Berkeley, California (Wednesday, June 20, 2007)  -  The public is invited to attend the unveiling of a new mural in honor of former City Council member Maudelle Shirek.

WHO:  Mayor Tom Bates, Councilmember Max Anderson and a DVD presentation from U.S. Representative Barbara Lee.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 27, 2007
              1:00 -3:00 p.m.

WHERE: The Maudelle Shirek Building, formerly Old City Hall
              2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way

This public art project depicts the life and works of one of Berkeley’s eminent proponents of civil rights and social responsibility and covers her childhood in Jefferson, Arkansas, her arrival in Oakland and Berkeley in the 1940’s, and her many years of direct involvement and community action. Ms. Shirek was an elected member of the Berkeley City Council for more than twenty years. 

The mural will be installed on removable panels on the wall outside the current City Council Chambers. This placement is near the famous mural “The City and its People” by the late Romare Bearden, also on removable panels and inside the City Council Chambers.

The Civic Arts Commission approved the public art Selection Panel’s recommendation and commissioned artists Daniel Galvez and Mildred Howard to create the mural. The selection of the artists was an open competition. This mural is part of the Public Art Program of the City of Berkeley Civic Arts Office and Civic Arts Commission. The funds are from the annual 1.5% for art.

For more information see the Civic Arts web page: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/civicarts/publicart.htm or call Mary Ann Merker, Civic Arts Coordinator, 510-981-7533, mmerker@ci.berkeley.ca.us, or Charlotte Fredriksen, Assistant Management Analyst, 510-981-7539,  cfredriksen@ci.berkeley.ca.us.

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