Conway Mural Project

Thanks

2007-10-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

I want to take a moment, here at the end of the project and say thanks. This has truly been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Never have I seen so much cooperation, eagerness, and appreciation of a public art project from any community--not to mention a city office and council--as I have seen here in Conway.

On behalf of artists, students, teachers and art administrators everywhere, I wish to express my deepest gratitude and accolades for your candor and progressive attitude for the arts in Conway. This attitude is readily apparent in the new growth that I have seen in Conway since my 10-year absence, and I believe that it is this attitude that will continue to make this city prosper.

Again, thank you to

The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication:

Dean Rollin Potter

Associate Dean Dr. Gayle Seymour

Mike Castens

Carol Griffith

Donna Stephens

Office of the Mayor:

Mayor Tab Townsell

Felicia Rogers

Jamie Gates

Conway City Council:

Andy Hawkins
David Grimes
Mark Vaught
Shelley Mehl
Jack Bell
Mary Smith
Theodore Jones, Jr.
Shelia Whitmore

Conway City Planning: Bryan Patrick

Conway Public Art Committee:

Becky Harris

Caroline Hansen

Barbara Satterfield

Bryan Patrick

Dr. Gayle Seymour

City of Conway Physical Plant: Tony Heffington and the gang

Conway Tree Board: Wes Craiglow, Chairman

The Conway Downtown Partnership:

Amy Reed

TJ Johnston

Mike's Place

American Management Corporation: David Grimes

The UCA Art Department:

Dr. Jeff Young, Dept. Chair

Stephanie Crain

Jennifer Rospert, Assistant Professor of Art

Carrie Dyer, Assistant Professor of Art

Sue Tebo, Slide Archivist

Dr. Deb Kuster, Assistant Professor of Art Education

Pat Larsen and Professor emeritus Gene Hatfield (who both gave me my start in public art)

UCA Students:

Ed Kowalsky
Tony Leopard
Melissa Marple
Lauren Crymes
Lauren Smith
Sarah Waller
Raelyn Lawson
Beth Hull
Melissa Kordsmeier
Kelly Helfrich
Aimee Laflamme
Chris O'Quin
Jack Reed
Reed Simpson
Lena Murfin
Anne Sebourn
Ashley Grimes

Especially,

Scott Meador, Professor, Mass Commincations and Theatre (who not only video-documented the project, but spent many long hours painting on the mural)

Kerry Tindal, UCA Art Education student who stayed through thick and thin, not getting class credit but wishing to learn this process so that she can replicate it in her work with public schools

Sigma Sigma Sigma: Kyna Hockenberry

President Lou Hardin and Mary Hardin

Russ Hancock, Director of Publications

Dr. Amy Amy, Assistant Professor of Public Relations

Jack Gillean, UCA General Counsel
Tom Courtway, UCA General Counsel

Mike Kemp, University Photographer

Heather Kendrick, UCA Channel 6
Wayne Bailey, UCA Channel 6
David Keith, UCA Chanel 6

Conway Boys and Girls Club:

Mike Neuhoefel and Alley Burke (the teacher-girl in the mural)

Conway Public Schools:

Carl Stuart Midle School/Becky Thornton

Ellen Smith Elementary/Renee Thrash

Julia Lee Moore Elementary/Will Fisher

Ruth Doyle Intermediate/Jessica Peterson

Simon Intermediate/Chris Massingill

Jim Stone Elementary/Mrs. Hammons

Conway West High School/Susanne Kunkel and Carla Owen

Marguerite Vann Elementary/Lori Cullum

Sallie Cone Elementary/Christina Rhye

St. Joseph/Patricia McCauley and Penny Basham

Theodore Jones Elementary/Sally Allinder

Faulkner County Library: Sarah Mattingly

Darragh Construction:

Larry Peale
Logan Moss

Log Cabin Democrat
Carey Tai
Joe Lamb
Akira Horiike

The Echo
Michael Ward
Brittney Newborn
Robert Haynes

The Vino
Kendra Kersh

UCA Magazine
Sonja Keith

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Tammy Keith
Debra Hale-Shelton
Kane Webb

The Conway Community:

Linda Paxton (niece of Florence Mattison)
Bill and Virginia Nutter
Bill Bethea
Gene Hatfield
Bob and Armilda McCormick
Toni Johnson

Thanks to you all for your help, support, and faith in this project.

Until next time-

Cheers!

Morton Brown

Artist Journal 10-06-07

2007-10-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

Celebration day! Saturday, October 6th--the day we all have been waiting for. The first annual Conway ArtsFest was a huge success. With over 300 persons--young and old---in attendance, the celebration of the mural, and the arts in Conway was a 5 hour showcase of Conway treasures.

The day began with displays of public art created by local Conway Public School children. Over 9 local schools had been working with the UCA Art Education Department for the past 6 weeks, to include the mural, public art in general and Conway history in their curriculums. Dr. Deb Kuster worked very closely with Dr. Seymour and I to come up with project ideas and to devise a means to display the artwork on October 6th.

The results of this work were amazing! Some schools did a unit on superheroes--taking a cue from the flying kid in the mural. Some decided that the flying kid night be lonely in the mural, so they created papier mache "pets" for her. Others colaborated on painting small murals on single bricks--priming, painting, then installing them in a decorative fashion onsite--mimicking the mural process, but also symbolizing the "building blocks" of the community. This activity was the most striking of all to me, as it reached so many young people and taught them so much about art, history, and giving back to the community. Good job!

At 12noon, the UCA Pinnacle Brass started the event with a concert in Simon Park, the site of the mural. At 12:30pm, it was time to dedicate the mural. Mayor Tab Townsell spoke first, expressing his deep appreciation for the work and care that went into this mural and stated that this mural would be cherished as a source of pride for the city for years to come. I felt his sincerity, especially since he had his mother make a quilt-cape (and found some pink glasses) for his two year old daughter Riley, who made a grand entrance as the flying kid from the mural.

I was up next. I thanked everyone involved, and gave a brief description of the figures and objects that constituted the mural image. I went on to announce that we had finally given the mural a title: Aurora Rising. Dr. Gayle Seymour actually gave me this title, after she and I struggled over ideas for several weeks.

The title relates to the Roman goddes of the dawn--Aurora--who leads us into the new day, and also reflects the idea of the "borealis" effect of the sky's filigree. The "rising" part of the title is also very important, as it denotes the idea of Conway being a progressive city, still striving to better itself---rising toward tomorrow.

Dean Rollin Potter of the UCA College of Fine Arts and Comminication and Hendrix Provost Robert Entzminger rounded out the ceremony with wonderful accolades of the project, but also spoke about how this (first ever) partnership between our schools and the city of Conway would not end here, but continue into future endeavors.

The event quickly launched into a dance performance by the Hendrix dance troupe that enacted Anansi Does the Impossible, a famous African folktale put to interpretive movement and dramatic speech. Next up was the Arkansas Shakespeare Company that did a rather comical, three-man rendition of Romeo and Juliet. It was silly, but really well done and had the entire crowd enthralled and laughing histerically.

As soon as the performances had subsided, the moderator, Matt Chiorini, directed the group to Mike's Place across the street where a series of short films were on display, created by students of the UCA Mass Communications and Theatre Department. Scott Meador, who had documented the mural project, had a short film on the mural but also displayed many student-made short films for our enjoyment.

The day culminated in a concert back at Hendrix, with shuttle buses taking attendees to and from that event.

