Community Testimonials
Purpose
One of mural class’s main purposes is to inspire a sense of community. When the University of Utah Department of Art & Art History started the mural class, there was a lot a time spent trying to find a location because they had no history of work. Some places were not willing to take a chance and see what they could do. Now there is a good history of mural paintings, and many communities reach out to try and get a mural painted in their community. If you are still unconvinced, here are some testimonials written by business owners and community leaders:
Community’s Testimonials
“When the University Art Dept. asked me for permission to paint our rather large, old (circa 1958) south wall, my first thought was, ‘Of course! You can paint the whole building if you'd like!’ When they completed the project, I was amazed at what they had done. They captured the fun and celebration of a by-gone era right there on our wall. I immediately arranged for rain guttering to be installed to protect our large painting. We get lots of compliments on the mural, and I'm delighted that the neighborhood spray paint artists respect it and express themselves elsewhere. I'm also impressed that the Dept. head occasionally drops by to check on it. We love our mural!” - Kaye White of Bonwood Bowling
“The project has been nothing but good news for the company and it's employees; it also seems to be subduing graffiti on neighboring buildings. I like the artistry of it. It's been nice to enable those kids to have a place to do it. They've been very polite and we've been accommodating so it's worked out very nicely for all of us." -Mike Hansen of Standard Builder Supplies
"It creates a sense of community and ownership." -Brandon Bott of UTA
"It has really helped artists cut their teeth and has transformed the city into an art gallery. That's one of the things about public art, it allows everybody to become an art critic." - Nancy Boskoff of The Salt lake Arts Council
“The mural that we had commissioned from the U of U is in our County Government Center Cafeteria and is a bright, happy mural that makes people smile when they see it. It has added a dimension to the cafeteria that was not there before. The colors are bright and the theme fits well into a cafeteria. People from the outside public have commented on this mural and have inquired where we had it done and I have happily passed along this information. This mural has brought a new look for the cafeteria and I personally enjoy just viewing it and seeing the many items that reflect both the students’ impressions and the way it has tied back into the cafeteria. It is one of the nicest things that we have done for County employees and brings a lift to their day. I would and I have recommended the program to other agencies. I also would like to have more murals within the buildings, but monies have prohibited us from moving this process forward. It was absolutely fascinating to me and also to other employees of the Government Center to see how this process unfolds and the way the various colors worked together to complete the whole picture. Employees of the Government Center interacted with the students during the process and the students explained the process to the employees each week as it progressed.” – Arlene Zortman of The Salt Lake County Government