In case you haven’t heard, Santa Clara is in the process of having a mural painted in the new Santa Clara Town Hall. The mural spans the 27 foot width of the upper balcony in the hall and illustrates the amazing journey of Santa Clara’s Swiss immigrant population who left the lush green valleys of Switzerland in 1861 to settle amongst red rocks and lava fields in Santa Clara. Although the mural will not be completed until late April, artist Julie Rogers has already served up an emotional piece that has onlookers awed by its movement and deep messages.
When Rogers chose to paint the mural on site, no one had any idea it would bring such attention. Interest has now reached clear across the Atlantic. A journalist with the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation in Bern, Switzerland, read an article about the mural in the Salt Lake Tribune’s online version January 12, and after emailing the artist and City contacts, he has expressed great interest in doing an article for the Switzerland news on the mural and the story it tells. This spreading interest is just what the artist hoped to ignite. She strongly feels the mural needs to belong to the people it is about, and the people who have benefited from the sacrifices that were made..
For those of us who may not be of Swiss descent, the mural is a touching study of all pioneers and their sacrifice. Santa Clara City invites everyone to drop by and see the mural. The artist paints Monday through Wednesday, but the mural is open to view any time the Town Hall (Santa Clara’s seat of government) is open. Anyone coming to the Chamber luncheon on January 28rd will have opportunity to view the mural before and/or after the luncheon.
For more information about the mural, contact Kathleen Nielson, project coordinator, or the Santa Clara Town Hall. Kathleen (435) 229-8310; Town Hall (435) 673-6712.