This was an amazing event, that was inspirational in its sheer coordination of so many different organizations and community members all coming together to show their support and appreciation. I believe that this is proof that this city loves art, loves its artists, and is hungry and ready to produce more public art.

Artist Journal 10-05-07

2007-10-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

The mural is finished. My students and I have been working around the clock, touching up and finally applying the clear acrylic clear coat--the day before the scaffolding crew arrived.

On Friday, October 5th, the men from Darragh Construction arrived at 7am to dismantle the scaffolding. They were amazed that the mural was finished within 6 weeks of their first visit, and of its quality.

After taking about 6 hours to install, the scaffolding came down in under 2 hours...leaving the mural looking very good, but rather naked after seeing it for so long through the bars and stairwell...

-Morton

Artist Journal 10-01-07

2007-10-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

The final week-the scaffolding crew will be here on Friday to dismantle, so my students and I are feverishly working to make final adjustments, touch up drips, and to get two coats of clear varnish over the entire mural by Thursday morning.

The mural dedication ceremony is this Saturday. Dubbed "Conway ArtsFest", this day-long celebration will not only officially hand over the mural to the community, but also showcase the artwork done by local public school children done in response to the mural, a dance troupe from Hendrix, a performance by the Arkansas Shakespeare Company, The UCA Pinnacle Brass Band, and film shorts provided by the UCA Mass Communications and Theatre Department.

We also installed our large banner to the right of the mural, in preparation for the day-

It is going to be down to the wire...

-Morton

Artist Journal 9-25-07

2007-10-10T07:07:00.000-07:00

More night work this time, and more help from other UCA students and faculty. UCA professor Scott Meador, of the Mass Communications and Theatre Department, and UCA student Melissa Kordsmeier started spending nights and weekends at the site, greatly aiding us in our work.

My daughter, Lily, also came down for a picnic one Sunday and helped by painting the pants of the Train Dispatcher.

-Morton

Artist Journal 9-20-07

2007-10-10T06:02:00.000-07:00

The mural painting has been progressing nicely, but the deadline of October 6th is looming. The weather has not been cooperating, either. At this point, the rain has caught us abou four or fivr times, dragging our freshly painted figures all the way down the wall.

Not to be undone, however, my students and I have began working during the night so that we can regain some of the lost time and effort.

We will make it, one way or another

-Morton

Artist Journal by Raelyn Lawson, UCA student

2007-10-10T05:48:00.000-07:00

I originally signed up to work on the mural because I wanted to learn the process. Now that this project is nearing its completion, I can say that this experience has largely been a positive one, but I can also say that I don’t see myself becoming a muralist professionally –at least not an outdoor one. While I love painting large, painting outdoors has its extra challenges. In the beginning of the semester, the heat made work hours considerably uncomfortable. At times, the sun’s brightness could be overwhelming and made it difficult to see, and of course, there was always the threat of rain, which would prevent us from working and cause wet paint to run down the wall. An outdoor muralist also has the challenge of ensuring that the mural is of high enough quality that it will not be damaged by weather in the years to come. Overall, I enjoyed working on the mural. I love the idea of public art and the idea of knowing that I participated in something that will last as long as city hall. I like doing collaborative projects with other artists. However, despite all the positives, I have to say that if I ever paint another mural, I can say for certain that it won’t contain lots of small, extraordinarily detailed buildings.

Raelyn Lawson, UCA student

Artist Journal 9-10-07

2007-09-10T06:51:00.000-07:00

We have been making good progress on the mural, but the October 6th deadline is looming. The weather has not been cooperating, either. Twice now, the rain has caught us and the paint has washed down the wall.

Not to be undone, however, we are bringing lights to the site and will continue to work into the night.

We have also been visited by several classes from St. Joseph, and are expecting Sallie Cone tomorrow. The younger students have been doing a great job, and they seem to understand this process (even the WHY behind it) even better than some of us "older" folk.

And lastly, I brought the flying kid model--my daughter, Lily--by the site to compare her portrait...she approved of it (by the way, she has had a haircut since the original pose...)

We will keep plugging away--see you soon~

-Morton

9-10-07

Artist Journal by Lauren Smith, UCA Student

2007-09-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

8/28/08

When I first learned of Morton Brown coming to UCA to work on a mural in Conway I was exicited and intrigued. I love the idea of all of us working together to create something meaningful and beautiful for our growing city.

I went to a few talks and thought it was brilliant to 'spice' up Conway's main area. I was unaware; however, that I and the rest of my classmates would be joining Mr. Brown in constructing this mural. Honestly, I was a little intimidated. Large scale anything frightens me, and I have a strong fear of heights. Putting heights aside, I really was just nervous about being a part of something, that I had come to realize, was a really big deal for Conway and the community. I had no prior knowledge of how to create a mural or the process. I just knew you had to be a dedicated person...especially now that it is so hot outside. (and believe me, I wanted to give up on the first day when we primed in 103 degree heat. I didn't!)

I have learned a lot from this experience so far. Not only about the processes, which are extensive, but also the historical background of Conway. For me, this mural means more than just a mural for Conway. It is a test. A test to see if I can do it..to dedicated myself, to push myself, to not be afraid of painting something important to everyone, or even falling off a scaffold. :)

Lauren Smith
Senior

Artist Journal 8-28-07 by Lauren Crymes, UCA student

2007-08-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

Artist Journal
8-28-07
by
Lauren Crymes, UCA student

8/17/07 This was the first day that I worked on the mural. At this point the wall had already been primed and the grid had been put on as well. We began to draw figures and other features of the mural in pencil, while Morton worked directly in paint on the largest figure.

8/21/07 Today most of what was drawn in pencil had to be moved as they were off one block. This was fixed and painting on the three figures in the background. I found that keeping things in perspective was difficult because of the scale of the mural. While working on one section it can be hard to keep the whole in mind simply because you cannot see it all unless you get off the scaffolding. I also found that the acrylic paint dried fast, especially in the heat of the day. This is good for covering any painting mistakes as you paint over them. Today was also cooler, so I noticed how much working in the heat actually takes out of you.

8/23/07 This was an actual class day. Instead of painting we went into the conference room to learn more about the process of the mural. The class looked at other murals, learned how the community must be taken into account and heard, while we also saw other ways murals can be done, such as on parachute fabric glued to the actual brick. We also discussed movable murals, the times at which we could meet to work on the mural, and what we would actually start doing first.

Artist Journal 8-22-07 by UCA student Kerry Tindall

2007-08-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

Design with grid

First sketch on wall

Mural site primed

UCA student Kerry Tindall at work

Scaffolding being erected

Filigree in sky is being drawn

First sketch of large arm on wall

Flying kid is roughed in as Kerry

works

Student Artist Journal
Kerri Tindall

8/13/07 Monday Scaffolding is being constructed.

8/14/07 Tuesday Meeting with teachers at Mike’s Place then met at city hall to brainstorm ideas for the dedication on the 6th of October. Several ideas, from trashcan decorating to sidewalk chalk, were discussed. Morton showed a power point presentation of the recent projects he has been working on. This seemed like a time to get to know the local art teachers and the opportunities for the children in the local area through field trips to the mural site.

8/15/07 Wednesday This was the first day of actual preparation of the brick surface that will be the canvas for the new community mural. We used a white primer to cover the entire surface of the brick sealing the surface for the acrylic paint that is being used to create the mural. The priming was not time consuming or difficult-Paint, brush, cover-very simple. We were able to get a majority of the wall completed today.

