. Design: One of Caroline’s life goals is to discover a secret passage in an old mansion, so it’s no surprise that her favorite stories feature hidden libraries. This is what comes to mind when she imagines unearthing a story. What will the readers in her painting discover? 

Barrier 12: Lily Medina
Biography: Lily Medina, a second grader at Green Ridge Elementary, loves art, softball, her family, and her friends. She finds joy in everyday moments and brings that energy into everything she creates. Her artwork reflects her playful imagination, bright spirit, and love of storytelling. Lily sees art as a way to make people smile and feel connected.  Known for her kindness, she is often the first to offer to help others or welcome a new face. She believes small acts of care can make a big difference, just like art can. Through her cheerful, expressive style, Lily hopes to spread positivity and share joy with her community. Design: Lily’s piece imagines a woolly mammoth being “unearthed” through books. The mammoth stands in a world surrounded by open pages, showing how stories can bring the past back to life. Just as fossils are uncovered to reveal history, books help us discover lost worlds and stories of long ago. By placing the mammoth among books, Lily connects reading with exploration. Her design shows that stories don’t stay buried, they are waiting to be found, learned from, and shared. Through imagination and curiosity, we can unearth incredible stories from the past and bring them into the present.

Barrier 13: Makenzie Worley
Biography: Makenzie Worley enjoys any — and all — things art and using her creativity. She likes projects that help her improve both as an artist and a member of our community. She hopes to learn new art skills and make new friends with people who like the same things she does. Design: Two baby dinosaurs read a book about archeology together under a starry blue and purple night sky, illustrating the theme "Unearth a Story": dinosaurs fossils are typically dug up by archeologists. It also shows that readers can uncover the hidden meaning in stories, much like how archeologists uncover the hidden history in fossils.
 

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 2026.

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