Advanced Art students unveil first DRIVE mural

Charles Mentzer ’21

It is every Shamrock artist’s dream to one day be a part of the Boys’ Bowl mural, a tradition with decades of history -- and color to back it up.

This year, the Boys’ Bowl mural blended right into the chaotic mess that was 2020. What normally proves to be a simple art project carried out within the first few months of school quickly became a year-long task in the midst of the pandemic.

A ruthless team consisting of seniors Andrew Memmer, Kyle Malachowski, Tim Giese, Tommy Shea, Danny Turek, Dylan Fras, Chris Goebel, Michael Wadowski, Brady Butcher, Joe McComb, Nick Croskey, Bret Beale, Jack Smith, and me began painting during the December lockdown, well after the Boys’ Bowl had taken place. Our 14-10 victory over De La Salle only served as motivation for the crew to complete the mural, no matter the hardships. This year’s mural proved unique not only in its artistic form, but also in its complex timeline.

For starters, the boards used to display the mural were completely new. The old boards dated back to 1985 and have since been repurposed. With new boards in hand, the mural team was finally ready to begin painting. Unfortunately, another lockdown ensued. Due to indoor restrictions, the team was forced to move the boards out into the equipment shed by the football field in order to proceed.

In fact, the very first brush strokes of the mural were done outside in the snow.

As soon as the team was permitted back into the building, they began to work consistently throughout each day. With no deadline in sight, the team had all the time in the world to perfect the landscape, characters, and overall action of the piece.

Because the mural’s main focus is on Boys’ Bowl, each year tends to portray the Shamrocks demolishing the opposing school.

As you may have noticed, this year’s mural includes all of the Catholic League schools. This change in theme reflects the constant battle we face with every school within the Catholic League. With the Boys’ Bowl already passed, it only seemed fitting to portray Shamrock dominance as a whole.

The team chose Star Wars as the overall theme, and perfectly executed a battle scene on the barren deserts of the planet Tatooine. When asked whether or not Mr. Dent and his team would be able to finish this year’s mural, they had but one reply:

“Do. Or do not. There is no try.”