Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka

The Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka is a 501 (c)(3) organization founded in 1991 dedicated to the preservation, promotion and public accessibility of the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka.

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2016, SPMMMV leads fundraising and public outreach efforts to support the conservation and lighting of Vanka's Murals. Since 2009, SPMMMV's team of highly trained conservators have completed the repair and cleaning of 10 of the 25 Murals in St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Millvale. In March 2016, SPMMMV unveiled Phase I of the Clear Story lighting design that included the installation of electrical infrastructure and 95% of the controls needed to support the entire project and the permanent lighting of four murals: Justice, Injustice, Prudence and Mati 1941. An additional four murals -- Crucifixion, Pieta, Croatian Mother Raises Her Son for War and Immigrant Mother Raises Her Sons for Industry -- through the generosity of individual donors will be illuminated in November. SPMMMV is actively raising funds to complete the final two Murals in Phase I of the Conservation -- Mary on the Battlefield and Christ on the Battlefield -- in early 2017.

SPMMMV fulfills its mission to provide public access to the Murals through its Docent Program. Its trained volunteer docents provide regular viewing opportunities for the general public on Saturday at 11:00am, 12:00Noon and 1:00pm. The 45-minute tour and viewing includes a telling of the fascinating story of how they came to be painted and why they remain a significant work of art. They also provide private and group tours by request. Tours are free of charge although donations are encouraged and gratefully accepted. SPMMMV also sells mural-related merchandise to support its programs and operations.

In honor of its 75th Anniversary, SPMMMV launched a Speaker Series featuring academics and professionals presenting on topics related to the history, science and art of Vanka's paintings. The presentations are open to the public and free of charge. SPMMMV intends to continue this type of public education and outreach in the coming years.

Testimonials

"The murals are beautiful and inspiring and we should all be grateful for the efforts to preserve this treasure." Diane Dorrell Zebrine, Visitor

"...a one-of-a-kind Pittsburgh art treasure that we hope will endure for generations." - Milton Fine, Chair, The Fine Foundation

"The church is Croatian and the murals, by Maxo Vanka, are spectacular. The Diego Riviera of Pittsburgh, I would say." - David Byrne, musician

"Throughout the early 20th century, Pittsburgh symbolized the industrial heart of America and its future promise. Dwelling on themes of labor exploitation and war, Vanka's Millvale murals introduced a skeptical counterpoint into visions of that promise. But in their profound empathy for the plight of whites as well as blacks, Croatian-Americans as well as African-Americans, Vanka's murals expose another, though less appreciated, aspect of Pittsburgh's historic legacy. Reminding us of the rich and diverse cultural heritage that constituted this city in its industrial heyday, Vanka's Millvale murals preserve an awareness of the conflicts and possibilities that defined Pittsburgh, its social fabric, and its role in what America was and the promise of what it could be in the modern era." -- Dr. Barbara McCloskey, University of Pittsburgh

"I love everything about these Murals: the celebration of Pittsburgh's labor and immigrant history, the bold statement of social justice, and the absolute unique rendering of Catholic imagery. Painted in 1937 and 1941, during the depths of the Great Depression and just as World War II was escalating, Vanka's paintings put forth a dramatic anti-war statement and raise the lives and struggles of immigrant laborers to a sacred level." -- Dr. Sylvia Rhor, Carlow University