For Artzbeat ’21, creativity is art on a giant scale

This summer, a vibrant mural depicting author and poet Maya Angelou has bloomed in the Hall Manor neighborhood of Pennsylvania’s capital city, Harrisburg, its brilliant colors covering the entire side of a building in a giant portrait. 

 

The “warm and welcoming” presence is the work of Sharnee “Artzbeat” Burnett, a 2021 PCA&D graduate in Fine Art, and a Harrisburg native whose talents now shine brightly above her hometown. 

 

 

“Sprocket Mural Works did a call for artist post on their website, and I have worked with them for many other projects that were collaborative,” Artzbeat said. “I was really excited to get this project, as this was my first big solo mural project. 

 

“They communicated with the community to see what they would like to see around their neighborhood. For my assignment, it was either Martin Luther King Jr. or Maya Angelou,” and the residents’ final choice was a portrait of Angelou. “I didn’t want to choose a traditional portrait of her, and the image I chose was very lively and I believe it shows her at one of her most purest moments,” Artzbeat said. “I was also inspired by one of Maya’s quotes for this piece: ‘We admire the beauty of the butterfly, but we rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

 

The Angelou mural took Artzbeat, whose favorite artist is Van Gogh, about a week to complete.

 

 

 

Though the Hall Manor project was Artzbeat’s first solo effort, she’s been part of other mural fests in the past. And, more recently, she’s tackled two other solo projects: doors of a Harrisburg barbershop, and a mural for Consciousness Cafe in Lemoyne, where she also does live paintings. Artzbeat’s other work can also be seen throughout the region, since working with Sprocket Mural Works was her first job after high school. The Midtown Cinema, Mulberry Street Bridge, and York Mural Fest all bear her work. 

 

Artzbeat still remains impacted by her time at PCA&D, she said. 

 

“I learned how to manage my projects and time, knowing the worth of my work and my time … learning how to market myself and building up my portfolio,” she said. “I had a lot of good courses and teachers that I’m grateful for at PCA&D. But the thing that has mostly stuck with me was my drawing and painting courses. Those are the two things I enjoy the most, and lessons that I’ve gained from them definitely helped me become a better artist.”

 

When she’s not pursuing her creative career, Artzbeat works as a tour guide at the Capitol of Pennsylvania, “which I love and (I’m) surrounded by beautiful art.

“I’m truly grateful for all the support and hope I can keep making people proud through my work.”