As part of my participation in the University Honors Program at Santa Clara University, I conducted a senior research thesis which examined the living role of mural art in negotiating community tensions in the cities of Baltimore and San Francisco. Simultaneously, I conducted field research at the de Saisset on-campus museum by filming and documenting a student created mural.
In addition to an in depth written case study, I produced and edited the following short film. The Power of Collaboration documents the behind-the-scenes process of a student led mural production inspired by the artwork of Kara Maria. Kara Maria’s exhibit on display in the museum titled “Precious and Precarious: Life on the Edge of Extinction” displayed several pieces that are inspired by the theme of the Sixth Extinction with a focus on animals experiencing endangerment and extinction.
For ten weeks, I enrolled as a student in Arts 32: 2-Dimensional Design and participated as both an artist in the mural and a documentarian off the wall. I conducted brief and informal interviews with students, professor Jessica Eastburn, and museum staff including Christ Sicat, Lauren Baines, and Kara Maria.
Ultimately, I wanted this piece to shed light on the ways in which creating collaborative works of art impacts community.
Credits
Contributors to the de Saisset mural and exhibit inspired by Kara Maria include:
Students and Faculty from:
ARTS 32 Two-Dimensional Design, Jessica Eastburn
ARTS 35 Intro Graphic Arts: Printmaking, Kathryn Kain
ARTS 37 Intro to Painterly Printmaking, Kathryn Kain
ARTS 143 Intermediate Painting, Ryan Reynolds
Special Thanks To:
Kara Maria, Artist
Jessica Eastburn, Lecturer in Studio Art
Christopher Sicat, Exhibition Project Coordinator, de Saisset Museum
Lauren Baines, Interim Director, de Saisset Museum
Fern Silva, Instructional Technologist Filmmaking
Museum Student Staff
