Sunday 14 July 2013

Art students from Upper Iowa University create mural for Prairie View

art studentsart mural students
At left: UIU student Troy Parker explains his vision for the mural painted by UIU students at Prairie View Residential Care to Robin Martin of Prairie View, and fellow students Dylan Langerman-Aten, Fayette, and Elizabeth Roenecker, Maynard . The mural creates "stained glass windows" for residents of the facility. At right: UIU art students involved in the project included Travis Huckins, Maynard; Lesley Codd, Belize; Langerman-Aten; and Wisconsin students Maria Linhart and Nikk Boggs.

FAYETTE, Iowa (May 20, 2013) – Art class at Upper Iowa University has been teaching more than brush strokes this spring term. Students in the "Painting" course created a mural for Prairie View Residential Care in Fayette.

"Everything aligned for the class this spring. Not only were we able to focus on the process and techniques of painting, but we also were able to focus on how to extend what we were doing in class to the greater world; and that is that is when the class really heated up," said John Siblik, associate professor of art and interim dean of the UIU School of Liberal Arts. "Robin Martin of Prairie View contacted us to find out if we were interested in doing a mural at the facility. The Art Club had recently completed a mural in nearby Clermont as well as a mural for the North Fayette Middle School; so the word was out -- the UIU Art Department is serious about working with the community in our surrounding area."

Siblik said UIU mural work was also a byproduct of the recent visit of artist Sharon De La Cruz, a muralist and activist from New York City. De La Cruz worked with UIU students to complete a mural project that focused on the environment.

"Sharon inspired our students in the painting class to work in innovative ways and get involved in the community," Siblik said.

Troy Parker, a junior art and graphic design major from Australia, took the lead on the Prairie View project and submitted design ideas to Sylvia Mork, Prairie View Management administrator and CEO. From there, a color scheme was developed and the layout of the mural began. UIU students worked on the mural over the course of several weeks.

"The students wanted to transform a long hallway at the facility, which was becoming more than a place to pass through and more of a place where residents congregate and talk," Siblik explained. "The mural acts like windows of stained glass where the imagination can wonder, linger and ponder."

"Upper Iowa University is an asset and resource to our community," Mork said. "This project has enriched the lives of our clients, visitors and staff. It has been a win-win situation, and I hope it will be the beginning of many projects that we can work on together with UIU art students."

About Upper Iowa University Founded in 1857, Upper Iowa University is a private, not-for-profit university providing undergraduate and graduate degree programs and leadership development opportunities to some 6,200 students—nationally and internationally—at its Fayette campus and learning centers worldwide. Upper Iowa University is a recognized innovator in offering accredited, quality programs through flexible, multiple delivery systems, including online and independent study. For more information, visit www.uiu.edu.


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