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Volcanoes spew molten lava; swift
waters flood a barren plain; moist clouds
ascend after depositing their dense loads.
The creation of the earth? No — just some
of the natural phenomena portrayed in a
mural being painted at Whiteaker
Elementary School in west Eugene.
The large twelve by twenty-seven foot
mural is one of several designed for the
school by University painting instructor
Thomas Cappuccio. The murals are in
tended to expose the students to art and the
art process through active observation and
participation. Cappuccio learned of
Whiteaker principal Walt Burgess' desire
for art in his school through Barbara West,
a District 4-J school board member. After
contacting Burgess, he obtained approval
from the school board and received fun
ding for the project through the Office of
Scientific and Scholarly Research at the
University. The funding provided for
several works — one large exterior mural
and five or more smaller murals indoors.
Cappuccio chose earth environments as
subject matter for the large mural. The
environments are presented in a
multiplicity of views which encourage an
eye movement around the work and back
into its various depths, a view of the earth
as a living, changing entity, and the
participation of the viewer in the three
dimensional activity of the mural.
Only one work has been completed. It is
a football action piece which will be placed
over the center section of a long, narrow
hall. Although football may not seem to be
an appropriate topic for an elementary
school, Cappuccio explains that the
sportsmen are used to aid movement down
the hail.
The subject matter for the other murals
has not yet been determined. Cappuccio is
considering plant and animal themes
which will be both colorful, educational,
and perhaps emphasize historical species
transitions The last of the five murals
could prove to be the most interesting. It is
one which will actively involve the
students. Here Cappuccio will define the
outline of the work, and the elementary
students themselves will paint directly on
the wall.
Cappuccio is not doing the painting of the
murals himself. He has hired two
University students, Pat McGill and Bruce
Milletto, to execute his designs McGill is
completing his Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree and Milletto is finishing his
Masters degree in Art Education. Both
are painters and are concerned with
landscape themes in their own art.
To create the murals, McGill and
Milletto enlarge a color sketch furnished
by Cappuccio with an opaque projector.
The composition is drawn in pencil and
then painted. The final product is not a
strict copy of the Cappuccio model,
however, for both are allowed to interpret
the sketches while remaining within the
general framework of Cappuccio’s por
trayal of the subject. Cappuccio explains
that he would like to see the sketches
improved during their execution by the
artists.
McGill and Milletto admit that because
of the nature of their tasks, they feel like
sign painters. They have enjoyed the
freedom of interpretation given them.
There is much room for such in
terpretation, for when a twelve by twenty -
seven inch sketch is enlarged into a twelve
by twenty-seven foot painting, detail must
be left largely to the painters.
The murals have been designed to be
mobile. The interior murals are painted
on canvas so that although they are at
tached to the building, they are not painted
on the wall surface. The huge exterior
mural is painted on treated plywood
panels, which can be disassembled and
moved to another site. The exterior work,
in fact, is under production in the school
cafeteria and will be disassembled and
moved ouiside upon completion. Mobility
was a consideration in the painting of the
murals because of the age of Whiteaker
School. The school is old and there is no
assurance that it will operate too long into
the future. In the event of its closure, all of
the murals, except those done by the
students, will be moved. The student
murals will not be lost, however, since
Cappuccio is considering encouraging
students to paint over them periodically.
In this way, students who are attending the
school will always be able to relate to the
art product and the art experience.
The production of the works fulfills a
long-standing desire of Whiteaker prin
cipal Walt Burgess. When he assumed
administration of the school nine years
ago, he hoped that the green, windowless
halls of the building could be filled with
colorful art work. After several attempts
to bring art to the school, Burgess had
almost given up. He busied himself with
physical improvements that he could
accomplish which would make the old
school more liveable. The halls were
painted in light shades of yellow and
maroon. Light colors were added to the
gymnasium, the cafeteria, and the main
office. As a result, the building was more
than a few shades brighter than it had been
but it still lacked colorful art work.
Tom Cappuccio has long been involved
in mural work. His interest in large scale
art began years ago when he worked on
stage sets. Later he produced art for New
York store window displays and completed
some murals for public buildings in the
east. More recently, he painted a mural
for the Springfield Public Library.
» appuitio
Cappuccio believes that public art gives
a city an identity and provides a point of
interest about which people may gather.
Whether or not the public likes the work, it
nevertheless becomes an attraction. The
murals at Whiteaker School have the
potential to be both top quality art work
and objects of popular identity.
Anthony Radich
J
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