Mural Now Part of Museum Collection

The "Celebrating Newark Throughout The Ages Mural" has found a permanent home at the Fern Dell Historical Museum, scheduled to open on July 4th, 2009. The painting is surrounded by the artifacts, photos, posters and documents which showcase the community. Also on display will be a book entitled "Behind the Mural" which documents the entire project through photographs. Special thanks to the extraordinary effort of all those involved in moving the mural. Click here to read more about the museum in the Ottawa Times.

Visit www.ferndell.org

A Legacy in the Makingby Stuart Warpinski

On Friday night, May 16th 2008, Newark history was made. A project that began two years ago and required hundreds of hours of work to complete was officially dedicated to the Village.

The Newark Mural was first conceived in Mr. Hall’s sociology class of 2006 by Ashley Larson (Class of 2006), and Emma Miller (Class of 2007). It began as a service learning project for the community and has now become an icon for Newark’s heritage. Tyler Vickroy (Class of 2007), Jacob Young (Class of 2007), Emma Miller (Class of 2007), Crystal Nieland (Class of 2007), and Jessica Christensen (Class of 2008) spent over 300 hours of school and personal time painting this mural. After completion it was on display in the student center until it was moved to the Newark Fire Station.

The official dedication took place on Friday, May 16th 2008, and the mural was accepted by Newark’s mayor, Jim Davis. All five of the artists returned to Newark for the dedication and were congratulated on their success and contribution to the community. Making a picture that defines a community was a daunting task, but Newark High School’s Advanced Studio class in conjunction with the Sociology class created a timeless piece of art that will honor the community for ages.

Pictures from the Dedication Ceremony:


Ms. Pauline Berggren, Superintendent, spoke at the Mural Dedication Ceremony about NCHS's Service Learning Initiative. The mural project was part of a 2007 Learn & Serve Grant.


Mike Hall, Sociology Teacher, thanked various contributors to the project, including, Pauline Berggren, Superintendent, Doug Hoster, Principal, NCHS Board of Education, Roger Sanders, Norm Meier, NCHS Faculty & Staff, Gary Fruland, Mayor Jim Davis, Lewis Huntley and Newark's 36 Cent Fund, Fern Dell Historic Association, Lowell Mathre and the Newark Fire Department, Lynette Heiden and the Charles B. Phillips Library, Community Survey Participants, Sociology and Advanced Studio Art Students.


William Blidy, Art Teacher, discussed the project in detail, then thanked and introduced the artists of the mural. Each student's panel was discussed.


Mayor Davis accepts the mural and commends the artists for their contribution to the community.

NCHS Staff Presents at State Conference

Recently Newark High School staff members along with Principal Hoster and Superintendent Berggren presented at the 2007 State Service Learning Conference. The team presented on the topic of embedding service learning across the curriculum.

With photographs and video student reflections, staff members told the story of how NCHS has implemented service learning projects in various classes, including the "Celebrating Newark Throughout the Ages" Mural. Participants were provided with a description of various images within the mural and a reflection on this service learning experience.

Mural Animation

The Celebrating Newark Throughout the Ages Mural took three months to complete. Each artist invested approximately sixty hours, for a total of 300 Artist hours. These artists saw this mural before school started, after it ended, and on weekends. This animation depicts the Celebrating Newark Throughout the Ages Mural's progress over that time. (please wait a moment for video to load).

Celebration!

On May 22nd, Advanced Studio artists exhibited for the first time their "Celebrating Newark Throughout the Ages" Mural. The artists experienced a well-deserved sense of accomplishment through the collaborative work they did for the community by creating a large scale work of art. Like a community, the mural is a symbol for working collaboratively toward a common goal. The mural was true evidence of this triumph for the many people who attended as the community came together to celebrate the art students’ success.

A second unveiling will be scheduled at a later date when the mural will be exhibited and displayed permanently in the community.

Words of Encouragement

As the Exhibit approaches, Art I and Painting class offer words of encouragement for the Advanced Studio Artists. Students in these classes created hand written signs that were posted around the mural. Advanced Artists will exhibit the History of Newark Mural at 6:30 p.m. tonight in the gymnasium. All are invited to attend!

Finishing Touches

Advanced Studio Artists add finishing touches in the final week before the exhibit.
With the mural almost complete, the first public appearance of the History of Newark Mural is just around the corner. On May 22nd, 6:30p.m. the Mural will be on display in the Newark High School gymnasium. All that remains to to be completed is construction of the wooden frame, along with some painting "touch-ups".

Mural on 5/16/07

Mural on 5/8/07

Mural on 5/2/07

Mural on 4/25/07

Mural on 4/21/07

Mural on 4/17/07

Mural on 4/11/07

Mural on 3/29/07

Dedicated Artists Paint Outside Class

After School Studio; Wednesday, March 28 2007

Art Students Begin Painting

Emma and Jacob begin painting the sky while Tyler adds detail to the plane. Jessica is busy drawing one of many framed photographs in the mural. Posted above the mural are photographs and other reference material used by the artists.

