The Santa Ana College Mural Team was invited by Segerstrom Center of the Arts on May 2 to paint a live mural for the national production of An American in Paris.
The muralists attended pre-shows throughout the week of An American in Paris, and guests saw the artists paint and asked them questions about the mural.
“When the idea came about for a live art demonstration, I said I have a contact and Hostetter was very interested and told me that he wanted to make this work and I am so glad that this college is here at Segerstrom,” said Coordinator of Community Engagement at Segerstrom who invited the mural team to paint, Daniel Escobar.
SAC muralists arrived May 2 to begin painting the live mural Segerstrom requested.
“The artists were still in the drawing stages Tuesday and I usually like to be at least three fourths of the way done for things like this,” said SAC Mural Arts Professor Darren Hostetter, who felt that the mural may not be completed by their Sunday deadline.
The muralists returned May third, fourth and fifth for the show’s production days, where the members got closer to their goal of completing the mural.
An American in Paris is a remake of the 1951 musical starring Gene Kelly, that was transformed into a national Tony award winning on scene production that has been touring the country including Orange County.
The story features an American World War II soldier, a painter, and an intriguing French female. The two meet amiss an ending war while in France and a strong emotional connection is formed between the two who have such different ideals and societal norms.
“The musical is pretty much a romantic love story in Paris staged during World War II,” said Segerstrom Public Relations Scala Jakso.
The backdrop of the painting features Segerstrom Hall, the shows concert hall, along with displaying “Firebird,” a piece Segerstrom is very excited about and wanted the artists to display.
The muralists also choose to feature an Eiffel Tower in the background to commemorate the Paris theme surrounding this show.
The foreground of the painting features “Jerry Mulligan” and “Lise Dassin,” the main characters in An American in Paris, embracing and holding hands in a romantic and loving fashion.
May 7 was the final day the muralist attended the Segerstrom center to continue the mural however, the mural has not been completed and has since returned to the SAC campus for the artists to complete.
The Muralist along with Hostetter completed the mural May 17.
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