Art students complete mural in future Deibel Park
September 24, 2021
The future Deibel Park has become the home of the newest mural completed by students in YSU’s Department of Art. The mural, which sits at 60 feet across and 13 feet high and features 24 life-like penguin paintings, was designed and painted by art students Rachel Hritz and Verena Bo Gyeong Son.
The mural is set to be the highlight of Deibel Park, a small, shaded spot located behind the Arms Family Museum and just east of the Watson and Tressel Training Site.
The park itself is still under construction and will not officially open until spring 2022, but if the large, colorful mural is any indication, it could quickly become a popular yet peaceful campus hang-out spot.
“We think this could be a very special space on campus,” associate director of grounds David Ewing said. “It’s a beautiful spot. The mural is fantastic, and we’re looking forward to completing the project over the next few months.”
The park, funded by and named after former chair of the YSU Board of Trustees Dave Deibel and his wife, Holly, also includes a walkway from the parking lot at the Wick and Weller residence halls to the R4 lot.
“It’s something we have had on the drawing board for years,” associate vice president of facilities John Hyden said. “We’re glad to see it coming to fruition.”
Throughout completion of the mural, Hritz and Gyeong Son were advised by professor of art Dragana Crnjak as part of her Mural and Site-Specific Painting course. Under Crnjak’s direction, students in the class have completed several large murals across the area in recent years, including the Andrews Avenue Memory Mural. The newest project, by current student Gyeong Son and fall 2020 graduate Rose Sulerach Rivera, is two large-scale indoor murals for The Bunker, an indoor golf practice facility at the Southern Park Mall in Boardman.
"My goal is to provide students with the hands-on experience of collaboration, problem-solving, [and] making community connections while developing the sense of responsibility, ownership, and pride in the completed public art that stays after them," Crnjak said.
Hritz, a studio art major who also worked on the Andrews Avenue project, said murals are more than paint on walls. She believes they can transform neighborhoods, improve safety, and impact the socioeconomics of a region.
“They create energy and excitement and a sense of community, pride, and collaboration,” Hritz said.