Issue #12– January 23, 2009

A Mural for the Lyell Avenue Library

by: Rose Figliomeni Khan, Greek Circle Community Advocate
The Lyell Avenue library is a small brown building north west of the city of Rochester, so small you may miss it when driving by.   This little library, however, has a huge impact on the surrounding community.  It makes a strong effort to reach out to the youth population of the struggling area.  In the fall, the library updated their teen section with new computers, but wanted something to define the area and draw youth in.  It was decided the space needed a dynamic mural.

Through Action for a Better Community, Library Director Shelley Matthews was able to find local artist Rose Figliomeni Khan to take on the project.  Rose designed the mural, but needed a crew of painters to turn it into reality.  Alongside of being a graduate student in the MST Art Education program, Rose is also the Residence Life Community Advocate for Greek Circle.  She invited the residents to join her.

The enthusiasm and response to the project was overwhelming.  Members of Delta Phi Epsilon, Phi Kappa Tau, and Phi Kappa Psi all volunteered their time.  Due to the large number of volunteers, the painting was broken up into sessions, the first being Saturday, January 10th.   The ladies of Delta Phi Epsilon did such an amazing job, the mural was almost completed in that one Saturday. 

What was once a drab blue wall is now a Rochester park.  Teens are depicting enjoying the outdoors alongside of critters, such as a mouse on a bike and a squirrel busily using his laptop.

The project was cross-disciplinary, as none of the painters were art students.  It gave them a chance to utilize skills they don't use in the classroom. Kayla Mae Talkington (3rd year Environmental Management and Technology) was very excited to help out with the project.  According to her, "painting the mural was a very fun community service event” and she " learned some of the basics of painting such as blending different colors to make the art come to life!"

It's estimated that the mural should be finished within the next several weeks, so stop by the Lyell Avenue Library to check it out.





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