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Students taking fine and performing arts courses have added a new roadside view along U.S. Highway 77 in Beatrice.
The group is part of the Street Art II: Mural Masters class, led by Sandra Williams, associate professor of fine arts, and spent more than a week painting the mural at Premier Chevrolet Buick GMC in Beatrice. Williams said the project provides students with valuable experience while also providing a connection to the Nebraska community. It also gives students a creative experience that can’t be replicated in the classroom.
“I’m a big supporter of the idea of combining real-world skills and academic goals and having them mirror each other,” she said. “The most meaningful learning experiences I had as a student were when I was working with others, and that to me is really the foundation of a valuable education, so I’m always looking for ways to provide that opportunity for my students.”
Williams has worked on public art projects in Alliance, Nebraska, for the last few years and said he listens to what these communities want, what the people in these communities want when it comes to public art.
The answer? Murals.
“Nebraska towns are blank canvases waiting to be revitalized,” Williams says. “Murals can activate spaces and inspire broader community ideas for revitalization efforts. Widespread access to culture has educational, social and economic benefits.”
Andrea Schafer, chief operating officer for Premier Chevrolet Buick & GMC, said she was interested in the mural adorning the building. The company is located near downtown Beatrice, which is designated a Certified Creative District by the Nebraska Arts Council. Even before the mural was completed, Schafer had received messages of excitement about the project.
“We were able to piggyback off of their idea and bring more art to downtown,” she said. “It makes our community look even better.”
Company staff came up with the concept for the mural, blending past and present trucks, and Schafer shared it with the class, and she said working with the students was easy and smooth.
“They have great ideas and it’s fun to hear from them,” Schafer said. “I love their creativity.”
The final winning design was by Maddie Vanderbur, a third-year graphic design student, who showed a modern truck and an antique truck parked side by side in a rolling green landscape filled with wildflowers.
“I really wanted to focus on the Nebraska landscape as a backdrop,” Vanderbur says. “The skies and clouds here are just beautiful.”
Vanderbur had never worked on a project of this scale before, but he said it taught him how to work in such a large space, adapt to the environment and use materials like exterior paints and rollers. All of the students in the class also had to get certified in lift trucks in order to paint the top of the building.
Vanderbur said the process was extremely collaborative and she enjoyed the opportunity to work with other students, who she felt contributed to the final product being the best it could be.
“It’s really good to hear other people’s opinions because sometimes you question your own,” Vanderbur says. “What’s great about this project is that we’re all working on it. There’s a little bit of all of us in it.”
Williams said the collaboration is preparation that will help them when they have to work across different disciplines and jobs professionally. Williams said the training has equipped students with the skills they will need if they want to collaborate with the community on projects like this in the future, and opened their eyes to ways they can find a career as an artist after completing their education.
“When you’re dealing with a gallery dealer, you’re alone,” Williams says, “and when you’re designing an airport, you’re teaming up with engineers and urban planners. You’re never working alone.”
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