Spring Break and the Mural Begin

The Department of Art Education would like to wish everyone a safe and happy spring break. Over the course of spring break, which spans from March 7-11, the department will not post any blogs.

*MURAL CURRENTLY SUSPENDED*

To the FSU and Tallahassee Community,

Despite the department and the Mural Team’s due diligence in working with Florida State University to obtain and secure the intended wall for this year’s Opening Nights mural project, and our work in communicating with all parties involved, there is now a discrepancy of ownership between the university and another party–despite FSU’s and our best attempts to renegotiate and compromise, representatives of the group have ejected the mural team off the wall and has refused them the opportunity to complete the painting. I apologize if you had planned on working on it and had arranged for your school and community groups to come out and paint, but the scaffolding, barring any last minute reversal, is coming down Thursday, March 10th, and there will be no mural painted during spring break. Needless to say,this came as quite a surprise for us and the team, who worked very hard on this project, and are very disappointed and frustrated, but they have demonstrated nothing but the most professional demeanor and flexibility. We will be revisiting a mural project for the May break. Thank you all for your help and support for this project, and we will keep you updated with any future mural projects.

All my best,
Dave

David Gussak, PhD, ATR-BC
The Florida State University
Professor/Chair, Department of Art Education

Instead, members of the department will be working on the 2016 Community Mural Project.

The theme of this year’s mural is Tally Arts. The mural emphasizes that a community thrives by highlighting the artistic talents and gifts of its members. As a result, figures within the mural represent diverse ethnicities, a range of ages, skills, and a plethora of art-related fields, like the fine arts, performing arts, and culinary arts. The mural also incorporates central landmarks in Tallahassee, like Railroad Square Art Park and Cascade Park Amphitheater.

Work on the mural will begin March 5th and end March 14th from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 398 S Macomb St, Tallahassee, FL 32301. The department invites community members of all ages and skill levels to aid its creation.

You can express your interest in attending the Opening Night of the Community Mural Project on March 5, 2016, on the department’s Facebook page.

Mural Design