I D E N T I T Y - 2006 Capstone Festival! Visual & Public Art Department! CSUMB!

We both have a passion for painting. We had known each other from classes in the past and share many of the same attitudes and ideas about art and the world. Our personal art borders on surrealism, and our childhood drawings are quite similar, With both of us majoring in Visual and Public Art with an emphasis in mural painting, it seemed only natural that we should paint a mural together for our capstone.

This was rather new territory for us. We both had participated in public art projects, but this was the first time either of us had been responsible for starting a project and seeing it through to the end. We had grown accustomed to painting on canvases in our dorm rooms but were eager to paint something big.

A fellow Capstone student, Michelle Lee, helped us to work with The Salvation Army Good Samaritan Center in Sand City to create a mural for their north wall. The size of the wall, level of coordination and the process of design and review all were a jump into ice water and a wake up call to the realities of public art.

Many ideas were considered and discarded before arriving at our final design. This proved to be the most challenging aspect of our project. Not only did Israel and I have to agree on the concept for the painting and the aesthetic quality, but we also had to reach a consensus with the Salvation Army. Brainstorming with sketches and researching old Salvation Army poster art helped us to hone in on a concept that the organization would enjoy. Originally we were going to paint an image representing the yawning divide between the rich and poor, and the dwindling middle class; however it seemed more appropriate to stick to a positive theme.

Drawing inspiration from what the Dali Lama said in 1935, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” and the Good Samaritan parable, we decided to create an image of people comforting and helping others. The Good Samaritan Center does this through food, shelter and counseling services, represented in the corners along with the Salvation Army Logo. We hope that it serves as a sort of welcome sign, and that it helps to brighten a few people’s days