by Rochelle Valverde
originally published in the Lawrence Journal-World
October 20, 2015
History tends to grow dimmer with time, but one story from Lawrence’s past was literally fading with the years. The mural on the exterior wall of Cordley Elementary School, which
depicts a story involving the school’s namesake and a runaway slave
known as Lizzie, had weathered in the nearly 15 years since it was
painted. A recently completed addition and renovation of the 100-year-old
school, located at 1837 Vermont St., did not forget the mural on the
north facade. Despite an addition to the school’s northeast side that
intersects with the mural, the wall was left intact and funds were
allocated to completely restore the mural, said Lawrence artist Dave
Loewenstein.
“Principal (Scott) Cinnamon was really insistent that the mural be a
part of the new school, and you can see they worked around it,”
Loewenstein said as he added fresh paint to the mural this week.
The mural depicts a story from Lawrence’s Underground Railroad,
represented by the railroad tracks that run across the bottom,
Loewenstein said. It tells of the time Richard Cordley, a Massachusetts
abolitionist who was new to Lawrence in 1859, was asked to harbor a
runaway slave named Lizzie. Cordley’s house — located on Vermont Street about two blocks from the
school — was thought to be a safer option for Lizzie because
authorities may check other homes first.
 |
| Lawrence muralist Dave Loewenstein tosses a paint brush in a bucket as
he repaints his mural, "A Thousand Miles Away," on the north side of
Cordley Elementary School, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015. The mural depicts an
Underground Railroad scene involving a slave named Lizzie and Lawrence
abolitionists Rev. Richard Cordley (not pictured) and his wife Mary.
Loewenstein will be glazing the mural on Wednesday as the last step
before it is completed.
by Nick Krug |
The circumstances inspired a
quote attributed to Cordley in 1859, on the topic of putting one’s
theoretical beliefs into action: “It is easy to be brave a thousand miles away. But now I must face the question at short range.” The mural, titled “A Thousand Miles Away,” shows Lizzie’s concealment
at the Cordleys’ house and eventual safe escape to Canada. The idea
that even heroes get scared is a great lesson for kids, Loewenstein
said. “We love that quote because it says so much about the challenges,
fear and responsibility of engaging in work like this — for social
justice,” he said.
Loewenstein originally painted the mural in 2001 after compiling
sketches of the story that Cordley students made at the time. He has
spent about two weeks restoring the mural with the help of another
Lawrence artist, Nicholas Ward. The restoration was originally planned
for the summer, but Loewenstein said he’s glad that in the end he’s
working on it while school is in session. “It’s really been better to have students around,” he said. “They ask a million questions.”
Loewenstein said the kids know him and the story really well now, and
he’ll hear them discussing it among themselves on the blacktop. The
kids have even gone as far as to offer him tips or critiques as he’s
painting, Loewenstein said. In addition to the story itself, it’s good
for the students to see the process. “I think it’s really cool for kids to see artists at work,” he said.
“We see actors perform and musicians play, but we don’t often see visual
artists at work.” The repainting of the mural is almost done, and Loewenstein said he
plans to add the final varnish to complete the project on Wednesday.