8/16/07 Thursday Returned to find the remainder of the wall completed. We did go back over any areas that needed a second coat of primer to protect the life of the mural. Once this was completed, we used a chalk line, level and tape measure to create a twelve inch by twelve-inch grid over the entire wall. We started with the horizontal lines and then the vertical lines.

8/17/07 Friday Figures were placed on the grid in the appropriate places with pencil. Morton started on the largest girl in the foreground with paint. I started laying in the horizon line in the middle ground and two other students came and positioned other figures in the areas that they needed to be.

8/20/07 Monday OH HAPPY DAY! As a young artist, you do not really want to make those “big” mistakes, yet we do. We make mistakes, learn from our mistakes, and continue. When using grids make sure that all concerned are counting from the same beginning block. I was one block off throwing everything to the right twelve inches. After taking the majority of this day correcting my error I continued with the contour drawing on the grid. This part seems to be time consuming and a process that is very tedious. I realize the importance of accuracy. Without accuracy, the composition will not be rendered, as the mural should.

8/21/07 Tuesday We are continuing to place figures on the grid. We have the three historical figures, the teacher, and four sesame street characters drawn in. We are working to complete the contour drawings of the dispatcher and conductor. Morton has the largest figure partially painted in and is working on the filigree parts of the composition. This is truly a team effort to complete what we have in less than one week.

Student Artist Journal
Kerri Tindall

A student’s perspective:

I was at the first brainstorming meeting back in February of this year and a couple of meetings since. I realize how much information is taken into consideration to bring this mural to a final composition ready to paint. With no experience in working on a large-scale paintings, drawings or sketches this mural was very over whelming. One observation I made in the initial process is that the wall is so large. When you look at the pictures on the web page or the print outs it does not compare to the large scale that the composition takes on. Morton expressed that we have to imagine in our mind on a larger scale. Even in the grid process, standing directly on the scaffolding takes things out of perspective. You can get lost easily if you do not keep an eye on the grid lines. Another observation was when the line drawings of the figures started to take place. The more figures drawn, the more you can relate to the composition as the mural that it is intended to be. Another factor that is taken into consideration is the weather. The heat has been almost intolerable last week. This week has been cooler and makes the work much more enjoyable. Over all, the hard work, the mistakes and corrections, and the learning process have been worth all the heat that we have endured so far. I am pleased at the progress that we have made and am looking forward to seeing where we are at this time next week.

Artist Journal 8-09-07

2007-08-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

Artist’s Journal
Morton Brown
8.9.07

As of July 24th, the Conway City Council has officially approved the mural design and plans for renovation of Simon Park. Everyone involved, from City Planning and the Public Art Committee to the Office of the Mayor, City Council and the Tree Board have truly made some thoughtful decisions and facilitated this entire process with such openness and professionalism, that it has made us all look good—and me very proud.

I will be in Conway beginning August 13th (next Monday at 7am), at which time the scaffolding will be erected at City Hall. I am fortunate to be teaching three classes at UCA this fall, in conjunction to the mural, one of which will allow students to actually participate on the mural painting itself. My students and I will begin work on the mural immediately after scaffolding installation and continue through early October.

Please come by the mural site at 1201 Oak Street, see the progress, and say howdy to the mural gang. We will be onsite (guaranteed) Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-10:30am and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 6-9pm. I will be onsite at various other times, but I know that I and some students will be there at the above times.

During the mural painting process, I will be handing the artist journal practice over to my students. Each week during the mural painting period, one student will submit to you and to the website blog (www.uca.edu/mural) a journal and photo-documentation from his or her perspective as muralist apprentice. This should make for a very interesting analysis and documentation of the process as it unfolds.

The UCA television station, channel 6, will also be on hand (and have been present from the beginning) to document the process throughout. They are also working with me right now, in collaboration with the Conway Downtown Partnership, to place a revolving loop of video that explains the mural process thus far through images and text via a large video screen that will remain in the storefront of Ed Camp’s in downtown throughout the painting period.

Also, I am meeting with Conway Public School teachers on August 14th at the mural site, coordinated by Dr. Gayle Seymour and Dr. Deb Kuster in order to talk about how we can integrate this mural project (and potentially other types of public art) into the schools’ curriculum. I expect that many schools will either make mural site filed trips, or schedule a time that I could come talk to their classes. Either way, I am very excited about this aspect of the project as it truly extends the artwork beyond its basic goals, and connects local institutions of learning and young people—offering not only an appreciation for art, but a recollection of the City’s history and people.

Two upcoming dates for you to mark on your calendar:

August 30th, 7pm at UCA, McCastlain Hall, room 143 (lecture hall next to Baum Gallery) : Artist Lecture on the Conway Community Mural Project

And—keep the afternoon of Saturday, October 6th open as we hold our Conway Community Mural Dedication Celebration in Downtown Conway! We are planning an afternoon full of music, family activities and talks by the artist, UCA faculty and Conway city officials. Open and free to the public-come join our celebration of your new mural!

Lastly, I would like to offer a special thanks this week to our partners who have made an extra effort within the last few weeks to get this project off the ground:

Office of the Mayor: Felicia Rogers, Jamie Gates and Mayor Townsell

City Planning/Tree Board: Bryan Patrick and Wes Craiglow

Conway Downtown Partnership: Amy Reed

Conway City Council

Thanks as always.

Morton Brown
Artist in Residence
UCA
412.901.1546 cell
Bromorton@gmail.com

Final Mural Design

2007-06-05T05:38:00.000-07:00

Artist Statement
Morton Brown

As part of University of Central Arkansas’s Centennial celebration, I was commissioned to bring to Conway a public art process that I helped create in Pittsburgh, Pa. in 2003. Over the past months, I have had the wonderful opportunity to engage Conway residents, UCA faculty and students in a dialogue—in person and through email and blogging—around this collaborative mural project.

UCA has brought me to Pittsburgh on two occasions to lead community dialogue sessions around the mural project. Many invitations went out to residents and students and newspaper articles helped draw over sixty attendees to my first visit on February 15. At this meeting, held at Don Owen Sports Center in Conway, I led a brief tutorial of images of murals from around the world tracing my personal experience from Clinton, Arkansas through Philadelphia and Pittsburgh then launched into a brainstorming session in which over sixty community members and students of all ages voiced ideas of subject matter for the mural. All ideas were recorded, placed on the mural website, and emailed back to the community group.

After the initial meeting, I traveled back to Pittsburgh and began working on the design in response to the ideas generated by the community. Students, faculty of UCA, and community members helped me research images of Conway’s history as I worked on the design over the course of about six weeks. Each week, I delivered a design iteration along with an artist journal via email to the community group as well as faculty and students of UCA that had signed up for the list. I received feedback through email and the online blog throughout this process that was very helpful in keeping the collaboration going throughout the design phase.

On April 12, I traveled to Arkansas once again to present my preliminary mural design and lead a discussion with the group, asking for feedback, comments and suggestions. I also met with the Conway Public Art Commission, Conway Public School teachers, Boys and Girls Club, and displayed the design as part of the UCA Senior Thesis Exhibition where I also solicited feedback.

From this exercise, I went back to Pittsburgh and made many (somewhat minor, detail-oriented) modifications to the design. The design I present here is the culmination of many hours of dialogue with Conway community members, research (even the Native American costume on the little girl is accurate to the indigenous Caddo tribe), and my artistic sensibilities superimposed upon my much-beloved alma mater.

In the proposed design, the bright future of Conway rises out of a deep respect of the city’s history. The children that reside in the lower left corner of the painting are playing inside a large model train diorama. These children at play—their toys, costumes and actions—reference different periods of Conway’s history while speaking to the idea that our future and past are linked—new generations standing on the shoulders of our forefathers.

