I don't regret painting the mural, but I am sorry that it was in a place where I had no control or rights over it. Most muralists copyright their work, protecting their art from being destroyed. Merrill College provides the wall and supplies which makes mural painting accessible to many students who might not otherwise paint one and I am thankful for that. However, students who paint murals here have no control over the future of their work, which is left up to the whim of other students, few of whom know about what goes into the process of mural painting. In a recent conversation with a friend, Julia Lindsey, a senior, who also painted a mural at Merrill, I was reminded why I painted the mural there in the first place and the value of the moat.
Murals can be powerful works of art with the ability to influence and inspire.
The experience of having my work destroyed has not burned me completely. Next Fall I am planning to direct a youth mural at the Neary Lagoon Cooperative apartments in Santa Cruz. The mural will be designed and painted by the children who live in the apartments and will give them a chance to visually express themselves in their environment. It will be a permanent addition to their home which they and their families can take pride in for years to come. By investing their creativity in their community the mural will strengthen the children's connection to their home.