Exploring Sense of Community and Place Identity via Murals: A Photovoice Study in the Anthracite Coal Region of Northeastern Pennsylvania, USA

The symbols and imagery painted in public murals play a powerful role in shaping a sense of community and place identity. This study within the anthracite coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania employed a photovoice method in which participants took photographs for critical discussion, analyzed them, and presented findings in an art installation. Participants’ photography of murals and other subjects served as a foundation for a community-engaged exploration of sense of community and place identity, with the overall aim of examining how residents interpret, respond to, and coproduce meaning from the content and themes found within local murals. The creative acts involved in the photovoice process offered an accessible way to engage in a higher form of critical analysis and communicate findings in modes beyond written academic language. The results were presented in the form of an immersive canopy-style art installation. Artists, policymakers, and community members walked beneath woven yarn canopies that showed key themes of social responsibility, holistic well-being, and the history and future of the region resonated the most with participants. The immersive art installation turned research findings into a public conversation, highlighting how intentional knowledge translation could promote community dialogue about sense of community and place identity.