Model buildings represent the three main colleges in Conway, as well as public schools, a farm, and the old train depot. From left to right, the buildings are The Little Green School House (Conway’s first public school), St. Joseph original school building, Hendrix College (Old Main), The Pine Street School (Conway’s first African American public school), Central Baptist College (Old Main), a toy farm (representing Conway’s growth from an agrarian society), The Arkansas Normal School original building (now UCA) and the Conway Train Depot. The model railroad town is very small in the design, but in the actual mural-rendered in 2 foot scale-the details will be quite visible from a distance, but also will draw the viewer in for closer inspection. In the community dialogue, we decided that it was very important to relate the mural to its site-the old Conway Train Depot, its proximity to the still-functioning railroad tracks, and its current use as a city park.

In our community brainstorming session-the meeting in which Conway residents and UCA students voiced their ideas for the mural-it was agreed that education has played a large role in the founding and perpetuation of culture and commercial sustainability in the city. Therefore, the focus of the historical references is largely on educational institutions and figures.

I depicted the children playing dress up-wearing costumes that represent the passage of time through key archetypes from various important periods and/or ideals from Conway’s past and present. For instance, there is a child in a train conductor’s hat in the lower center of the picture who holds a model train engine from the Little Rock & Ft. Smith Railroad of the early 1900’s. To the conductor’s left, there is a child in Native American (Caddo) garb that speaks to early inhabitants of the area, and Conway’s proximity to the Trail of Tears passage. Further to the left is a ballerina, symbolizing the growth of arts and culture in the city. The child laying the railroad tracks is dressed in garb taken from a photo of a Conway Train Depot dispatcher from around 1905. The figure in the center, atop the knoll is a teacher, delivering her lesson to her favorite toys. The teacher’s “students” are her favorite Sesame Street characters that are educational in nature, and allude to AETN in Conway. The largest, “flying kid” is the future-draped in a cape made from an Arkansas Traveler quilt, and slightly turning into digital pixels as she heads off into the new day. The models used for the conductor, teacher and train dispatcher are children from Conway’s Boys and Girls Club. On the far left, are three of Conway’s prominent founding historical figures. From left to right, they are Col. Asa Robinson, founder of the City of Conway, Florence Mattison, Conway Public School educator associated with The Pine Street School, and James John Doyne, founder of Arkansas Normal School, now known as the University of Central Arkansas.

I have adhered to the words from the community that this painting should represent the town’s history, but depict Conway as a progressive city, providing a sense of the new and moving towards the future. The pixilation in the sky starts to do this, but in the last stages of the design I brought back design cues from an earlier design that incorporated a filigree pattern from the art nouveau movement in the early 20th century. The sky is now filled with this filigree design that, now abstracted in large scale, becomes a sense of energy, “sprouting” new growth, and makes the whole painting more of a contemporary, progressive work of public art. It also helps place the three historical figures in the correct context—they are not creepy figures looming over the horizon (as was my earlier concern), but they are from a different time than the rest of the cast of characters, and all of the action that is taking place in the rest of the painting is literally stemming from their shoulders.

To date, there have been four articles in the Log Cabin Democrat, two articles in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, an article in The Vino (UCA honors College newspaper) and two articles in The Echo (UCA student newspaper). UCA students have collaborated with me to produce a website and blog that documents each phase of the project, down to design iterations, historical reference images and artist journals.

I believe that this project has transcended its function to create a piece of public art. It has already brought community members of disparate interests, backgrounds and people of all ages together in dialogue around art-when, I dare say, there would likely be no other cause that would gather these together in this way. Public schools, after-school programs and other civic groups are already gathering and planning to participate in onsite lectures, demonstrations and hands-on activities associated with the painting of the mural this fall. Some are planning to work with UCA Art Education students and develop mural-making lessons as part of a curriculum. There have even been discussions around the Conway university community in forming a partnership that will make the mural dedication ceremony into a city-wide celebration of activities.

I am so pleased to be a part of this project, and I look forward to seeing it through to completion.

Thank you,

Morton Brown
412-901-1546
bromorton@gmail.com
www.uca.edu/mural

Artist Journal 5-11-07

2007-05-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

Design 5-09-07

Art Nouveau Poster

Design 2: Filligree

Artist’s Journal
Morton Brown
5.9.07

Since the time of my previous journal entry, I have been making the modifications to the preliminary design that were suggested at the community presentation on April 12th. If you will notice, however, I have two design iterations to present to you today for your consideration and feedback. The first design has very minimal modifications that came from our last meeting. At the community’s request, I have loosened up the cape on the flying kid and changed the colors of the quilt under her chin from brown to blue so that it no longer resembles some sort of snake. I have also opened up the fingers on her left hand to further take the image of the snake’s head away. I have removed the UCA logo on her shirt. I have chosen to keep the pink glasses. I have looked at many other options, but have kept these as they make the most sense conceptually and visually.

I have also added the three portraits of children from the Boys & Girls club in the conductor, the teacher and the businessman laying the railroad tracks. The electronic image may look a little dark to your eyes, but rest assured that their features will be more visible in person and at real scale. Also at the request of a couple of community members, I researched some local Native American tribes and found a ceremonial “Turkey Dance” costume used by the Caddo, who are indigenous to the area around Conway. I feel that this colorful costume is a vast improvement over the more generic, previous version.

It may also be hard for you to see the slight alterations I have made to the sky in the e-version, but I have but some yellows and pinks into the area just above the horizon in order to imply a new day dawning. The painting needed some pink to help the flying kid’s pinkish hue fit properly. These are the suggested changes that I was able to work in to the design. There were some other comments that I received that were really challenging, however, and have enticed me to offer some suggested changes to the design. See Design 2: Filligree.

Please take a deep breath and study this design before you react. It is a vast change, to be sure, but I am really excited about. Let me tell you why. I have shared each of my design iterations with friends of mine in Pittsburgh, New York and Philly. I know that the Conway community knows itself better than anyone from elsewhere, but consider that these people are looking at this with fresh eyes—they represent the visitors and new residents to your community. Most of the feedback has been positive, but a lot of people have been very uneasy with the three “pioneer” figures on the paintings left side: Robinson, Mattison, and Doyne. I considered removing them altogether—and that would in fact, “fix” the problem. The relationship between public schools, universities, industry and history are already in the buildings and the dress of the kids—we could do without our three pioneers…but I wanted to keep them--for posterity’s sake, if nothing else.

The other thing that gave me pause is that some community members were referring to this mural as “parochial”—possibly only seeing this as the usual type of mural laden with historical figures in a utopian landscape, and not considering some of the artistic liberties taken to make this painting dynamic and challenging. It is dynamic, but is it challenging? It is dressed up like a historical mural, but by the overemphasized scale of the flying kid, the curvature of the earth, and the pixilation, it indeed does leap into a contemporary work of art. But-can it leap further?

So-I was presented with a two-pronged dilemma: The pioneers are scaring people and no matter where I placed them in the picture plane, they seem out of place and a few persons don’t feel that this painting is progressive enough for Conway. Again, please refer to Design 2: Filligree. I went through about a dozen iterations to get to this one, but I think I am at a final place.

