By Monty Siekerman
An interesting piece of art at King-Horn on campus is viewed by many people every day. It's the face of a polar bear. Up close, the installation looks like a bunch of blurred tiles. As you move away from the art piece, the image of the school's mascot becomes clearer and clearer...intriguing, bordering on "participatory art," never boring no matter how many times you pass by, and often talked about by those who come upon it...almost stops you in your tracks, unexpectedly. We asked the artist to comment on her work...here is her reply:
By Melissa Eddings-Mancuso,
Associate Professor of Art and Design
"Athletic Director Tom Simmons approached me about creating a mural for inside the sports complex. His vision was to have students from the art and design department design and execute the mural.
Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts prevented our students from getting deeply involved, not to mention completing it on time. The department decided to take it on as, not only a service project, but also as a means to bridge the gap between departments.
Tom knew exactly where he wanted the mural and he was adamant about having the mural represent the community of ONU, not just athletics. His belief is that ONU's athletic teams are comprised of students from all colleges, representing a vast array of majors, and that King-Horn is more than a complex that houses athletic events.
The building serves as a place where people gather for all types of events: commencement, Honor's Day, concerts, dinners, speakers, clinics, etc.
Did I mention his affinity for polar bears?
From a design standpoint, the mural's location was a challenge. Once executed, it would be seen from close-range (there's a drinking fountain on the same wall just right of the image) and from the entrance into the Sports Center more than 150 feet away.
I've always been a great fan of Chuck Close. He's an artist that paints and draws monumental portraits of his friends using a grid to break the image into small squares of color.
Up close, all you see is a grid of colored blocks, yet from a distant those blocks come together and create a wonderfully realistic image. I used a simplified version of that same technique and believe it was quite effective for the challenges that this wall presented.
During the process of working on the mural, there were many comments. As people observed the painting process over my shoulder, they couldn't quite see the polar bear, which I assured them was what I was painting.
It wasn't until they backed away from the wall that they could see the face of the polar bear taking shape.
Painting tends to be a solitary pursuit. Painting a mural at King-Horn was anything but that! It truly was a community effort and I'm grateful for having had the opportunity to take part in it."
