Good fortune brings mural to Castro School
By several strokes of good fortune, a once plain yellow wall at
the front of Castro School now boasts a hand-painted mural.
The tiles that wrap around the tall letters spelling out “Castro
School” were designed and painting through a partnership between
a French artist and the students at the school. The tiles were set
by teacher Dan Mac Donald with assistance from the artist and some
of Mac Donald's students.
The school’s good fortune begins with its location, 7125 Donal
Ave., which affords a spectactular view of the Golden Gate Bridge
and the bay, a blessing seldom noticed by the school’s kindergarten
through sixth grade students. It did, however, draw the attention
of Isabelle Delloye.
Delloye has studied and designed tiles since 1982 and been commissioned
to do handmade tile murals in Paris and Berlin. She came to the
United States in 1996 with her husband, a cultural attache at the
French consulate in San Francisco, and is living in El Cerrito.
Delloye continued her ceramic work here. Her installed works include
a mural at Domaine Carneros winery in the Napa Valley, tile signs
at the Napa Valley Lodge and a playground mural at the French American
International School in San Francisco.
After doing the French American school project she got the idea
of doing a project in a public school, and involving the students
in the project.
Castro’s location and diverse student body, Delloye’s recent work
in landscapes, and her desire to do something to give back to the
area before leaving in the year 2000 all come together in the project.
Delloye approached Castro School Principal Jeanie Harris, who was
excited about a project that would depict the diversity of cultures
among the students at the school.
Delloye prepared 648 five-by-five-inch tiles, plus 128 pieces of
border. She painted the bridge, bay and surrounding landscape but
reserved most of the tiles so that each of the approximately 400
students would have an opportunity to paint one.
Early in the school year, she began visiting Castro's classrooms,
explaining her concept and giving each student a chance to prepare
a tile.
Younger students sponge-painted tiles for the sky and drew pictures
on paper of things they might see in the sky. Delloye took those
ideas and added clouds, a rainbow, airplanes, hot air balloons and
birds to the sky tiles.
Older children painted the foreground, reflecting interests such
as skateboarding, jumping rope, sliding, swinging and playing ball.
While each student had a tile, many of the students worked cooperatively
so that the artwork on several tiles together make a cohesive scene.
Delloye volunteered her efforts, and contributors including Washington
Mutual and Huntington Institute covered the cost of the supplies.
And by perhaps the most unlikely stroke of good luck, Dan Mac Donald
was hired to teach at Castro this year. In addition to being a promising
new teacher, a musician and an actor, Mac Donald happens to be an
experienced tile setter.
Mac Donald has set tile for 21 years, with a break to go to college.
He still does some tile setting "for unique and eccentric projects
like Isabelle's or when I desperately need the money. (That would
be all the time.)" He is in his first year teaching, through
a Cal State Hayward internship program.
Amazingly, he seemed perfectly happy doing both jobs at once Dec.
2 when it came time to install Castro's mural. As he mixed the materials
he needed and prepared the wall, his sixth-grade class sat quietly
and listened to his explanations of what he was doing.
One of the downsides of tiling, he explained, is it can get lonely.
That wasn't a problem as he worked at Castro. In addition to his
own students, other classes filed by throughout the afternoon to
witness the historic moment.
His students helped out by taping down paper to protect the brick
below the mural, and using a level. Delloye, with her baskets of
carefully packed and numbered tiles, assisted throughout the day.
Helping with the prep work and handing Mac Donald the tiles in order,
she was still there after nightfall as he set the last tile.
"I love the artistic and cooperative aspects of tile setting,"
says MacDonald. "I was fortunate to work with some wonderful
people. I set (architect) David Baker's house under the auspices
of Twyla Arthur. I also worked with her on the Kayo house that was
published all over (Diablo, Il Bano). I tiled Stars, Zuni, and the
Santa Fe Bar and Grill with the pure delight of working closely
with (chefs and restauranteurs) Jeremiah Tower, Judy Rogers and
Amid Benjati.
"My greatest moment was interfacing to the work of Guillermo
Wagner at the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco. All I did was
tile up to his work and carefully remove a half inch strip eight
feet long.
"Tile was a lot of fun, playing with colors, shapes, textures
and cool people but then all the people would go home and I had
to stay and finish it. Yuck!"
Teaching has provided Mac Donald an opportunity to pull together
the variety of talents he has explored over the years.
"Teaching is a great way for me express myself. I was an amateur
actor for eight years in Davis-Sacramento. I trained at ACT in their
Summer Congress and loved it more than anything. Teaching gives
me plenty of moments to act out in front of the kids. I'll also
have more time to act in the summer. I never had time as a tile
contractor.
" Teaching is a chance for me to play my guitar and sing for
the students. I've been a songwriter since I was 12." Mac Donald
has a CD listed at MP3.com. "I had a song that was number 7
on the alternative charts this year. It was very exciting,"
he says. "My page was getting hit 200 times a day with 120
downloads."
"Anyhow, I come to Castro and find out that my mentor teacher,
Steve Kirby, has a band. He's a very good guitar player. A third
grade teacher, Mark Medcalf, has a CD called 'Wide Open'. . .The
(vocal) music teacher, Jeff Berrington, is the coolest. I'm in heaven.
The whole faculty, staff and my dear principal, Jeanie Harris, are
the greatest people to work with.
"There is a true sense of community at Castro."
Dan Mac Donald sets the last tile in Castro's
mural.
* Delloye’s
webpage
* Mac Donald's CD
on line
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