BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Three fine art sculptures and a mixed media arch outside the Banana Factory will not get lost in the shuffle once demolition of the cultural center begins, ArtsQuest officials said.
ArtsQuest Communications Director Jennifer LoConte said the organization will partner with Bethlehem Area Public Library to create a digital archive of the Banana Factory’s history that will live on the library’s website.
"The archive will be open to everyone and searchable by keyword."Jennifer Loconte, ArtsQuest director of communications
"The archive will include exhibition catalogs, promotional materials, photographs and more," LoConte said in an email Thursday.
"The tiles from the mosaics on the exterior of the building cannot be salvaged safely, but will instead be photographed for the archive. The archive will be open to everyone and searchable by key word."
Exterior installations, including three fine arts sculptures, will be removed and stored, she said.
LoConte said a new location is being sought for the pieces, which include the three women, titled "Homage to Humanity," by Karel Mikolas and "Joyful Experience" by Susan Smalls.
An intricate, arched, mixed-media bus shelter at the parking lot entrance on East Third Street will be professionally disassembled, LoConte said.
A man named Imagination
The shelter is among many creations in South Bethlehem by the late Gregory Warmack.
Known internationally as Mr. Imagination, Warmack first came to Bethlehem in 2000 as an artist-in-residence.
He was brought in by then-Director Diane LaBelle and her husband, Norman Girardot, a university distinguished professor emeritus of religion at Lehigh University, to work with Lehigh students.
The back wall of the bus shelter will be retained and installed within the new ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL, LoConte said.
It will have proper signage that includes information about Mr. Imagination and his work, as well as the bus shelter project specifically, she said.
The wall will be considered a preserved artifact of the former shelter.
"Additionally, the ArtsQuest Education team will develop lesson plans on Mr. Imagination and his work for our school programs and field trips, so thousands of students can learn about him and be inspired by his creativity," LoConte said.
ArtsQuest has several other works of art by Mr. Imagination in its collection that will be included in the new curriculum.
"By preserving a substantial piece of the shelter, visitors will have an opportunity to engage with Mr. Imagination’s work on our campus."ArtsQuest Director of Communications, Jennifer LoConte
"By preserving a substantial piece of the shelter, visitors will have an opportunity to engage with Mr. Imagination’s work on our campus," LoConte said.
ArtsQuest is working with architects to determine which additional building elements can be salvaged and reused or donated.
The $32 million ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL is expected to open in 2026.
