Student Blogs
Updates from the students working on the Andrews Avenue Mural!
Update #2 – Lindsay DeLullo
Despite working on three other murals in the past, I’ve never truly had an experience quite like the Andrews Avenue Memory Mural. Every single part of this project has been something truly enriching, from spending our Friday nights projecting sketches onto the wall, or simply making memories and sharing laughter with one another. I have found the process of painting in such a large scale very therapeutic at times, even if some days are a little more sweaty than others!
I believe something highly motivating about this mural is how personal it is to not only us students but to residents of Youngstown who share the memories and depictions throughout our design with us. I’m very happy to be working on something that holds so much gravity and sentimental value to so many people, and that will become a lasting landmark as well.
Improvising some sketches in areas was something that I thought would be a difficult challenge for me, but it didn’t take as much time as I thought it would, and I enjoyed the process. With my motifs scattered throughout the wall in a great number of places, I hope that things are able to be finished in a timely manner. As we continue the lengthy process of painting, I cannot wait to see the project finished, and what that will look like!
Lindsay
Update #1 – Brian Hill
I am a student taking Dragana’s mural painting course for the first time. The class consists of several return students and others like me that are just learning this exciting public art form.
The first three weeks consisted of research, sketching, and collaboration accompanied with Dragana’s insight to shape the second portion of the Andrews Avenue Memoir Mural. Everyone put in a lot of work researching as much information as we could find that would reflect memories from downtown Youngstown, Ohio. We wanted to show what might be important to people that grew up, worked, and played here. The YSU Art Department’s free-thinking creative environment is also present in our work.
The first day at the mural site we all got to work with internal motivation and excitement for the magnitude of the project we were embarking upon. Priming the wall is our first task. Plastic was spread, buckets tapped, and rollers went up as paint covered the walls at a grand pace. It was a hot end of summer day with our group of talented individuals laughing and performing our craft.
Now on the sixth week most of the design is outlined and a good bit of color is going up. You can tell that others enjoy the project by all the friendly honking and words of encouragement by the passers-by.
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