The pioneers needed to be placed in the past. I changed them to a sepia tone, but this was confusing within the existing picture plane. I added a strip of the Art Nouveau poster design from my original mural design from February to set this picture in a picture panel in the past, but also forming sprouting plant forms rising out of the shoulders of the pioneers. I wanted to place rising plant forms into this mural from the very beginning, and now they were back. Once I placed these figures inside their sepia panel, the composition was unbalanced. I tried more panels over the other figures, but nothing seemed to work. The last attempt (that was suggested by a friend) was to take the plant forms out of the rectangle, and see how they would work as free-floating objects. After a few tries, I found that I was making skywriting out of them—they became scribbles, energy and movement from the past into the future—a visual effect in the painting that stems from a very old motif, but by stretching, cropping, cutting and pasting becomes a very new, progressive and bold stylistic choice for this mural.

I am very excited about this design, but I need to hear from you before I present this as the final design to the Conway Public Art Commission. Please take a moment to consider these images and deliver your feedback either on the website blog www.uca.edu/mural, or by direct reply to my email bromorton@gmail.com, or call me at your convenience at 412-901-1546. I want and need to hear your comments before I can present this design.

I will need to deliver the final design to the Conway Public Art Commission by May 20. I will not present a final design without a good majority of the community’s support, if not a good consensus. I would ask you all to comment on this design as soon as possible so that we can move forward in the process.

Please note: the filigree design is made by computer program, and therefore, some small anomalies might be perceived. Please try to use your imagination in those instances, and know that if you approve this design, I will complete the design in paint for my final presentation the City officials.

Thanks as always.

-Morton

Artist Journal 4-20-07

2007-04-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

I have just completed my second trip to Conway--during the week of April 12th--in which I presented my preliminary mural design. With help from UCA faculty, invitations went out and a meeting was held on Thursday, April 12th at 7pm at the Circuit Court Building in downtown Conway.

In this meeting, I presented my design, walking the group through each part, explaining the historical references and symbolism throughout. I was very quickly amazed at the thoughtful and positive criticism that I received from the group. Everyone present took a turn offering suggestions, comments and compliments. Once the comments had subsided, I closed the meeting by thanking everyone for their time and letting them know that I would consider their suggestions and offer a final design by the end of May.

The next day, Dr. Gayle Seymour (of UCA) and I presented the design to the Conway Public Art Committee at City Hall—the very site of the mural. This committee was gathered by Mayor Tab Townsell as part of the new Conway Public Art Resolution that has made a clear-cut and transparent approval process of planning, creating and installing public art in the city of Conway. Just as I was pleasantly surprised by the candor of the community meeting the night before, this meeting also surpassed my expectations.

Having created and run a community mural program in Pittsburgh over the past four years, I have had many opportunities to work with that city government and navigate through its approval processes. I have to say that someone in Conway is doing something right. The public art committee made it very clear that they were to represent the citizens of Conway, and wanted to go over the suggestions made at the previous meeting and discuss my plans to accommodate those ideas. The committee members were very kind, bright and organized. We discussed at length (as three of the committee members had attended the previous meeting) all of the suggestions and comments that were brought up at the community meeting. I spoke about my plans to make some of those changes, and reasons why some of the suggestions would not work from a design and content perspective.

We concluded the meeting by agreeing that I would deliver a final design via email to the community group and the public art committee by the end of May. Upon satisfactory receipt of the design, the committee would then present the design to city council along with their endorsement. We would then begin painting in late August.

I wanted to share this story with you so that everyone interested can understand the process that your city officials have made, and to offer my glowing endorsement of it. Thank you all once again for your continued support. I will deliver the final design by the end of May, 2007, and look forward to begin painting by the end of August. I am very excited about this project, and believe that it will be a lasting landmark and source of pride for Conway for many years to come.

Regarding the design changes, following are notes from the Preliminary Design Presentation:

Cloud shapes (meaning in the shapes?)
Question of the tree
Turn the cbc building to see the towers better
Quilt bothers people (looks like a snake chocking her)
Have it flying out behind (or above to take up space in the sky) with her hands holding it
Picture of the child is the focus and takes away from the rest of it
Size needs to be scaled down
Glasses? (tone them down, change the size or shape, seem too goggle-like)
Agreement with the size of the girl drawing you into the mural
Facial expression shows excitement/anticipation of the future
UCA symbol on the shirt is on the wrong side for a monogram
Boy playing with the engine seems like he’s coming out of her leg (change where the quilt is to bring a definite break between the two figures)
Show UCA as a purple stuffed bear being taught by the girl
UCA shown three times and all the other schools only being shown one (is it more important?)
Make the hill go up higher on the left to fill up more of the sky (enlarge the land)
Sky takes up more than half Or move the land up on the right
Is the little girl going to stay as ghostly/undetailed?
(some agree that she should stay out of focus because she seems off in the distance) Turn the baton into a ruler
Make sure to include something (text panel) to explain the meaning behind the mural
If the hand didn’t hold a quilt in the right hand there could be something
Hold a ribbon stick, kite, airplane something that could contain the quilt pattern in it
Bring the land up on the right side and bring the pixilation down into the land
Is happy/uplifting
Putting something in the right hand would take focus away from everything else because it would take up room
Use a clothespin or something to hold the quilt together at her neck

In response to these suggestions, I would just say at this point that all are under consideration. Gene Hatfield made many astute observations at the community meeting—specifically, the comment he made about the snake-like and “choking” nature of the quilt-cape was very helpful, and therefore, I will most definitely re-visit that. The pink glasses…well…I am still considering those comments.

I am also going to finish out some of the children characters. I will add “real” portraits to all of the children’s faces, with the aid of photos taken of Boys and Girls Club of Conway members. The Native American child will also undergo some changes in dress that will make him/her more historically accurate with some helpful research provided by Professor Morales of UCA.

I had a wonderful time in my last visit, and look forward to my stay in Conway this fall. Please watch for a final design by the end of May.

-Morton

Artist Journal 4-2-07

2007-04-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

Artist’s Journal
Morton Brown
4.3.07

The design is near complete. Since the last iteration, I have re-worked the flying kid portrait, and added some features to the landscape. I have completed the quilt pattern and have connected it visually to the landscape. In the lower right side, I have removed the historical figures of Col. Robinson, Florence Mattison and James John Doyne and placed them on the left side. Now, they are watching the children at play and complete the chronological progression from the past to the future across the picture plane.

On the ground where they once sat, is now an imagined aerial view of the land around Conway, complete with a cotton field, flooded rice paddy, and freshly tilled field. At the suggestion of a Conway community member, I also ran the railroad off into the right hand side of the picture to form a “crossroads” near the children that leads off into the rural area.

I have refined the play area, as well. I have shifted the color of the ground to a more earthy tone to balance the more pinkish portrait of the flying kid, and added shadows and details to the toys and figures to pull them into focus. The conductor has denim stripes on his hat and clothing, the ballerina clearly defined, and the last of the buildings have been placed and tightened up. The buildings are, from left to right: The Little Green Building (Conway’s first public school) St. Joseph’s (will be replaced by its school building), Hendrix College (Old Main building), The Pine Street School (Conway’s African American public school), Central Baptist College, a barnyard, The main Normal School building (UCA’s origin), and the train depot(s) sitting on either side of the tracks as they once did near the mural site itself.

In this final week before the presentation on April 12th, I will finish the train model in the hand of the conductor, the school bus in the hand of the ballerina, and make some final touches where needed.

Thanks again for your continued participation and support, and I’ll see you next week.

-Morton

Artist Journal 3-26-07

2007-03-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

Artist’s Journal
Morton Brown
3.26.07

Details, details, details…from here on out, I suspect that I will be much involved in the details of this painting. I have continued to play around with placements of figures and their portraits, but now is the time to bring the details into focus.

