By Burt Graeff
Anyone who has not recently visited the community center at the Academy Village is in for a big surprise in the form of a stunning and colorful 8-foot by 12-foot ceramic mural that adorns the building.
“We are always looking for projects to enhance and bring happiness to the community,’’ said Academy Village resident artist Geri Burkhart. This particular project was not accomplished overnight. It was born in March 2019 and completed by Thanksgiving 2019. There are an estimated 500-600 pieces on the wall. All of the pieces were hand-made in the near-by activities room. The mural depicts a Rincon Valley nature scene.
Resident artists Marsha Kinkade, a ceramicist, and Dr. Robert Smith were also instrumental in pulling off this project. “This was really a community project,’’ Burkhart said, “and so many villagers with varying artistic skills worked together to complete it.”
After 39 kiln firings to complete the mural, it was time to mount it. “It took a couple of weeks to mount,’’ Smith said. “There an untold number of hours put into this,’’ Kinkade added. “We’ve had a great response to it.’’
