Mission and History
Mission Statement
Our mission is to allow students in the Department of Art and Art History the opportunity to create, propose, and implement public art in the form of mural designs/paintings throughout the Salt Lake City area.
How we accomplish this:
1. Give students the experience of creating public art.
2. After graduation students will be more competitive in the bid process with public art experience.
3. Give students firsthand experiences in the challenges of educating and implementing their ideas and public art theories and practices to business owners and community leaders.
4. University students mentor elementary/secondary students to the process and applications of mural painting.
5. Provide graffiti artists the opportunity to create art in the community, educating to the legal procedures and policies of making public art.
6. Integrate university students with students in various areas throughout the city.
7. Give visual art students the experience and knowledge of creating large-scale site-specific art.
8. Increase the visibility of the Department of Art and Art History to the Greater Salt Lake community.
Class History
2003 was the first year murals were created from this class . Since then, one semester a year, Department of Art and Art History students participate in the mural creation. About two murals get created per semester.
Question to Kim Martinez: Why was the project started?
"The project was set up with the broad goal of bettering the artists’ social horizons, allowing them to connect with people and the community. Painters especially make their art in isolation, so the mural projects are a way for painters to become more engaged socially.
"People get excited about work that actually happens. You can spend years talking about the intent, but until it comes to life it doesn’t mean anything to people. When murals come to life, it gets community members and other artists excited because their work becomes part of the community. Actually showcasing this work that otherwise is underground and behind the scenes is important to me as an educator. It’s important to make it into something real, something with recognition."
Articles appear in the newspapers showcasing the labor these students undergo bettering their community.