Miami students stand in front of the mural at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Students David Hartman and Lila Tangorre talked about how much they enjoyed working on the project (photo by Scott Kissell).

Videography by Cameron Johnson

The completion of the first phase of a mural in Oxford was celebrated May 14, with Miami University, city, and Duke Energy officials applauding the collaborative effort to beautify a long wall outside a substation.

The mural along Spring Street was designed and painted by students taking a mural class at Miami taught by Michael Stillion, associate teaching professor of Studio Art.

“Seventeen students came together and created a cohesive design that they could work on together and create this beautiful image,” Stillion said, noting they started painting March 19 and finished on time. 

“We had 12-14 sessions on this that were two hours at a time,” he said.

Designed as a two-year project, the mural reflects the changing seasons, beginning with winter and transitioning into spring. The second half, to be completed next spring, will continue the story through summer into fall.

The mural near the busy intersection features nature scenes with snow and the sun, deer, birds, butterflies, bees, flowers, a raccoon, and a squirrel.

Duke provided a $10,000 grant to support the project outside the substation that was upgraded in recent years and surrounded with the new wall. The mural will only be painted on the Spring Street side.

“We saw this as a great opportunity to feature some of the artwork from Miami’s talented fine arts program,” Deanna Bowden, senior account executive at Duke Energy, said during the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Students stand on ladders to paint the mural on a wall facing Spring Street during spring semester. “We had 12-14 sessions on this that were two hours at a time,” said Michael Stillion, associate professor of Studio Art (photo by Scott Kissell).

The Miami class partnered with the Public Arts Commission of Oxford (PACO) on the project.

Amanda Alexander, chair of the Department of Art and professor of Art Education, said that last year Miami students did a mural for Newport on the Levee.

“One of the challenges was it was far, it was really far, so when PACO came to us and asked, ‘Hey, can we do a mural here in Oxford?’ it was already kind of on our minds to try to do a community project with somebody here closer,” Alexander said.

She said it was great partnering with PACO. “This has been a fun, enjoyable journey for us and we love the visibility of the public art as well,” she said.

Lila Tangorre, a first-year student majoring in Graphic and Experience Design with minors in Studio Art and Arts Management, said it was an amazing experience for her and her classmates.

As the students painted, they would often hear people driving by honk in support and say encouraging things such as, “The mural looks great” and “Keep going.”

PACO had asked the students to be sure to make the mural engaging to everyone, including young children by putting some of the artwork at their eye level.

Tangorre noted a memorable interaction between the Miami students and a little girl who was walking by with her dad.

“She was just so fascinated by it and came over to say 'hi' to us. We gave her a paintbrush and let her paint a little area of it,” she said.

Tangorre and other students said they really enjoyed the design process.

Hudson Sheline, a sophomore majoring in Studio Art, called it fulfilling to work on the public mural.

“It took a lot of hard work. We spent most of the time in the classroom, iterating on different designs. It was a very fun process,” said Sheline, who painted some of the large blocks as well as some of the bees.

David Hartman, a senior majoring in Games and Simulation with a minor in Studio Art, said he really enjoyed getting out of the classroom to work on the mural.

“It was just fun to be out here, outside in the weather, and be able to actually see the impact it has on the community around us," Hartman said.

Michael Stillion's class discussed the direction of the mural with members of the Public Arts Commission of Oxford (PACO), including Amber Franklin, a city council member and chair of PACO, center (photo by Scott Kissell).

Ryan Fisher, dean of the College of Creative Arts, said he was proud of the students for their work. “I think it’s a wonderful collaborative project that shows our university and college’s commitment to true community engagement.”

Fisher noted after the event that Stillion has been juggling a lot with his own show at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati.

“It shows our professors don’t just teach people how to do art; they’re still practicing art,” he said. “And our students are getting to go and see their work, while he’s celebrating and providing input on their work.”

Stillion said it was a wonderful opportunity for the class to work with PACO.

“It’s so cool to have a group of people understand that art is so important to their community,” he said.

Alexander said later, “I think, for us, this is a really great class and I want to keep running it. As long as we can find community partners who we can work with and we find spaces for the murals, we’ll continue it into the future, because it’s a benefit for everybody.”

Amber Franklin, city council member and chair of PACO who also is an associate professor of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Miami, thanked everyone involved, including the community for supporting the artistic endeavor.

As an Oxford resident, she changed her walking routine so she can pass by the mural.

“This whole project has been this amazing demonstration of what a liberal arts education can do, and I hope that as a society, we continue to support the arts, the creative arts, because there is a connection between public art and public health,” Franklin said.

“Communities that have public art for the community to enjoy report better outcomes than communities that are devoid of public art.”