I received a very nice picture of Florence Mattison-one of Conway’s most memorable public school educators, and have decided to make her my third historical figure. This truly seems to work, now that I have Asa Robinson (founder of Conway), JJ Doyne (founder of UCA) and Mattison (instrumental figure of the Pine Street School, an African American public school from Conway’s past).

As you can see, I have made several adjustments to these figures. To date, I have kept them over to the lower right side of the painting-suggesting that they are sitting on a park bench and watching the children playing. I tried several poses, but was very limited by the very few photographs that I have of these characters. I finally decided that they look too awkward in that corner, and moved them over to the left side of the painting. I have decided to keep them in period clothing, so that they will remain points of conversation after the mural is complete, and not merely dismissed as “extras” in the cast. Besides, this painting is still very magical, even surrealistic at times, and could allow some ghostly figures standing about. The most difficult task remaining with these figures is to capture a likeness when the actual portrait is about an inch tall (and to imagine what JJ Doyne looks like smiling…he looks too creepy in this painting without at least a Mona Lisa smile…).

I have taken most of the week this time to work on the pixilation. I want the figure to pop out from the background, but I also wanted to connect the flying kid to the pixilation in some direct way. I chose to pixilated her in certain places, forming a pixel-edge that still allows her to step out of the background, but be integrated with it. I jumped back on the computer to study pixilation once again, and I noticed that while they don’t vary in size (in relation to one another) I could play within the painting and make some smaller pixels on the figure that may help pop her out. Would a mixture of small and large pixels work in a painting, though? It did-it is almost like there are two projections running over top one another. The smaller pixels on the edge of the flying kid make her stand above the larger pixels in the sky, and it doesn’t seem to confuse the painting.

I am looking for something to place in the lower right side. It is almost okay with it being sort of open-ended over there, but it seems a little bare for now. I did remove the airplane-flying kid to make room for the three figures…maybe he will resurface on the lower right side.

I will be getting some pictures from children of Conway Boys and Girls Club, in which they will be posed to resemble the kids in the painting. I hope to replace some of these characters with those models, keeping the costumes intact, of course. I am also going to place the Pine Street School and some sort of reference to the cotton industry for next week.

Thanks again for your continued participation and support, and I’ll talk to you again next week.

-Morton

Artist Journal 3-19-07

2007-03-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

Artist’s Journal

Morton Brown

3.19.07

I chose to develop the flying kid more fully this week. As some of you may have noticed on the website’s blog, I had added the sunglasses on this figure in photoshop a couple of weeks ago as a touch of interest, to complete her costume, and as a means of an allusion to looking towards the future.

This week I decided to render it in paint on the design. I liked it very much, but it needed more in order to speak to the future. So, I brought back the pixilation in the clouds and sky around the figure’s head. I was very reticent to bring a “special effect” into this painting, because this design was always more of a traditional allegorical effort instead of the mixture of the flat, poster/design oriented endeavor of the first design. This is something I have attempted before-mixing the traditional figure-in-the –landscape with flat design-in my studio work, but never to this degree of full environment with flat devices.

I also developed the Arkansas Traveler quilt pattern, and found that I like the play between the pattern of the quilt, the pattern on her shirt, and the pixilation in the sky. It is almost too much, but balances nicely while creating some interesting energy and rhythm. To the left of the flying kid, I have placed Col. Asa Robinson, founder of Conway standing behind the park bench where James John Doyne, founder of UCA sits. I have made a sketch-note that one of the prominent female Conway public school teachers will be sitting between Robinson and Doyne (as soon as I figure out who this should be, and I ask your opinion on this…).

I have also decided on some of the characters of the playing kids. The main figure placing the railroad tracks is dressed up in a costume that resembles a business suit from the 1940’s, but was actually taken from a photograph of a Conway railroad dispatcher from around 1905. I also added the figure of a ballerina to symbolize-not just dance-but the proliferation of culture in general: the arts that are brought to the community largely by the efforts of the universities. If you look very closely, the ballerina is playing with a farm tractor, a horse and a couple of sheep, which speaks to the agricultural history of Conway.

Also, note the buildings that have been added. Directly in front of the ballerina is Central Baptist College, as its main building looks today (with its back to the viewer). Closer to the railroad tracks-the two smaller buildings on either side of the tracks are the train depots that resided at the mural site location, as seen from around 1905. Further in the back and atop the knoll is the more developed main building of Hendrix college from the 1890’s. I have also added a Ward bus that can be seen placed between CBC and Hendrix.

For next week, I will be developing these characters, buildings and adding references to the cotton industry. I would appreciate any help or advice on the public school teacher that will sit on the park bench, and any other comments on the direction of the final design. Also-I feel that it is interesting to have some of the founders located around the park bench, but am of two minds as to how to represent them. In their current state, they are represented in period clothing-almost like ghosts-but also sort of echoing the “playing dress up” theme of the rest of the characters. I like this, but it also seems a little weird. I could diminish the period clothing, and re-dress them in more modern clothing or just sort of make the clothing nondescript as to any sort of time period (for instance, Doyne could simply wear a white button-down Oxford-type shirt without a tie and suit).

Please let me know your thoughts, and I am looking forward to bringing the design towards completion!

PS: As of this Friday, March 23^rd, I will no longer be available at the morton@sproutfund.org email address.

Please make any future emails out to bromorton@gmail.com.

Sincerely.

Morton

Reference Images 3-13-07 (2)

2007-03-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some more reference images for your perusal.

From top to bottom:

Railroad station, c. 1952
Conway Depot Yard, c. 1928
Conway Depot, exterior, c. 1905
Conway Depot, interior, c. 1905
Cotton Market, Front Street, 1909
Colonel Asa Robinson, founder of Conway

Reference Images 3-13-07

2007-03-13T05:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Sue Tebo, Slide Archivist at UCA, I have a wealth of reference images for potential use in the mural.

I have included these and my own photos for your perusal.

Enjoy!

Artist Journal 3-13-07

2007-03-13T05:16:00.000-07:00

I am still searching for symbols to denote the future, technology, progression, etc...Just for fun, I played around in photoshop last night and added some glasses to the flying kid.

All of the children represent the future, but the flying kid is supposed to be heading off into a new day...the glasses seem to complete the costume, and adds a bit of humor with some realism of a kid at play...The glasses may not stay, but I thought I would share my investigation.

Your thoughts and suggestions are always welcome.

-Morton

Artist's Journal 3-12-07

2007-03-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

Artist’s Journal

Morton Brown

3.12.07

I have made some progress on the design this week-special thanks to Sue Tebo and Toni Johnson for sending me some reference photos. I have found a model (my daughter, Lily) for the flying kid in the extreme foreground and-although the portrait is still unfinished-am working on bringing some life into that character.

I have also settled on a quilt pattern for her cape: The Arkansas Traveler. I gathered many patterns from my friends and relatives that are/were indigenous to Arkansas, but settled on this design as it was most interesting visually, but also had a nice sort of connotation to Arkansas history. The colors that currently exist in the quilt of the design are not final-I merely used some arbitrary colors to spec out the pattern and get my bearings. I will be receiving some actual quilt images and swatches from my relatives that will better inform the final piece (gingham and other fabric swatches will replace the flat diamonds and squares).

