***Update: the Palo Alto Public Arts Commission approved the mural. Read the story here.***
If all goes well at a meeting this Thursday with Palo Alto’s Public Arts Commission, the Palo Alto High School Class of 2013 will be set to begin working on its senior gift to the Paly community: a mural, featuring a Viking-esque theme, located on a wall of the Embarcadero Road underpass.
Led by seniors Claire Marchon, Lisie Sabbag and class president Michael Wang, the mural project is one that all seniors are welcome to take part of.
“Lisie and I will be coordinating the entire thing, and senior volunteers will be helping us,” Marchon said.
As the mural will not be painted on school property, the project must be approved by the city of Palo Alto as well as the school, according to Wang.
“I’ve been leading the effort and establishing communication with the city, Mr. [Principal Phil] Winston and the school board to help get things done,” Wang said. “We’re working with Elise DeMarzo of Public Works to get all the permits, paints and designs figured out. We will be presenting them to the Public Arts Commission in a little over a week.”
According to Wang, the project will be up for approval by the PAPAC at 7 p.m. this Thursday at the Palo Alto Art Center. Once approved, work on the mural could begin as early as the end of the month.
“The plan is to have everyone be able to work on it in some way or another,” Wang said. “We hope to make it as much of a social event as a project so people can hang out and stuff too.”
The mural is currently planned to feature a stenciled Viking along with geometric patterns in green and blue, Marchon said, but the design is subject to change to comply with the Public Arts Commission’s requests.
Wang originally brought the idea to the Associated Student Body, but Marchon and Sabbag are in charge of the creative process.
“Originally I pitched an idea for a senior gift to the rest of ASB and more specifically the senior officers because historically we have not had one,” Wang said. “I felt that we have had an awesome team of people this year and could make it a possibility. The artsy detail work will be led by Claire and Lisie, along with any artistically qualified people who want to help.”
The money funding the project comes from the senior class’s “discretionary account” filled by various fundraisers throughout the past four years, according to Wang.
“Through Stanford Parking and other various fundraisers over the four years we’ve been here, we’ve accumulated enough money to be able to finance this,” Wang said.
Wang stressed that creating the mural will be a class effort.
“In terms of actual work needed to be done, we need help sanding, priming and painting the background of the walls which is something any senior can help do,” he said.