Artist Profile:

By Jenny Bondurant

When William Woods Assistant Professor of Fine Arts Jane Mudd began work on a piece of public art for Fire Station No. 7, at the intersection of Green Meadows and Green Meadows Circle in the southwest part of the city, she spent a month mulling over ideas for the project, trying to hit upon the concept that best suited the spot and best represented Columbia. The final product, a bronze relief sculpture called “In Gratitude,” is the culmination of community input, Mudd’s years of pursuing art and the value that the city places on the public art experience.

Mudd’s “In Gratitude” sculpture is mounted on a masonry wall in front of the new station, encompassing the themes of thankfulness and community. Mudd spent a total of two months in the planning stage for the project. For the first month, she reviewed the plans for the station, which was under construction, and talked to everyone she could for input, including local historians and firefighters.

“What really hit me is the strong sense of community that Columbia has,” Mudd said. “People in Columbia are so engaged in their specific interests, and so many different groups and interests abound in the city.” Mudd used that inspiration to inform her work on the sculpture as well as to satisfy her desire to bring figure and expression to life.

“The 15” by 33” bronze relief depicts a diverse community giving thanks for its firefighters and other public servants,” Mudd said. “The small shallow relief toward the top reflects a number of tableaus: MU’s old Academic Hall destroyed by fire in 1892 (the columns are all that remain), a rescue scene and Mom’s Arcade, which burned down in 1997. The engines change to reflect the different eras.”

The rest of the image depicts a variety of characters and personalities modeled in a deeper relief. The figure in the center, Mudd said, is a salute to Donald “Hector” Crumb, the only Columbia firefighter to lose his life in the line of duty. An informal seating area will accompany the wall, allowing the visitor to sit and rest while enjoying the surrounding gardens and newly constructed fire station.

The Fire Station No. 7 project was funded by the Percent for Art program, established by the Columbia City Council in 1997 to increase the amount of public art in the community. The program sets aside 1 percent of a city construction project’s budget for site-specific art.

The Percent for Art program is coordinated by the Office of Cultural Affairs under the auspices of the Standing Committee on Public Art. The committee began its selection process by requesting applications from both local and statewide artists. Mudd said that her work on other public art projects helped her standing in the competition. Through WWU’s Mentor-Mentee program, Mudd and a student mentee (as well as many volunteers) completed a 100-foot mural depicting both contemporary and historical events of Callaway County. The mural is found on the south side of the Movie Gallery building in Fulton. Mudd has also created murals for Missouri Girls Town in Calwood, Mo.

Once Mudd was selected for the fire station project, she was required to submit a proposal of the actual design to the Commission on Cultural Affairs and the City Council. The first tangible representation of her concept came to life through a quick charcoal drawing, which then progressed to a study in art. The public was invited to comment on the early design, and the design was altered slightly as a result of those observations.

After the final design was approved, Mudd spent many hours on the project, working nights and weekends for much of the winter at her house. The piece then went to a foundry in Lawrence, Kan., where it went through several stages from the original plasticine replica to a wax model and then to its final stage — bronze. “Plasticine is a man-made clay substitute that never dries,” Mudd said. “Many sculptors today use it for long-range detailed pieces that take a lot of time.”

With a first love of painting, Mudd enjoys the similarities between oil painting and sculpture. “Clay and paint are both very tactile and sensual media,” she said. “You can manipulate it and change it, add to it. It’s also very forgiving and can quickly give you a feeling for movement and gesture.”

Mudd, who received her BFA from Fontbonne College in her native St. Louis and her Master’s degree from the University of Missouri, is active in the Columbia art community and maintains a studio on Orr Street.

“Jane’s work adds to the potential for people to interact with public art in Columbia,” said Marie Nau Hunter, manager of the City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs. “The beauty of the Percent for Art program is that it puts the art experience in everyday life.”

Mudd said she is grateful for the opportunity the Percent for Art program presented her. “I would love to see other towns across the country value public art like Columbia does,” she said. “Support for public art is a sign of a healthy community.”