TAMIU Profs Help with Encinal Tile Mural Project

Two Texas A&M International University faculty members are helping to create a community tile mural project in nearby Encinal.

Janet Krueger, associate professor of art, and Dr. Sean Chadwell, assistant professor of English, are both part of a series of 15 community workshops underway through May. The workshops will result in a permanent, mosaic tile mural created by local residents with tiles donated from tile companies and contractors. Community members have chosen "Life in South Texas" for the mural's theme.

The workshop series builds upon established relationships with project partners to bring together individuals and groups such as city officials, school children, artists and adults.

Partners in the project include Hecho en Encinal, the school district, elementary school, and the City of Encinal.

The Mid-America Arts Alliance, one of the project funders through its Community Catalyst program, provides funding for both visual and performing arts activities that broaden and deepen public participation in the arts. The M-AAA has featured the Encinal project in their new quarterly webzine, available at www.maaa.org

Funding for the project has also been provided by the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Other recent Encinal-based projects that have involved TAMIU faculty include the recent Childhood Memories Exhibit, which traced the memories of individuals who grew up in Encinal through photos, and a project celebrating the cooking styles of South Texas.

For more information, contact Donna Lednicky of Hecho en Encinal at 948.7228. Professors Krueger or Chadwell can be reached at TAMIU, 956.326.2001.

University summer office hours are from 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday. All offices are closed on Fridays.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu