AUDIO SLIDESHOW: Market House mural

Meadville Tribune

April 29, 2008 09:31 pm

— Click image for slideshow


By Penni Schaefer
Meadville Tribune
“I’ve never seen anything like it before — I thought I was dreaming!” said Nicholas Brady, 9, of Neason Hill Elementary School. “It was amazing to walk up the steps and see it finished.”
Brady was just one of about 60 Meadville students who met at the Market House on Tuesday to view the mosaic mural that they created.
“We were paired with a partner and we cut the glass, glued pieces of glass and clay onto sections and then grouted them,” Brady said. “But I really couldn’t imagine how it would look when it was finished.”
The 25-foot-long mosaic mural began on one wall on the first landing of the Market House stairwell leading to the Meadville Council on the Arts, wrapped around the inside corner and flowed up the stairs. As the sun shone through the window, bright red pieces of glass sparkled like rubies against textured pieces of handmade tiles. The red seemed to jump off the background of yellow-, chartreuse-, orange- and salmon-colored ceramic.
As the students from Neason Hill and East End elementary schools filed through the stairwell, they “oohed” and “aahhed” and then began searching for their names on the multi-toned blue portion of the mural representing Mill Run.
“I really like how it turned out,” said Shawn Peters, 10, of Neason Hill. “Each of us did such a small piece, but it seems so big now that it is put together.”
A dedication ceremony was held at the Market House to once again unite the elementary school students with the 16 Allegheny College art students who collaborated with the children for the four-month-long project.
Vickie Clark, art teacher at Neason Hill, was actively involved in the project since its inception. Though she saw the mural come to life when it was being assembled on the walls April 18 and 19, it didn’t come together until Tuesday.
“To me it wasn’t done until all of the children saw it,” Clark said. “I had to see the expression on their faces — then it was finished.”
Since its inception, Clark worked closely with local artists Valerie Gilman and Edward deFrece Grout, who played pivotal roles in the creation of the three-dimensional work of art.
After the three met for several brainstorming sessions, Gilman, a visiting assistant professor at Allegheny College, took her students on a field trip along Mill Run.
“We walked along the creek and they saw how Mill Run goes in and out around the buildings,” Gilman said. “And we thought it was interesting to see how the creek seemed to be tucked underneath the buildings.”
College students were then placed in groups to develop models of the space and create designs of what their group would do with the wall space at the Market House.
“It was fascinating because in the end we came up with a plan that everybody had in input in but no nobody owned it,” Gilman said.
Even after the group determined the “final” design and it was put in motion, the project continued to shift.
“It was interesting to see how throughout the entire process the mural gradually was changed by everyone,” Allegheny student Emily Dunn said.
The elementary school students weren’t the only ones who were amazed with the final result. Nate Yates of Allegheny called the mosaic “stunning.”
What was amazing, according to Mike VanHeyst, was seeing how the project went from an idea to a reality.
“After the initial design, it was out of our hands,” he said. “Every piece of the mosaic was picked out and placed by the kids. We only put the sections together and hung them on the wall.”
Nancy Manning, director of Meadville Council on the Arts, is excited that the mural has made its home in the Market House.
“When I see the input — what Vickie and Ed had to do to bring the project to fruition — I am so proud,” Manning said. “Already people who have heard about the project are stopping in to see it.”
During Tuesday’s dedication, Grout thanked the students. As he began to address them, his voice quivered and he apologized for “being so emotional.”
“Kids — this is yours!” he said. “This thing — this mosaic — it is yours. Hopefully what you see is a beautiful art project — a legacy.”
Next he addressed the Allegheny students.
“You guys just blew me away with your hard work and dedication in this project,” he said.
The ultimate goal of the project, according to Manning, is to show the local school boards the importance of art in the schools and generate more interest among children.

Penni Schaefer can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at pschaefer@meadvilletribune.com.

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