By Borislava Panayotova

   TPA’s Art Club is one of the oldest clubs and its legacy lives on through its many mural projects on campus. 

   In 2015, Mr. Savaglio, the middle and high school studio art teacher, became the sponsor of Art Club, an extracurricular that primarily consisted of upperclassmen at the time. He proposed the idea to start a project that would signify the club’s beginning: a mural of Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam.

   As more younger students joined, Mr. Savaglio realized that Michelangelo was too advanced and settled on an intermediate second project: Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. The students’ original Starry Night is currently undergoing renovations and there is a new version of the painting  in the auditorium. The second Starry Night was requested by the TPA parent organization for the Founders’ Week celebration last year and its theme is the City of Tempe, with classic Tempe buildings. 

   Another ongoing student mural project is Salvador Dali’s surrealist piece, Persistence of Memory. With melting clocks and minute details, this mural is almost completed and will be ready in the near future. 

   Another active project is Vincent van Gogh’s The Cypress Tree, specifically picked out by teachers and staff for  the faculty lounge. The main artist for this mural is Francesca Lilly, a TPA alumna from the Class of 2018. While attending TPA, she worked on murals for the French room and is now returning to help Mr. Savaglio with Art Club, as well as gain experience for her college major in Art Education.

  “I think that it’s really rewarding to work with the kids,” Francesca said.

   Despite all the hard work of the students, Mr. Savaglio and Francesca, the weather often creates challenges. Mr. Savaglio says that the main obstacle is properly treating and coating the murals in waterproof protectant before they go outside.

   The locations of the murals, however, also make a difference. Mr. Savglio said that the Creation of Adam has been under a roof for the past seven years and has managed to survive intact.

   The future of Art Club is looking as bright as its active murals on campus. Art Club is always looking for new members, so if you are interested in joining and working on these impressive murals, contact Mr. Savaglio.