Guest Blogger: Ilenia Pezzaniti

As the ArtsNow mural mission continues, the artistic torch has been passed to Lizzi Aronhalt, who is the Phase Two ArtsNow Artist-in-Residence. Aronhalt is a painter, illustrator, and educator who studied Art Education and 2-D media. Aronhalt’s major goal with her residency is to involve the community in the creation of a large mural that will be painted on the Park East tennis courts wall.

On April 13, Aronhalt, ArtsNow, and Artist’s Assistant Alexandria Couch held a laidback event where residents of Callis Towers could come meet her and discuss what they’d like to see as part of the mural. Paintings that Aronhalt created decorated the space around the meeting, some being used as inspiration and brainstorming launch offs where residents could stick a Post-It note to a certain “sky” or “color scheme” they liked that might then be considered for the mural. To build further interaction, tiles of colors were laid out for residents to pick from, and large papers hung on the wall where residents were encouraged to write down what they thought their community represented and historical figures they’d like to see on the mural.

Markers, magazines, glue, and tape were offered as ways to exercise creativity. Residents enjoyed pizza, snacks, and soft beverages while they talked amongst themselves and with Aronhalt about their ideas. Each resident filled out a questionnaire and many of them drew their own ideas on a paper model mural.

On their next visit with Park East Residents at Williams Tower on April 28, Aronhalt, Couch, and ArtsNow gathered all the ideas pitched from the Callis Tower residents and organized them onto large papers that they hung on the wall for residents to consider. Cookies and beverages were offered to the residents while they decided among different kinds of flowers, historical people, buildings, colors, and themes. Later, the team headed back to Callis Tower to receive input for what might be displayed in the mural.