Photograph by Kevin Fayle

After two years in the making, a group of seven De Anza Students unveiled their mural depicting the constantly changing face of Silicon Valley. The mural is located in the L-Quad of the campus.

Fine Art

De Anza students create a mural of life in Silicon Valley, hoping to incite discussion

By Kevin Fayle

One does not often hear discussion about the social consequences of the great technological and urban explosion in the Silicon Valley. For that reason, a group of seven artists created a visually exciting and philosophically challenging mural they hoped would incite discussion and positive action among their community. The fact that these artists all attend De Anza College and installed the mural on campus with funding from the student body makes the achievement all the more notable.

The unveiling and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the mural occurred from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the L-Quad on the De Anza College campus, and featured a Texas-style barbecue and an ice cream social after the unveiling. Close to 150 people came to get the first glimpse of the mural, which stands at eight feet tall and spans 50 feet across the exterior wall of a building.

The ceremony began with a short speech by De Anza President Martha Kanter, who thanked the De Anza Associated Student Body for funding the project, as well as the Art on Campus Committee for working with the students to make the mural possible. The students credit Kanter's wish for a piece of engaging art on campus as a major factor in the conception of the piece.

The faculty advisor for the project, Eugene Rodriguez, a professor of visual arts and art history at De Anza, received recognition from Kanter for his contribution. He thanked the students for their hard work and dedication before turning the microphone over to them.

Michael Selby, the manager for the project, described how the work on the mural progressed over two years, from concept to the finished work. The project, he said, represented the students' need for a voice "from the gut of our souls," and he expressed the group's wish that the mural "be beautiful enough to entice you, and provocative enough to challenge and empower you."


Photograph by Kevin Fayle

An unidentified student takes a look at a mural located at De Anza campus depicting seven students' view of Silicon Valley. The artists hope the mural will engage onlookers to discuss life in the valley.




The mural contains themes relevant to life in Silicon Valley, with scenes depicting the effects of rapid urbanization, the isolating and uncertain consequences of technology, the pastoral roots of the valley, the grand possibilities of change through social movements, and the hazy future that Earth face in the next millennium.

The artists set about the task with precisely that in mind. Maria Pugnetti, a muralist, read from the project's thesis statement at the unveiling, saying that the mural "exists not as an object, but as a facilitator or provocateur of dialogue in a public gathering space."

The artists drew on the tumultuous times of the 1999-2000 scholastic year for much of their inspiration. Despite the hype surrounding the new millennium, the artists wrote that they "initiated the turn of the century with resistance," mentioning several student movements on campus, as well as student participation in the WTO protests in Seattle in 1999 and a trip by students to Chiapas, the poorest region of Mexico, as catalysts for the political experience they wished to convey.

After the ceremony, muralist Erin Kawamata described how the group assembled the project, using oil paints over 13 eight by four-foot wood panels. Because the group used studio space reserved for art classes, the artists had to stow the panels, then bring them out again when they had a chance to use the space. When they completed the piece, the artists put up the frame, then slid each panel into place.

According to Kawamata, the project went through a number of revisions, and the artists continued to make changes up until the very last minute. They decided to remove some ideas as well. "We've toned it down, actually," Kawamata said.

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