Color Scheme Selected

Advanced Studio Artists viewed several paintings by Thomas Hart Benton, Diego Rivera, and Judith Baca in order to select a color scheme for the mural. After viewing these works, students chose a color scheme for the mural based on a painting by Thomas Hart Benton, entitled July Hay. The class felt that the color scheme found in Benton's July Hay contained the warm hues needed for the sunset and field in the mural.

In researching "lightfast" colors, (colors that resist fading in sunlight), it was noted that cadmium red tends to be more likely to fade. Therefore, for the Newark Mural, instead of using bright red hues, the reds will be more "rust colored".

View the Design!

Click Here For A Larger, More Detailed View Of The Mural's Design!
A digital rendering and description can be viewed by following the link above.

Preliminary Sketches

Preliminary sketches drawn by Tyler. The mural will be built upon this background image. The cart and horse will be located in the lower left corner of the mural.

Gesso Applied

On Friday March 9th, the Advanced Studio Class primed the wooden panels with gesso. Gesso is a white primer that helps to seal the wood and leaves a slight texture which helps the paint stick. Special thanks to Crystal for applying the two additional coats after school!

Wood Panels Cut

On Tuesday the Advanced Studio Class, under the guidance of Mr. Meier, cut the wood panels for the mural. The outer dimenions will be 13'4" X 5'8". This will allow for a frame to be created along the inside edge of the panels.

The frame will serve the purpose of connecting the panels, and create the look of a "picture frame". The idea of a picture frame will be used in the mural, as many of collaged photographs will be painted within picture frames. Special thanks to Mr. Meier for his time and expertise!

Mural Dimensions

The mural dimensions will be 13'4"X 5'8". This provides enough room for the artist's to work side-by-side, and will have the height to accommodate the road that will be painted.

Local Historian Visits Class

On Friday, February 23rd, the Advanced Studio class had the opportunity to meet with local historian, Mr. Lewis Huntley. Mr. Huntley discussed various highlights from Newark's history while displaying to the class a wood carving by Joe Dillett. This wood carving was commissioned in 2004 as part of the Newarks of the World reunion. Students gained valuable insight into Newark's history while viewing an artist's interpretation of these significant landmarks. To see this elaborate wood carving in full detail click here. Use your browser's scrollbar to "scroll" horizontally through the image.

Field Trip To Ottawa

The Advanced Studio Class took a field trip on Wednesday to view the murals in Ottawa, Illinois. This proved to be an invaluable experience as NCHS Advanced Studio Artists were able to get an up-close look at these large scale works of art. While studying the murals, students discussed the use of composition, contrast, color and unity. Many of our observations centered around content and symbolism. We also compared painting styles among the various murals. Upon our return to Newark, we spent time brainstorming the structure and content of the Newark Community Mural. View additional images from our field trip here.

Composition and Symbolism

While the Sociology Class begins to study the results of the survey, the Advanced Studio Class discusses the mural's composition. The composition will provide the underlying structure for the mural. Shown here are some sketches from our brainstorming session last week. The strong symbolism of a road moving from "Past" to "Present" to "Future", developed by Emma and Ashley, will continue to play a part in the mural's overall design. The addition of "picture frames" will serve to organize the various images.

Mural Project Survey

The Newark Community Mural Project Online Survey was completed on February 19th, 2007. The Advanced Studio and Sociology Classes will now begin to analyze the results and narrow down designs and options. We greatly appreciate your feedback and ideas for a design. Thank you for your participation!

Past & Present

Digital collages of Newark's Past and Present created by Emma.

Emma and Ashley Initiate the Project

Last year, Emma and Ashley initiated the Newark Mural in Sociology Class. They worked hard to establish contacts within the community and create drawings and digital renderings. Together, they generated excitement about the project through their presentation on Awards Night. The ideas included in their large-scale sketch and computer renderings will be used in the final design.

This year the project has grown to include the following Advanced Studio Artists
(Next to their name are art classes they have taken )
•Emma Miller: (continues her work from last year): Art I, Drawing, Ceramics, Painting, Multimedia, and Computer Graphics.
•Jessica Christensen: Art I, Drawing, Painting, Multimedia.
•Crystal Nieland: Art I, Drawing, Ceramics, Painting, Multimedia.
•Tyler Vickroy: Art I, Drawing, Ceramics, Painting, Multimedia, Computer Graphics and Advanced Studio.
•Jacob Young: Art I, Drawing, Ceramics, Painting, Multimedia, and Computer Graphics.

Pictured above are images from last year's Sociology Presentation on Awards Night, a large-scale sketch created by Emma, and a digital rendering of the Mural idea.