LOOKING BACK April, 2000

By Dixie Terry

       In April, 2000, it was finally hung for all to see, just inside of the north entrance of the Goreville School.

     The mural, commemorating Goreville’s Centennial, had been in the making for several weeks, by a group of dedicated art students.

     Siona Benjamin-Kruge, an artist-in-residence, who teaches art at SIU-C, taught the artistic skills in acrylic painting on steel tiles, that were then baked in a kiln.

     The individual tiles, designed by the students, each depicted a piece of Goreville’s past, present or future. These were attached in a patchwork quilt fashion on a plywood backing.

     Jan Southard, art teacher at the Goreville School. was the innovator behind the art project, and had applied for a grant that provided partial funding through the Illinois Arts Council.

     Sixteen art students volunteered to work on the project, and spent hours after school, doing the necessary preliminary research, before sketching and painting the tiles.

     A crowd of parents, students and teachers attended the showing, and enjoyed punch and cake, while admiring the colorful and original creation, which will be a permanent  display as a reminder of the Centennial.

     Performing in a jazz trio were Michael Kruge, Carbondale; Jack Onieva, Paraguay; and Mel Goot, Goreville, who provided a musicaol bsckground for the evening.

     The students and their teacher are to be commended for their masterpiece, which featured not only scenic  and nature themes, but also a John Deere tractor; a half-bass, half-catfish; Goreville’s honorable mayor, Bill Durham; fruit from local orchards; animals; a local fire truck; Siegel Hubbard’s vintage meat market sign; and so much more.

     Shelby Bailey, co-chair of the Goreville Centennial Committee assisted the students in their historical research by bringing her collection of old photographs and sharing early stories in the classes.