CSUMB art students get hands-on at museum

San Francisco artist Andrew Schoultz has created a mural and a site-specific installation at the Monterey Museum of Art, with help from a trio of CSU Monterey Bay art students.

His work, on display at the museum’s La Mirada facility through Nov. 17, is based on local histories of Monterey.

For years, the university’s Visual and Public Art Department and the museum have collaborated on projects, and countless students have done internships there. Last spring, Professor Johanna Poethig recruited Teryn Thomason and Jorge Amezcua from her painting and mural class to help with Schoultz’s exhibit. The third student, Devin Johnson, took a more indirect route: he relied on old-fashioned perseverance.

After learning when the artist would be at the museum, Johnson vowed to show up at 8:30 every morning until he caught someone's attention. It didn't take long. A staff member was quick to respond to his offer of help and he went to work in late June.

All three students were pleased to have the opportunity.

“This is the first internship I’ve had,” Thomason said. “Professor Poethig is a wonderful mentor and has been instrumental in giving me opportunities within the art community here in Monterey.”

Thomason assisted Schoultz in setting up his pieces of art. “Most of the work I did was on painting walls with brick décor, and smaller layers of brick work on the sides of mural panels within the largest room of the museum,” she said.

She also filled in large patches of off-white color to sections of the mural that Schoultz then filled in.

Amezcua had worked on large-scale murals before, but “being able to work with an artist like Andrew was a very motivating experience,” he said. “I have admired his work, especially his murals in San Francisco, so being able to put a face to the work was surreal.”

His part of the project involved prep materials for the artist and adding base layers of paint to large-scale pieces. Among other tasks, Johnson painted in parts of the mural that Schoultz had outlined on the wall.

It was a learning experience for all of them.

“It’s always enriching being exposed to different types of art and different techniques,” Thomason said.

"An important thing I realized was about the inner workings and business of the art world," Johnson said.

Schoultz’s work is part of the museum’s In Process series of exhibitions that focus on work by contemporary artists and frequently include ephemeral, site-specific installations. In Process charts the most current developments in the field of contemporary art by championing the work of emerging and mid-career artists.

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