Manatee School for the Arts students design
and paint mural for local business
By CARL MARIO NUDI
When East Bradenton resident Margaret Espinal, and her husband, Frankie, opened Koukla’s Classic Delicatessen on Jan. 1, they knew they wanted a mural on the wall of the eatery illustrating their hometown, New York City.
And since Frankie’s daughter, Tabitha, goes to school at Manatee School for the Arts in Palmetto, they thought maybe some of the art and graphic students would want to take on this project.
“Their response was amazing,” Margaret Espinal said.
Melissa Aldan, who teaches drawing and cartooning at MSA, asked the members of the school’s National Art Honor Society group if they wanted to tackle the mural project.
“A handful raised their hands and it was up and running,” said Aldan, who is the teacher sponsor of the school’s NAHS club.
The National Art Honor Society has chapters in schools throughout the United States made up of 9th through 12th grade students.
The National Art Education Association began “to inspire and recognize students who have shown an outstanding ability and interest in art” according to its website.
Aldan asked a few of the students to be on a committee to come up with some ideas.
“Margaret wanted a New York theme with specific things on the wall,” she said.
Margaret wanted the mural to depict several of the New York landmarks, and to have a graffiti design feel.
Ninth-grader Casey McKeown, who was the chairman of the design committee, took those ideas and went to work.
“I looked at graffiti and collages on the Internet and watched some graffiti videos on YouTube,” McKeown said when asked how he came up with his design.
“I then cut out pictures of the subjects Margaret wanted in the mural, pasted them down, and it started coming together,” said the 15-year-old who plans to be an architect and interior designer.
Margaret wanted the mural to highlight New York graffiti, subway systems, the Bronx Zoo, the New York City skyline and other famous icons of the Big Apple.
“She also wanted some Greek history in the mural,” McKeown said, “so I added a Spartan soldier and the Greek flag.”
When he presented the design to the other club members and Espinal they liked it, and McKeown and five other students got to work enlarging the design to fit a wall of about 8-feet-by 20-feet.
The drawing was first enlarged onto big sheets of paper, holes were punched along the lines of the larger drawing, and then the design was transferred onto the wall of the delicatessen by dabbing paint through the holes.
The MSA students and their teacher, Aldan, met Sunday, March 12, at Koukla’s Classic Delicatessen, 7606 Lockwood Ridge Road, across from St. Barbara’s Greek Orthodox Church, to begin painting lines over the design dots.
After a few hours a wonderful graphic started to emerge and various New York landmarks were easily recognized.
“It’s such a good feeling to watch them work on this project,” said Aldan, who has taught at MSA for eight years. “Especially since I’ve had some of them in my classes since 6th grade.”
Manatee School for the Arts was founded in 1998 as a Manatee County School District charter school.
At the school, teachers mix the study of the arts, including dance, theatre, music, and graphic arts with all academic courses.
Working on the project for 10th grader Queenie Zheng, was an opportunity to express her love of art.
“I have an affinity for art,” Zheng said. “Since I was younger people commented on how good I am.
“I’m passionate about art,” she said.
The 15-year-old also said she joined the project because she “wanted to volunteer to help in the community.”
Community service was one of the reasons junior Lorianne Scandalito volunteered for the mural project.
“I’ll do anything (for the community),” Lorianne said.
She said she does not like painting so much, but likes drawing and cartooning.
“I love book illustration,” said the 17-year-old. “I want to learn how to illustrate books.”
Senior Christarose Byrd, who plans to study forensic science in college, decided to participate on the project just for sake of art.
“The big thing about art for me is that it’s satisfying to see other’s enjoyment,” Byrd said.
“Art is everything,” she said. “Without it life would be boring.”
Senior Francise Scandalito also does not plan on going into art when she graduates.
“I’m going into science,” the 18-year-old said, “but art will always be a hobby for me.”
Francise wanted to be part of the mural project for personal reasons.
“Casey is a good friend of mine, so I wanted to help him,” she said.
And for 12th-grader Aubrey Carey, she liked the idea of doing big art.
“Murals interest me,” said Carey, who also is the president of the MSA chapter of NHAS. “I like doing art on a larger scale, and painting in particular.”
She also said it was nice to help area businesses.
After a day of watching the mural outline take shape on the store’s wall, Margaret, who said she comes from a family of deli owners, was quite pleased.
“We wanted a little bit of everything about New York, and Casey really captured it,” she said.
For more information about Manatee School for the Arts, go to the website at www.msfta.org.
You can find the Koukla’s Classic Delicatessen menu and hours on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kouklasclassic/