MUD MAKING MAGIC…metuchen’s community mural, “The Seasons”
Some say that Public Art is the most dynamic form of art being made today. It automatically reaches a vast audience on a regular basis. Well-planned, it can enliven the area and become a genuine source of pride for a community.
The four-year, multi-panel public art project undertaken by the small Central NJ community of Metuchen (pop. 13,000) is a perfect example of that. Five years ago, the Metuchen Arts Council seized on the opportunity to invite local ceramic artist Linda Vonderschmidt-LaStella, a ceramic sculptor who creates large-scale ceramic murals, to lead the creation of a public art project, transforming a bland cinder-block storage building into an arts destination.
More than 300 people took advantage of getting their hands in clay to create their own o
