The Berks Pretzel Collection
In partnership with Reading's sister city, Reutlingen, Germany; this project brought together mnay local artists and youth from both cities to form a remarkable collection of paintings based on a pretzel shape.
Location
Reading State Office Building
Reading State Office Building
South 7th Street,
Reading, PA 19602
Project Support
Sponsors:
Science Research Institute at Albright College
Berks Arts
Wyomissing Area Jr. - Sr. High School
Mural design and fabrication:
Total Experience Learning Summer Program Students
Youth from Johannes-Kepler-Gymnasium,
Reutlingen, Germany
Governor Mifflin High School Art Students
Local artists
Project completion
2020
About the Project
The Berks Pretzel Collection began with Reading’s participation in a Street Art Festival in Reutlingen, Germany (Reading’s sister city) in May 2019. Local artists sent about 80 small paintings of pretzels shown in many different styles.
Our local collection became an extension of that original project and includes the work of local artists as well as students of the Johannes-Kepler-Gymnasium in Reutlingen, Germany. The collection was painted in the early days of the Covid 19 Pandemic, which required some adaptive painting studios for better ventilation. The State Building site is highly accessible to pedestrians and displays nearly one hundred paintings.
The Berks pretzel collection continues to grow, with plans to install more of these paintings throughout Berks County.