Samantha Goncalves Interview

I chose to interview Ms. Angiletta, an Art Teacher at SHS. I knew she would be a good candidate to interview for this topic as she has been at SHS as an Art Teacher for a while and would know things related to the art department.

She has been here for 20 years and she has been studying art and working in art careers her whole life.

Q1: Who paints the murals, how are they picked to do this and is there a qualification for this responsibility?

R1: "Typically the AP art students. They do it after The AP art exam in May."

Q2: How does the design get decided on and who gets a say in the design?

R2: "It is either that the senior class designs it or if the art students themselves pick it."

Q3: Throughout your time at SHS, have you overseen or been a part of the mural making process or is it student based only?

R3: "I have never overseen it, it is predominantly student based. The AP students work independently with the senior population."

Q4: In your opinion, how do these murals bring together our school and town community?

R4: "Art in general brings people together, just like music it is a universal language. It preserves memories, historical, cultural events."

Evan Kirk Interview

For my interview I tried to email a previous Art Director at Southington High School. He had been working at the position for years and would know a lot about the murals. Unfortunately I was never able to get in touch with him, and was forced to search elsewhere. I ended up interviewing Mr. Pendell. Mr. Pendell worked as an art teacher at Southington High School all the way back when they first created the new building. He was able to tell me all about the first ever mural and what it meant to that graduating class. He told me that the very first mural was painted during the 1983-84 senior class. Every student in his Advertising & Illustrating class had to paint something. Some kids painted their proms, others painted their class nights, and some students even painted self portraits. This mural specifically stood out to Mr. Pendell because it reflected real memories from the senior class rather than just popular trends. The reason the murals were so special to Mr. Pendell was because they became " the first time students were allowed to permanently display their art on a school surface". The murals gave students a way to express themselves and reflect on their senior year. Looking back at them lets us see the school’s history and the pop culture of each time period from the students’ point of view.