PROJECTS
Brush With the Law creates community art projects throughout Montgomery County, PA and the greater Philadelphia area in partnership with schools, libraries, municipalities, nonprofits, professional artists, and local volunteers. Through murals, public art, park beautification, and creative placemaking, we transform shared spaces while creating inclusive opportunities for students, justice-impacted individuals, people completing community service hours, behavioral health communities, and others who are often left out of traditional creative spaces.
Jump to: Featured Projects | Community Murals | Beautification, Mosaic & Park Projects | Installations & Awareness Projects
Featured Projects
Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard Mural
Brush With the Law created a community mural for Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard in Ambler, celebrating neighbors helping neighbors and the strength found in caring for one another.
Schuylkill River Trail Mural & Bike Art Installation
Brush With the Law collaborated with Expressive Path to create a bike-inspired mural and public art installation along the Schuylkill River Trail near the Norristown SEPTA station. The project celebrates movement, trail safety, and community connection through bold bridge imagery, colorful bike wheel sculptures, and stepping stones.
Norristown Police Station Mural
The Norristown Police Station mural was a significant early project for Brush With the Law and helped bring the program from inside MCCF into the wider community. People incarcerated at Montgomery County Correctional Facility helped design and paint elements of the mural, while police officers, people on probation, and individuals completing community service worked together on the installation and painting at the Norristown Police Station.
The mural was dedicated to Lt. Patty Simons, the first female police officer of the Norristown Police Department, and honored her legacy following her death from breast cancer in 2007. Although the station has since moved and the mural no longer exists, the project remains an important part of Brush With the Law’s history and mission.
5535-2017: Opioid Awareness Memorial Installation
5,535 is a mixed media installation and chandelier sculpture created by Maria Maneos to memorialize the 5,535 people who died from heroin and opioid-related causes in Pennsylvania in 2017. Made with 5,535 clear glassine baggies, crystal beads, and monofilament, the work transforms materials associated with addiction into a suspended memorial of loss, reflection, and public awareness.
The installation received First Prize in Sculpture at Art of the State in Harrisburg, PA in 2018 and was acquired by The State Museum of Pennsylvania through a Purchase Prize Award.
Community Murals
Brush With the Law creates murals in partnership with community organizations, treatment and recovery programs, correctional settings, and public spaces. Some mural projects are featured individually, while others are grouped here as part of our ongoing collaborative work throughout the region.
Tape Mural at HopeWorx
Brush With the Law created a large-scale tape mural at HopeWorx in Norristown using painter’s tape, vinyl, and other adhesive materials. The mural transformed an ordinary wall into a bold geometric composition while inviting hands-on participation and experimentation.
Montgomery County Correctional Facility Murals
Brush With the Law has created multiple murals within Montgomery County Correctional Facility, including projects in the Community Building, Women’s Library, Women’s Visitation Room, and the visitation room for mothers and their children. These murals brought color, dignity, and creative expression into spaces that are often stark and emotionally difficult.
Penn Foundation – Village of Hope
Brush With the Law worked with Penn Foundation’s Village of Hope to create a mural in a residential recovery setting, contributing beauty, encouragement, and a sense of shared purpose to the space.
Montgomery County Emergency Services
Brush With the Law partnered on mural work connected to Montgomery County Emergency Services, using art to create more welcoming and human-centered environments.
Beautification, Mosaic & Park Projects
In addition to murals, Brush With the Law brings creative placemaking into gardens, parks, trails, and shared neighborhood spaces through mosaics, painted structures, and functional public art.
Norristown Community Garden
Brush With the Law helped beautify the Norristown Community Garden, a welcoming neighborhood space that brought residents together through growing, learning, and service. Participants helped build and paint wooden entrance gates and created bright mosaic numbered plot markers using tile, glass, and reflective materials.
Victory Park – Royersford, PA
Brush With the Law helped bring color and creativity to Victory Park in Royersford by painting a series of park benches with playful, eye-catching designs. Each bench was transformed into a cheerful piece of public art for the community to enjoy.
Royersford Schuylkill River Trail – Mosaic Stepping Stones
Brush With the Law created mosaic stepping stones for the Royersford Schuylkill River Trail, adding handcrafted visual interest and a sense of discovery to the trail environment while giving participants a meaningful public art project to work on together.
Mosaic Furniture
Brush With the Law has also created mosaic furniture projects that transform everyday objects into colorful, functional works of art for community and shared spaces.
Related work: Maria Maneos’s installation Under the Microscope explores themes of mental health, addiction, incarceration, and caregiving that closely connect to the mission of Brush With the Law.