New murals to be unveiled at Missouri Southern's Spiva Library

(From Southern News Service)

Joplin is becoming a city of murals and two new works will soon be added to the list. The indoor murals will be publicly unveiled at 10 a.m. Monday, March 13, in Spiva Library at Missouri Southern State University.

James Capeci, Interim Director of Library Services, says the unveiling will take place near the fireplace on the main (third floor) of the library. Members of the Missouri Southern faculty and staff, as well as the media are invited to attend. Refreshments will be served.

The speakers will be Frank Pishkur, chair of the Art Department, and Kyle McKenzie, assistant professor of art at MSSU. McKenzie played a central role in the creation of the 60-foot-long mural at 621 Langston Hughes Broadway in Joplin that was officially dedicated last year.

The murals, located in the northwest corner of the third floor and in the northeast stairwell between the third and fourth floors, were completed by Missouri Southern art students, under the direction of McKenzie and Pishkur.

“The art students who worked on the murals should be acknowledged and celebrated, as they developed the murals and spent countless hours working on them,” Pishkur said.

“My coworkers and I are very pleased to have the murals in Spiva Library,” Capeci said. “We are proud of the art students who painted them and marvel at their artistic expression and abilities. We are also thankful for the art department’s collaborative spirit. Frank and Kyle approached the library last summer about pursing this collaboration and the best part of their pitch was MSSU art students would paint the murals with their encouragement and guidance. The final products are beautiful and will last for years.

“We feel the murals will strengthen the artistic life not only of Missouri Southern but of Joplin and surrounding communities.”