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• 1 2019-12-07T22:27:28+00:00 Mural Proposal 20 plain 2019-12-18T15:43:32+00:00
  Listen to the Audio Tour
  
  
   

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  The Imagined Mural Proposal
  
  
  
  The South Delsea Drive park exemplifies the historical and cultural aspects of our mural, so it only seemed natural that the mural would be located here. Historically, the South Delsea Drive park was the location of a World War II German Labor Camp. While treated well, the imprisonment of German prisoners of war still adds a dubious context to the park’s history. However, as Glassboro changed, so did its needs for its parks. As a result, the South Delsea Drive park was converted into a dual recreational and conservational park, meeting the needs of an evolving town. Based off of initial impressions, the change in the park would seem to represent moral growth. The park went from something negative (a prisoner of war camp) to something positive (an environmentally friendly community meeting place). In reality, the citizens of Glassboro adapted the park so that it could meet their need for a recreational space and while also having a positive impact on the environment. In other words, the park came to represent that humans cannot always be purely altruistic due to cultural demands, but they can balance these demands and their morals with each other. This newfound balance between the cultural needs of humans versus respecting a physical space is exemplified at the South Delsea Drive park and in our mural. The imaged example posted above exemplifies this idea of change over time. The left side of the mural depicts nature untouched by man, with healthy trees, grass, and flowers. As one begins to pan to the right, they see the (oftentimes) destructive forces that reshaped many of the parks. In Glassboro, fire was often the main culprit, so the grass in the mural is burnt or burning. Continuing right, as the land began to redevelop, man began to take advantage of the space available, with such features as gas lines, toxic dumping, buildings, and shops. Finally, in the present and the right side of the mural, the grass is rich once more, and the space features a walkway, a football field, and a playground, all common features of the parks today.
   

  Upon discovering the depth of culture and history present in Glassboro parks, our team set out to make these untold histories visible to the public. Our main goal was to find out the history of the parks and find out how they related to the town as a whole. Additionally, we set out to discover parts of the towns history that were hidden or not well known to the public. Even after going to school here for such a short time, we have seen that the citizens of Glassboro have a strong sense of pride for their town. As a result, we were excited to capitalize on the opportunity to provide insight on the town while also adding to its cultural history.