Note that I have begun placing some other portraits in the piece. In the lower right corner of the painting, James John Doyne (founder of UCA, aka The Arkansas Normal School, 1907) is now sitting on the park bench watching the children play, returning the gaze of the viewer, and I imagine will be greeting pedestrians and drivers coming down Oak Street. To the left of the flying kid, notice that I have developed the “teacher” a bit more. I still don’t have a good idea for reference, but I have placed her in a mock-period costume from around the turn of the century for now. She is presenting a lesson to some of her favorite PBS television characters. I will be looking at some of the more prominent female educators of Conway for inspiration.

Further to the left, the rest of the painting has been further developed. In the lower center, I have given the conductor a little more of a visage. He is now wearing coveralls and is starting to make me think of the legend of John Henry, steel-drivin’ man…Next to him is the kid sitting “Indian style”, wearing a Native American costume. Just above John Henry is the first of the model town toys to be placed in the picture. This is the Arkansas State Normal original building circa 1907, that later became Cordrey Science Building (UCA). The boy setting up the railroad tracks just next to this building will most likely represent Colonel Robinson who founded Conway by being given the land through his work with the railroad (although I am having a tough time coming up with a costume for this child, other than a period business suit…).

The other two buildings that I have merely roughed in at this point will most likely represent Hendrix and Central Baptist College that will be developed through-interestingly enough-some color post cards from an early period that was found through the UCA slide library (thanks again to Sue Tebo). The last building to the extreme left of the picture is not a church, but a rendering of Conway’s Little Green Building-the first public school in Conway circa 1879-80. I am still searching for characters and costumes to fill in these last two characters that remain unfinished. Like I said, the railroad-layer will most likely represent Asa Robinson, but I need some good pictures of him-hopefully at work, if possible…The kid with the airplane can remain anonymous, but it would be good to get an idea of an early pioneer in Conway’s transportation authority or airport.

For the next week, I will continue to bring this picture into focus, continue my research, place some school bus toys (Ward/International buses), horses and barnyard animals, Toad Suck Ferry(although our friend Kermit could stand in for the proverbial Toad Suck) and a cotton gin amidst the playset area. Adding all of these minute details may seem to be overkill, but I really want the piece to function on two levels, as I discussed last time: First, to grab your attention from a distance with a 22 foot tall figure of a kid in a quilt-cape, and secondly, with a lot of details and historical references that will make you want to stop, get out of your car, and linger and discuss upon closer inspection.

Please let me know your thoughts and keep sending me pictures and data. With the preliminary design presentation only about one month away, I will be bringing this design toward completion at a rapid pace.

Thanks again for your continued participation and support, and I’ll talk to you again next week.

-Morton

Artist's Journal 3-7-07

2007-03-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Artist’s Journal

Morton Brown

3.7.07

I decided to switch gears a little bit this week. From the couple of responses I received from the first design submission, I started thinking about alternate ways of depicting some of the themes of our mural. At any rate, I still have the previous design and may revisit it but I wanted to take a step to the left as I explore this project.

The design you see before you is about the future of Conway-symbolized by children at play. I plan to make subtle references to Conway’s history in the toys, costumes and actions of these children. For instance, the children that reside in the lower left corner of the painting are going to be playing inside a large model train diorama. I am planning to incorporate model buildings that represent the three main colleges in town, as well as some other historical landmarks such as the Conway Courthouse.

I also want the children to be playing dress up, and plan to have each of them wearing oversized costumes that will represent some of Conway’s founding figures and/or symbolize the passage of time through key archetypes from various important periods from Conway’s past: Currently, there is a kid in a train conductor’s hat in the lower middle of the picture who holds a model train. I plan to use actual markings from the old railroad company that frequented the area (need to research this).

To the conductor’s left, there is a kid in Native American garb. The two kids atop the knoll are undetermined at the moment, but I am thinking of making at least one of them symbolic of a prominent city planner. The kid just over the knoll between these two is playing with a toy airplane. The Conway airport may not be so important to the community that it needs to be represented in the mural, but I think that it is an important attribute to the community. I also just sort of placed it there as an interesting echo of the “flying child” in the extreme foreground.

The figure in the center of the knoll is representative of teaching/education. I envision her dressed up in a costume of one of our historical female educators. She has her toy animals aligned atop the knoll as her imaginary pupils. I feel that it’s very important to use this opportunity of scale, so I really pushed the size of the most prominent “flying” child. This child symbolizes the future, freedom, and the hopeful optimism of a bright tomorrow. Scale will be important.

The model railroad town will be so small in the design, that it will be hard to distinguish them. However, on the actual mural-rendered in 2 foot scale, these details will be something that can draw the viewer in for closer inspection. The large figure will make an impact and be graphically readable from a distance, then these smaller details will make people want to get out of their cars and stay a while-again, something we determined that was important for this mural to do.

I plan to make a subtle reference to southern culture in making his or her (this is not a finished portrait) cape a quilt from the area. I am researching many quilts from the area right now, searching for a nice pattern from around 1907. In the extreme background to the left of the flying child are a couple of figures that I plan to transform into portraits of either Donaghey or James John Doyne who was instrumental in founding the teacher’s college that would become UCA in 1907-again, to remind us of the contribution that education has made to the cultural and commercial climate of Conway.

Lastly, I just want to say that I think that this design needs a lot of work-especially on the portraits and choosing of appropriate founding figures. However, I am really interested in the way this design connects the mural to the site where it resides. The idea that these intermingling kid-symbols from all different time periods are playing “trains” on the very site of an old train depot where today stands a park-in the painting and in reality (Simon Park) greatly interests me, and I think that this type of approach will do everything that we wanted the mural to do: NOT being merely a literal depiction of historical items, symbolize a new and progressive Conway, depict as a family-oriented city, touch on education as key to Conway’s development, refer to the site specificity of the mural, and reference the past while speaking of the future.

I plan to ask the Boys and Girls Club of Conway to model and photograph some of their kids in the various poses of the painting so that I can use them as reference. I will also continue to get photos from UCA students and faculty of historical buildings and people so that I can derive costumes and places. I would also welcome anyone reading this to send me images of their children in these poses for potential use in the painting, as well as images of quilt patterns indigenous to Arkansas around 1907, images of some of the leaders of education and founders of Conway, and nice railroad pictures from days gone by in Conway.

I would encourage everyone to offer feedback to this and the previous design. I would like to hear from you. Thank you very much and I’ll talk to you again next week.

Morton

Artist's Journal 2-26-07

2007-03-01T05:49:00.000-08:00

Art Nouveau poster ca. 1900-07

First Design iterations

I have begun work on the preliminary mural design this weekend. I have yet to secure any photographic reference, but after holding the brainstorming session on February 15, I had starting forming a composition for the piece in my mind. The mural site wall itself is 26 feet high by 36 feet wide, so I chose to make my design 26 by 36 inches. I had a vision of a group of central figures standing on a round surface-possibly the earth itself-arranged much like a poster from the 1936 World’s Fair. I have always been a fan of that old poster artwork, but for this piece I am going to need to step back a few years to 1907 if I want to relate to UCA’s Centennial.

