You’ve Got a Friend
- Artist
- Aerosol Kingdom
- Location
- 1535 North 6th Street, Harrisburg, PA
Once a vibrant celebration of pet adoption and Hispanic Heritage Month, “You’ve Got a Friend” was unfortunately lost to severe water damage in 2024. Large leaks in the wall caused the paint to bubble and crack. Despite its loss, it is still remembered by many community members as a “favorite.”
Painted by Rochester-based artist Justin Suarez, also known as Aerosol Kingdom, the mural depicted the special bond between pets and their owners, reflecting the Humane Society of the Harrisburg Area’s mission.
“To me, the way to convey the mission of the Humane Society is to show an adopted pet with its owner, to illustrate that special relationship,” said Suarez of the piece. “When people see the mural, it’s my hope that they’re able to perceive the feeling and emotion captured in the image.” Suarez himself is an animal lover and a handler at his local animal sanctuary, Wild Wings.
You’ve Got a Friend was Sprocket Mural Works’ milestone 50th mural in Harrisburg.
When we painted the original mural, we didn’t see any signs of water issues. However, in 2024 we noticed the mural needed repair and suspected water damage. When we rented a lift for the weekend to investigate/scrape the damage areas, and our goal was to restore the mural. Once we got in there, we saw the wall was soaked with water and the damages were pretty extensive.
So we had a few options – within the span of a weekend we could:
- Take the whole mural down, which felt like a bummer.
- Leave the badly damaged areas blank, knowing paint won’t last there and instead paint something in the areas that seem to be sound.
So in a matter hours we decided to design something for the areas that seemed to be holding paint. Again, the middle had to be left blank because anything painted there will come down. We nicknamed this area the “danger zone” and had that song stuck in our heads all weekend.
We do not have the ability to rebuild walls and make building water tight. Unless the wall owners address the source of the water damage, this wall will keep rejecting a mural on it. That means this mural is unfortunately temporary, but we hope it’ll last at least 3-5 more years, maybe longer. At that point we may need to remove it entirely.
The Artist
Aerosol Kingdom
Justin Suarez, a native of upstate New York, is a seasoned aerosol and fine artist renowned for his expansive spray-painted murals celebrating wildlife. With over two decades of experience, Suarez has adorned urban landscapes across the US and exhibited globally. Combining the agility of a raptor with his expertise as a bird handler at Wild Wings Animal Sanctuary, Suarez collaborates seamlessly with fellow artists, displaying punctuality, logistical mastery, and teamwork. In 2015, he co-founded Roc Paint Division, empowering Rochester’s youth through mural arts, employment, and training, leaving a lasting impact on the community for generations to come.