College Proposes Bricktown Mural

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College proposes Bricktown mural


By Steve Lackmeyer
The Oklahoman

Officials with Oklahoma City Community College unveiled a proposal Wednesday for a tile mosaic mural they wish to put on permanent display along the west end of the Bricktown Canal.
The $150,000 project, which is being co-sponsored by the Oklahoma Centennial Commission, would be led by artist Mary Ann Moore, a professor of visual art at the college.

The pitch to the Bricktown Urban Design Committee on Wednesday was the first step for the project proceeding, which must be approved by the Arts Commission before being submitted for final approval by the design review group.

The proposal follows unsuccessful bids by two other groups to display painted murals in the area that overlooks where the canal begins.

Four years ago, a giant mural portraying whales and seascapes sponsored by the Ronald McDonald House was rejected because it did not fit in with Bricktown's decor. Another pitch two years ago for murals portraying various cultures never materialized.

Paul Sechrist, college provost, said the new proposal, "As Long as the Waters Flow," would not require the maintenance associated with painted murals.

"They will be created with handmade ceramic tiles attached to the wall," Sechrist said. "It's a big project, very different from painting, and will require a great deal of artistic skill."

Bob Todd, college president, said Moore was an easy pick for the project. Todd said the mural, depicting state symbols including buffaloes, trees and nature scenes, was inspired by one Moore created 20 years ago.

The Bricktown mural also would feature American Indians holding pots so that they appear to be the source of water current flowing out of the wall.

"All of these icons are symbols of Oklahoma," Moore said. "We would love to do it for the Centennial celebration. I think it will be beautiful down there, as opposed to not doing something like this."

Sechrist and Todd praised Moore as an expert in creating tile mosaics and added the project will be bigger than tile murals displayed outside the SBC Bricktown Ballpark.

"She's going to make these so they're durable," Sechrist said. "This will be there until the city decides to scrape them off. Our grandchildren will be enjoying this."

[floater]

I imagined having pedestrian-perspective streetscenes from OKC's heyday on that space, but I like the idea of the Native Americans holding pots showing where the canal water came from. It's kinda cool. Let's see what a sketch looks like.

[Luke]

Anything's better than a blank concrete wall.

[Patrick]

I like the fact that this will be a tile mosaic like those on the ballpark, rather than a painting which will fade away quicker with weather. I only wish it was on the Santa Fe Railroad wall, where the whale miral was proposed a few years back. We turned down that proposal, and ever since, the wall has remained blank! If they were jsut going to leave the wall blank, I wish they would've allowed the whale mural to be painted.