The figures are completely made up-stand-ins, if you will for the actual persons mentioned in the brainstorming session. They are intentionally dark and silhouette-like right now, as they merely hold the place of actual portraits. I do, however, want the central figure to be a female teacher from Conway’s past. We talked about many past female teachers as we brainstormed, and it seemed that this was symbolic, but also a very concrete and important idea to include. I am going to do some more research, talk to some more Conway folks and figure out who these figures should be. I think that they should span the century, and I also may want to include a small child on the right side to further symbolize education, and the hope for the future. I like the central figure now, subtly holding a book (or lesson plans)…after the fact, her coloring, visage and stance is beginning to remind me of the Statue of Liberty…

In researching some old (pre-) art nouveau posters from around 1900, I found a lot of interesting filigree work that I was looking for—to add to the “earth” beneath the figures. This is my first stab at it, and I believe that I may pull some of the flowers that are sticking above back down to be contained inside the hemisphere, but I am really enjoying these connotations to past posters and advertisements (a bit of nostalgia), and the symbolism of new growth or rebirth sprouting from the past…

If you sort of squint your eyes, you may see that the hemisphere below the figures is replicated above them in the form of a separation in the clouds revealing a night sky filled with stars. I truly don’t know where this came from, but I was painting it right after the figures-before I went to anything else. I kept it because it also seems like a symbol of the future to me (space, the final frontier…) but also because the half-circle above and below together with the figure group almost seem to form the shape of an hourglass…which is also pretty interesting, as long as I don’t eventually deem it to be hokey, in which case I will remove it.

I have also begun playing with the pixilation idea from the brainstorming session-on the right side of the mural. I am going to make them differentiate further in size, but wanted to start with larger blocks. Again, this is symbolic of the present and/or future but I am hoping that it will also allow me to insert “screens” within the grid, possibly adding portraits or pictures of some prominent figures and symbols. Conversely, on the left side I am going to try to mimic the pixel-grid with some form of fabric swatch from around 1907. It will most likely be of the same yellow-orange of the sky, but I am working on finding some fabric that is reminiscent of southern culture, maybe grid, quilt or gingham-like that may also allow me to insert old photographs from the area, much like the screens within the pixels. My only fear is that these additions will complicate the design too much, but that is why I will digitize my design and play on the computer before resuming painting.

I like the fabric, hourglass, filigree, gradient sky and the pixilation thus far because I am trying to destroy the regular rectangle of the wall. I have often chosen to push the boundaries of the wall itself and with the push and pull of the light and dark of the canvas make the wall seem as if it is another shape-or no regular shape at all. I think this will make the piece even more striking as the viewer approaches by car or on foot, but will also make the piece “breathe” a little…I want the finished piece to feel light-weight, not heavy at all-but still retain the various layers that I am planning on adding.

Morton Brown, 2-26-07

About The Conway Community Mural Project

2007-03-01T05:21:00.000-08:00

Conway Community Mural Project

In January, 2007, the University of Central Arkansas engaged Morton Brown in an Artist Residency in which he would lead a community mural process, much like the one outlined in this packet. The goal is to create a mural that celebrates the centennial of UCA, but includes a collaborative community process that also informs the finished work. Following is a descriptive timeline of that process:

January-February: Announcing the Project

UCA mural project committee, led by Gayle Seymour, announced the plans for the UCA Centennial Mural Project in January, 2007. The announcement was in regard to the advent of the mural, the artist in residence, and the need to garner community stakeholders for the upcoming community brainstorm session in February.

Media press releases, postcards, targeted email blasts, UCA newsletters and students placing flyers door to door worked in tandem to raise the awareness and the maximum amount of participation from the community.

February 15^th:

On February 15^th, at 6pm, a community brainstorming session was held at the Don Owen Sports Center in Conway. The room was filled to capacity with over sixty attendees from all walks of life, age and interests. Students, teachers and community members came together and spoke about the past, present and hopes for the future of Conway from their very different perspectives—and reached consensus on many topics.

The top 10 idea headings generated at the brainstorming session were:

Importance/Influence of Education on Community: Historical & Present

Mix of Technology & History-Visual Cues for Mural

Site Specificity/Relate mural to its site

Transition/Transformation of the community

Family-Oriented city

Industries/Past and Present

Progression of Culture in Conway

Growing Diversity

Natural Amenities

The Future

February-Mid April:

The Artist will work collaboratively with students and community members to gather images of historical figures, architecture and events that were noted in brainstorming

Artist, UCA students, and faculty will work with local public schools, creating and managing curriculum units that will allow school groups to add a lesson on mural-making and potentially connect them to the UCA Centennial Mural

Artist and UCA faculty will create and manage an interactive website that will post the community brainstorming ideas, regularly updated preliminary sketch iterations and journal notes from the artist, comments from community members, and other information regarding upcoming events around the mural project

Mid-Late April:

Presentation of preliminary mural design to community group (time and place TBD): All interested community members are invited for open discussion

May-July (as needed):

Artist makes any final modifications to design, sends it to UCA faculty for presentation and distribution

July-August:

Announcement of the final design: A media blast will occur at this point, announcing and presenting the final mural design and plans for the mural kickoff event. The UCA mural committee (and UCA students) will facilitate raising awareness of the final design and the advent of the mural by producing media press releases, postcards, targeted email blasts, UCA newsletters and students placing flyers door to door.

Prints of the design could also be displayed at this time in local shops and offices along the business district, as well as student unions and appropriate venues in local universities and schools.

September-October:

Mural painting period: Before the mural painting begins, a kickoff event will be held at or near the mural site in order to help raise awareness and generate enthusiasm about the mural. UCA faculty an students, civic leaders, and the community at large are invited to attend and speak where appropriate.

The mural will then be painted over the course of a 4 to 6 week period. Actual duration of the mural painting period might be affected by weather and other unforeseen delays.

UCA students will be engaged as much as possible in the mural painting period. The artist will make a presentation to students about archival mural paint and practices, design transferal techniques, and rudimentary scaffolding uses.

A group of UCA students will assist the artist in the actual mural painting. Duties of the students (supervised by the artist) will include pressure washing the mural surface, priming the surface, gridding and limited sketching the design, some painting of the design, and applying the clear varnish over the completed mural.

The Artist will also engage other school groups in leading on-site discussions and some on-site work when feasible

Late October:

Mural Dedication Ceremony: A dedication ceremony will occur upon the completion of the mural, and will offer an opportunity for the artist, the students and the UCA mural committee to formally present the mural to the Conway community.

A final media blast will occur as in the other two stages of the process. As in the kickoff event, local civic leaders, the artist and UCA representatives are invited to attend and speak to the public at large.

Get Involved With the Conway Community Mural Project!

We invite you to get your students and/or clients involved in our process, as we plan to hold discussions and demonstrations at the site itself while the painting process unfolds. You are welcome to schedule a field trip to the site and learn about the mural painting process first hand.

Also, we are actively seeking input from students at any level for the mural design. One way to engage students would be to ask them to draw or paint pictures that could be transferred into the mural design. Integrating youth drawings into a mural is visually interesting, but also can symbolize the hope for the future.

Ask your students to draw pictures of “An Image of what they wish to be when they grow up”, or have them depict “A futuristic scene of Conway”. Allow them to let their imaginations run wild—the more fantastic, the better. We could allow this process to run a couple of weeks, then we would need to collect them from you or receive them via email if you are able to provide digital pictures of them.

We would also like to receive nominations for a small child (age 5-10), male or female for inclusion in the mural. If you have a child that you think would make a great “actor” as a portrait of the “future of Conway”, please get permission from his or her parents and send that image, along with a brief description or bio of the child to the email address below.

Any questions, concerns, suggestions or information can be sent to:

Morton Brown
Artist in Residence
University of Central Arkansas
(412) 901-1546 cell
bromorton@gmail.com

Contacts/Resources

For more information, process examples, images of murals and mural-making, please visit or contact some of the persons or organizations listed below.

Gayle Seymour

Professor of Art History

Interim Associate Dean

College of Fine Arts & Communication

University of Central Arkansas

(501) 450-3295 tel

gayles@uca.edu

Sprout Public Art