As a weekend excursion, the Haller group took a trip to Millvale today to explore Maxo Vanka’s murals in St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church. For those unfamiliar, Maxo Vanka was a Croatian painter who immigrated to the US in the early 1900s. He was commissioned by the newly-rebuilt St. Nicholas Church to paint their walls. Among the tens of stories depicted in the intricate paintings, I resonated with the large picture of Mary above the altar. Having grown up in a peasant family and with a hardworking adoptive mother, Vanka’s portrayal of Mary differs from any other I’d ever seen. In contrast to the light, bright blue-eyed, adolescent woman, Vanka featured harsher colors, more masculine tones, and a huge scale in his rendition. This struck me as his way of expressing Millvale’s strength and perseverance during wartime, immigration struggles, and punishing working conditions. He specifically placed this mammoth portrait of Mary in the very center of the sanctuary, overlooking the altar for everyone to see. I think that especially women at the time–1940s–would have used that painting to motivate their own strength and fortitude in overcoming personal and familial challenges. Furthermore, Vanka’s abundant comparisons of traditional Croatian culture and post-immigration industrial lifestyle struck me as a very intense struggle that his community faced. Though they came to America hoping for better, they still managed discrimination, homesickness, terrible work, wartime stressors, and financial issues. I can only imagine their question: is the grass really greener here in the US? Vanka’s murals contemplate the risk vs reward of their relocation, the cultural sacrifices they made to integrate within a new country. I would also venture to say that being such a small area, Millvale has constructed a disproportionately large reputation for its size, largely due to the efforts and pride of its people. As a home to immigrant populations, Millvale’s history has focused around its residents working doubly as hard to pursue opportunity. That drive to work, to pass down pride and wealth to younger generations, has shaped the community’s impact on the rest of Pittsburgh. Outwardly, Millvale seems somewhat dilapidated, but in my experience, it draws crowds to its churches and recreational scene. It bears the legacies of many who will not be forgotten by the community, making it a very permanent and integral neighborhood of Pittsburgh. I very much enjoyed this daytrip and look forward to coming back.